Campers at a Dutchess County camp are getting eye exams and glasses free of charge before going back to school.
For 19 years, Fishkill’s Fresh Air Fund camp has partnered with the Onesight foundation to ensure their campers have proper eye care. Over the course of the summer, over 600 kids will get eye exams. About 88% of them will need glasses and can get them at no charge. For the rest, they’ll get a pair of non-prescription sunglasses, ensuring no one goes home empty-handed.
Fresh Air Fund CEO Lisa Gitelson said this can be life-changing for the kids.
“You can also be that kid that’s not doing well, so you’re going to sit further back in the classroom because you’re hoping nobody’s paying attention to you,” she said. “If your eyesight isn’t what it needs to be, it just continues to get worse and harder. Having glasses literally changes the way you’re educated. It makes your education deeply more meaningful.”
It also has a huge effect on their families.
“A lot of our families are working families,” she said. “You might have more than one kid. You might be working three jobs to have the bandwidth to get even; to get your child’s eye tested can be challenging. So if we can do anything to take that stumbling out of the way, then we’re really grateful to do it.”
The kids themselves love getting to pick their favorite pair of frames, and in some instances, getting to watch their lenses get made.
“Sometimes I sit in the back [of the class]. Now, I can see many things and see my friends more clearly and read way easier,” said camper Juan Diego. “It’s really cool.”
“I like the big frames because they help me see better,” said Skylar, another camper.