half Helen Blog
Brief History
In-school screenings revealed that the founder of half Helen, Chelsea Elliott, was blind in her left eye and deaf in her right ear. As a kid, Chelsea learned about Helen Keller and surmised that since she was half-blind and half-deaf, she was “half Helen!”
After graduating from St. Edward’s University in 2013, Chelsea founded the half Helen Foundation, a nonprofit organization that exists to improve children’s vision and hearing through innovative screenings, research, and advocacy. In doing so, she hopes to prevent other children from winding up “half Helens”. Read more about half Helen here.
Blog
half Helen BlogWhy a Tiny House?Vision impairment has been on the rise for many years. When the pandemic struck, it became even more important for us to launch our mobile vision clinic, Optical Prime, in early 2021 to help give students the tools they would need to...
We’ve Got Frames!
half Helen BlogWe’ve got new frames!No, not those types of frames.There we go! That’s more like it! It might not look like much yet, but this tiny house dream of ours has started to come together. Optical Prime is on its way to becoming a reality. After months of...
What is Pink Eye?
What is Pink Eye? We’ve all experienced it at some point. The burning, itching sensation of an eye infection. These conditions can range from the annoyance of irritated, watery eyes to highly contagious infections that are accompanied by swelling and sticky discharge....
Glaucoma Awareness Month
Glaucoma Awareness Month January is Glaucoma Awareness Month! Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States, and it affects almost 3 million people today. It is caused by increased pressure within the eye, which eventually damages...
A Message from our Founder
Happy Thanksgiving! November 26th, 2020Dear hH Friends, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We don’t buy gifts, light fireworks, or hide eggs. It’s name says it all - give thanks! With that in mind, I want to give thanks for a few significant blessings. I believe...
Diabetes Awareness Month
Diabetes Awareness Month November 19th, 2020 Welcome to the half Helen blog! This is your number one place for the most up to date news about everything half Helen. Check back regularly for program updates, uplifting stories, and all the eye-related content you need...
Videos
In the News
CNN Hero: Helping school-age children ‘see’ their future
Lions Club International Magazine Article, “Half Helen, Whole Heart”
St. Edward’s University Magazine Article, “Setting Her Sights”
KEYE TV: Austin woman making sure other kids never have to face what she did
Austin American Statesman – What Caused All The Excitement At Austin Nonprofit Pitch Fest?
Awards
CNN Hero: In 2015, Chelsea was recognized as a CNN Hero. The CNN Heroes program honors individuals who make extraordinary contributions to improve the lives of others.
Community Woman of the Year: In 2016, Texas Women in Business recognized Chelsea as Community Woman of the Year.
ChangeMaker: In 2017, the Austin Young Chamber of Commerce recognized Chelsea as a ChangeMaker.
Heroes for Children: In 2017, Texas State Board of Education recognized Chelsea for her vision and hearing program serving Austin and San Antonio
Philanthropitch 2018: Record award for $64,100 for hH to scale C-MORE software, reducing time spent on the health screening process by 50%.
Impact Austin 2019 Health & Wellness Community Partner: hH was awarded $100,000 to launch a portable optometry clinic.
