half Helen Blog
Pop-up Style Eye Exam Clinics Continue
Our goal is to provide every child who failed their vision screening in the fall with a comprehensive eye exam before STAAR testing begins next month. A comprehensive eye exam diagnoses eye disease and provides the exact prescription for children needing glasses. With your support, half Helen’s team provided 74 children with a comprehensive eye exam in February.
Our most recent eye exam clinic took place at NYOS Charter School where 15 middle and high school students were prescribed glasses. Nearly all of the students said they “really liked” our eyewear selection – 30 choices from our partnership with Modern Optical. Perhaps we need to have a group of students be a part of our frame selection offerings moving forward. Yet another way to reflect our core value of Ingenuity.
Dispensing and Fitting Glasses
The final phase of half Helen’s vision care process is dispensing prescription glasses. Dr. Clint Stengel, Cedar Rock Vision Center, volunteered his time to teach our team how to properly shape and fit glasses before dispensing the first 24 pairs of glasses of the season at Austin Achieve Elementary. We have an additional 36 pairs to dispense this week and even more as we continue to provide comprehensive eye exams throughout the month.
Fort Worth ISD, First ISD to License swift Screen
We are pleased to welcome Fort Worth ISD as the first independent school district to license swift Screen! Created in 2018, swift Screen is an application designed by hH to streamline the vision screening process. It allows the user to digitally track all students through the screening process, communicate results with their families via email, and report cumulative screening results to the Department of State Health Services. As a result of the time-saving features of swift Screen, half Helen has been able to significantly scale our vision care program. #Impact.
Since inception, we believed that swift Screen had the potential to generate revenue for our vision treatment program while reducing screening time for any school. With a contract in place, we will begin training Fort Worth ISD personnel so they are prepared to use swift Screen this coming school year.
Optical Prime: 6 Weeks to Completion
Thanks to our amazing friends at Covert Ford and John King Construction, Optical Prime’s foundation is complete! The 32-foot tiny house will be mobile and powered thanks to our new Ford F350. Additionally, phase I plumbing is complete and water tanks have been installed. Over the next couple of weeks, the construction team will install the external generator and fuel tanks and begin cladding the walls and roof. Construction is on track for an April 16 delivery and we have begun planning our virtual ribbon cutting. You can expect your invitation next month when we have finalized the details.
half Helen featured in El Mundo
To read the full article, click the image below:
half Helen Giving Circle
Ever thought about getting more involved with half Helen? Now’s your chance!
We are currently recruiting members to our new Giving Circle. Members make a minimum membership contribution of $100 per month. You’ll meet annually for the “members-only” luncheon where you’ll cast your vote to determine which hH program will be funded by the membership’s collective donations. Then, you’ll receive exclusive updates on these programs and the children who benefit from them.
If you would like more information or are interested in joining the hH Giving Circle, contact Meghan Jones at meghan@halfhelen.org.