JA: San Francisco nonprofit gives free eyeglasses to at-risk kids

SAN FRANCISCO – The pinnacle of a San Francisco nonprofit that is been a “rock” of help for at-risk youngsters has expanded its imaginative and prescient to fulfill a crucial want that arose through the pandemic.

Curt Yagi is recording movies and pictures of what’s going to be a momentous day within the lives of greater than 100 college students.

“Having the ability to see a number of them – or expertise a number of them – see for the primary time goes to be fairly wonderful,” Yagi smiled.

Yagi leads the newest venture of Actual Choices for Metropolis Children, or ROCK, the biggest enrichment program for at-risk youngsters residing in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood. Once we first met him simply earlier than the pandemic, Yagi had spent 16 years constructing on the nonprofit’s framework: from STEM tasks and homework assist to sports activities and health applications.

However within the final 12 months, the manager director started to see youngsters’ wants via a brand new lens.
      
“With the pandemic, youngsters simply hadn’t seen the physician for lots of causes, and we knew that they should see, ‘trigger when you possibly can’t see, it is onerous to study,” he defined.

So Yagi crafted a one-day program at Visitacion Valley Center College referred to as Imaginative and prescient Day for college kids like third grader Dominise Holmes of El Dorado Elementary College.

“Typically I am unable to see little issues,” she stated.

9-year-old Dominise is getting her eyes checked for the primary time. She’s trying ahead to receiving glasses.

“Yeah! I am excited! I am actually trying ahead to it. Why? ‘Trigger I will be within the glasses membership. It seems actually cool. And I will be capable of see higher,” she stated.

On this 12 months’s Imaginative and prescient Day, 120 college students get a free eye examination and glasses. That is twice as many as the primary occasion a 12 months in the past.
      
Yagi and his ROCK nonprofit companion with VSP’s Cellular Imaginative and prescient Clinic, the place 4 community optometrists volunteer for the all-day screenings. Moreover the center college college students, medical doctors additionally see youngsters from three elementary colleges – El Dorado, Vis Valley.. and Cleveland.

College students who want glasses select from an array of donated frames. Minutes later, the cell clinic grinds the lenses within the car parking zone. Stronger prescriptions are despatched to the scholars at a later date.

Then that magic second: Yagi arms Dominise her new glasses.

“It is a complete new world! I can see the flowers over there. I can see every little thing,” she exclaimed, spinning round to take all of it in.

“A variety of youngsters do not understand they can not see, so it is much more particular once they put glasses on and may see,” Yagi beamed.

It is a reward Curt desires to maintain giving: it may possibly’t be clearer than that.