Vision Care for Needy Children

Dear Donors,

Thanks to our GlobalGiving donors for their generous support so we can continue to provide vision and hearing care for all eligible children requesting our help.

Our annual Thanksgiving Radio-A-Thon was held Thanksgiving Weekend on KEX 1190 AM radio station. See https://1190kex.iheart.com and search for KEX Kids Fund On Air Pledge Drive.

Our funds are kept in one account and are used for both of our Hearing and Vision Care programs.

For the year 2019, we received a total of $190,503 – this includes the following: grants, GlobalGiving donations, and $159,589 in donor contributions from our Thanksgiving Pledge Drive.

In 2019, we issued 648 vouchers for children in need to receive free eye exams and eyeglasses. We served children in 18 counties in Oregon and 2 in Washington. We partner with 105 vision providers at 75 locations. Our vision care expenses for the calendar year 2019 were $43,924.

We continue to help reach children who have vision problems and whose families qualify for assistance (income less than 200% of federal poverty level). School districts in Oregon depend upon the Oregon Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation (OLSHF) to provide vision screening for their students. In response to a proposal from OLSHF, our board voted to contribute to OLSHF for vision screening support. OLSHF reported that they provided screenings at 583 locations in Oregon. About 176,000 children were screened, resulting in referrals for 19,000 children for additional vision care. Our KEX Kids Fund program helps those students who can’t afford further medical costs.

Thank you again for helping us to bring sight to children who need vision assistance in Oregon and SW Washington!

Stories:

“This is such a blessing to our students! We have many families that are in the middle of trying to access their health care or do not have vision benefits, so this is a tremendous asset for our families. This is my one and only resource at times for helping our students.  We have vision screenings every year and we work to ensure that all students have access to appointments and glasses, as needed.  Our parents are so very grateful and thankful that this is available to help them. Thank you KEX Kids Fund!” --J.Y., Elementary School Counselor

 “Thank you for helping with my glasses, I really appreciate it.” --H.C., Student

 “This is an amazing program and is so appreciated! What a game-changer for so many youth. Keep up the great work!” --E.C., Mentor