News

Fy-Eye January 2020


PBWI small FY-Eye: January 2020

Upcoming Events
ABV Social Cocktail for a Cause
Purchase a Sangria at ABV Social from January – March and $1 from each purchased will benefit Prevent Blindness Wisconsin.

Admirals Fundraising Night
Join us on Wednesday, January 15 at the Milwaukee Admirals game! Use our link to purchase your ticket and $10 will benefit our sight-saving services!

Upcoming Trainings
View the Children’s Vision Screener Training Schedule

January Newsletter Articles
20/20 Challenge
Meet Brooke
Milwaukee Admirals Give-Back Night
ABV Social Cocktail for a Cause
In the News!
School Nurses Start 2020 with Healthy Vision
Great Year of New Opportunity
Carroll University Nursing Students Make Healthy Vision Possible
Upcoming Trainings
Vision Health and Safety
Green Bay School District Head Start Learns About Healthy Vision
Wisconsin Lions Foundation Sets Sights on a Healthy 2020
Grants Galore!
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month
Join our Team!
Donate


About Us


Founded in 1958, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin improves the lives of children, adults, and families through early detection of eye conditions to prevent blindness and preserve sight. On-going vision screening activities and state-wide public health education lead to a lifetime of healthy vision.

wisconsin.preventblindness.org
[email protected]

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Support Prevent Blindness Wisconsin
Support Prevent Blindness Wisconsin throughout the year by holding an event in our honor at your work, school or church. Some ideas include:
– Jeans Day
– Dedicate your birthday
– Bake sale
– Designate your United Way contribution by using code 53904

Please contact Bridget at [email protected] for PBW marketing materials.


Increase Our Impact In 2020!

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin makes the world a brighter place for children and adults across Wisconsin through our sight-saving vision health services. You can give the gift of healthy vision by joining the 20/20 Monthly Giving Challenge.



Celebrate the year 2020 – the year of healthy vision – by becoming a monthly donor to help Prevent Blindness Wisconsin achieve its vision for each Wisconsin resident to have healthy vision at every stage of life!



An investment of:
$5 per month trains one volunteer to provide Certified Vision Screenings
$10 per month provides one voucher for glasses for an uninsured child
$20 per month provides one vision screening toolkit enabling hundreds of local screenings




Will you accept our challenge to make a gift of $20 per month and help Prevent Blindness Wisconsin increase our impact in 2020?

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Brooke - SS

Meet Brooke!

After not passing her certified vision screening in her K4 class, Brooke’s parents took her to the eye doctor and found out that she needed glasses. According to Brooke’s mom, “We did not suspect Brooke had a vision problem. Brooke would watch her iPad or the TV close but not all the time and it was usually only when she was interested. I was shocked and then felt bad that she could not see and I did not know. Since receiving glasses, Brooke says that she can see better at school and she has been doing good with wearing them. They don’t seem to bother her!”

Thanks to our screening partners who help ensure children like Brooke can see clearly for school success and beyond!


Milwaukee Admirals Give-Back Night

Join Prevent Blindness Wisconsin on Wednesday, January 15 as the Milwaukee Admirals take on the Chicago Wolves at 7:00 pm. When you use our link, tickets are just $20 with $10 going back to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s sight saving services.

If you make it to just one Admirals game in 2020, join us January 15 and help prevent blindness and preserve sight!

Invite your friends on Facebook!

Admirals Tickets


2019 ABV Social Sangria

ABV Social Cocktail for a Cause

Stop by ABV Social in the Mayfair Collection to try our Cocktail for a Cause! From January through March, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin will receive $1 from each Sangria purchased.

Share our Facebook event!


In the News!

This December, HOSA students from Case High School who received Prevent Blindness Wisconsin children’s vision screening certification along with Prevent Blindness Wisconsin volunteers provided free vision screenings to over 200 students at Dr. Jones Elementary in Racine. Dr. Jones’ Principal Sherri Hopkins said, “This is a school community at its best where you have students and local organizations working together to help our youngest learners. That day, it’s not about school boundaries or grade levels or status; it’s about students supporting each other and it doesn’t get any better than that.” This partnership was made possible thanks to funding from the Racine Community Foundation – thank you. We are so grateful to the volunteers and their enthusiasm for helping younger students in their district have healthy vision!

To learn more about this wonderful event read this article written in the Journal Times.

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School Nurses Start 2020 with Healthy Vision



Thank you to Milwaukee Public Schools for hosting a Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training. Nurses are trained and ready to provide students with an evidence-based Children’s Vision Screening to identify potential vision problems. Contact Shelby at [email protected] to set up a Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training of your own in 2020!

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Great Year of New Opportunity

Jan Volunteer Article Pic

Community volunteers from Ozaukee County took on a new vision screening opportunity this school year and collaborated with the Ozaukee Public School District. Because of these devoted screeners, 200 5K students from Donges Bay Elementary, Oriole Lane Elementary and Wilson Lane Elementary School are now on the path to healthy vision for a brighter future ahead. The dedication that these screeners brought to each of these schools was empowering and we are grateful for their sight-saving services. If you are looking for a new opportunity this year or wonder how you can help in the community, please contact April at [email protected] to learn more.


Carroll University Nursing Students Make Healthy Vision Possible

Even though it was a snowy November day, the weather could not keep our dedicated adult vision screeners away! 11 Carroll University nursing students became certified adults vision screeners this past fall, advancing their community health skill set in their community nursing clinical outreach course. These dedicated students then conducted a health fair for clients at the United Community Center, offering vision screenings, referral education, blood pressure screenings, A1C screenings and more! While the weather presented some hurdles that day, the outreach event impacted many lives and offered services and resources to adults who would have otherwise gone without. We would like to thank the students who dedicated their time and effort to the adult vision screenings that day, we are very thankful for your diligence to make a difference in the community!

Are you interested in becoming a Certified Adult Vision Screener? Contact Courtney at [email protected] for more information.

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Upcoming Trainings

Sign up for one of our upcoming Children’s Vision Screener Trainings. If you have questions or if you would like to schedule a training, please contact Shelby at [email protected].

Community volunteers should register for any training titled “Children’s Vision Screener Training for Volunteers.” If you have any questions please contact April at [email protected].

Friday, January 17, 2020
Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training – Watertown Unified School District
12:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Watertown Unified School District
111 Dodge St.
Watertown, WI 53094
REGISTER NOW!
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training – Tomahawk
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Tomahawk Elementary
Room 133
1048 E. King Road
Tomahawk, WI 54487
REGISTER NOW!
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training – LaCrosse
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
South Side Neighborhood Center
1300 S. 6th Street
LaCrosse, WI 54601
REGISTER NOW!
Thursday, February 13, 2020

Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training for Volunteers – Brookfield

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Brookfield Public Library

Sonia Bielmeier Community Room

1900 N. Calhoun Rd.

Brookfield, WI 53005

REGISTER NOW!
Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Certified Children’s Vision Screener Training for Volunteers – Dane County

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Fitchburg Public Library

Second Floor Meeting Room

5530 Lacy Rd.

Fitchburg, WI 53711

REGISTER NOW!
Friday, March 13, 2020
27-D1 Lions Certified Vision Screener Training
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Chula Vista Resort
2501 River Rd.
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
REGISTER NOW!
Friday, March 20, 2020
27-E2 Lions Certified Vision Screener Training & SPOT
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
The Lismore Hotel
333 Gibson Street
Eau Claire, WI 54701


REGISTER NOW!



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Vision Health and Safety


Thanks to the Racine Community Foundation, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin was able to present our Vision Health and Safety presentation to eight Parent Child Oriented Classrooms of parents in the Racine Unified School District (RUSD). This presentation teaches parents about the importance of vision screening, signs of a potential vision problem in their child, and ways to keep their children’s eyes safe in and out of the home. Parents asked great questions and were excellent participants. Thank you, RUSD Early Childhood Program and Racine Community Foundation, for making this program possible.


Green Bay School District Head Start Learns About Healthy Vision

Thank you to the Green Bay Area Public School District Head Start for including us in their Resource Fair. The Resource Fair was a wonderful opportunity to connect parents with vision health resources in their area, provide assistance in scheduling eye exams, and help parents set their children on a path for healthy vision for life. This work is made possible by the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation.



Wisconsin Lions Foundation Sets Sights on a Healthy 2020

Thank you to the many Lion/Lioness Clubs and Districts who have scheduled Certified Children’s Vision Screener Trainings for 2020. Does your club need to be recertified? Contact Shelby at [email protected] to schedule a training. Together, we can help children see 20/20 in 2020!


Grants Galore!

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is proud and honored to announce it has been awarded grants from the following foundations:

Thank you Alvin & Marion Birnschein Foundation for supporting the Vision Screener Training and Certification programs. Funding will be used to print and purchase supplies and materials needed to ensure partners and volunteers are properly trained, equipped, and supported to make healthy vision a priority in communities across the state.

Thank you Byron L. Walter Family Trust for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program in Brown County which supports certified vision screenings for approximately 15,000 children each year.

Thank you Ralph Evinrude Foundation for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties which makes healthy vision possible for more than 45,000 children annually.

Thank you Four-Four Foundation for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program in Waukesha County which ensures approximately 14,000 children, receive certified vision screenings and are placed on the path to healthy vision for a lifetime.

Thank you Green Bay Packers Community Foundation for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program in Brown County which brings the future into focus for more than 15,000 children annually.

Thank you Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation for supporting the Children’s Vision Screening Program in Milwaukee County which ensures approximately 30,000 children have access to sight-saving vision screenings.

Thank you Schoenleber Foundation for supporting the Vision Health University Partnership Program at Milwaukee School of Engineering and UW-Milwaukee which trains, certifies, equips, and supports nursing and pre-health students to provide free certified vision screenings at local schools. The program helps create a sustainable vision health system by ensuring the future health professionals who will serve our community are prepared to advocate for vision health and protect the vision of those they will care for in their future careers.

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s sight-saving programs would not be possible without the generous support of local funders. Thank you again for helping make healthy vision possible for children and adults across Wisconsin.


January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month! Is Your Vision Protected?

Glaucoma is chronic eye disease that affects pressure levels in the eye. As pressure builds over time, it can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve of the eye. The optic nerve is the main communication system between the eyes and the brain.

Eye Anatomy


Today, glaucoma affects nearly 3 million people in the United States ages 40 years and older. By 2050, the projected cases are expected to increase over 50% to 5.5 million. What’s your risk for glaucoma?

Glaucoma Risk Factors

Glaucoma Risk Factor Picture

Age: Those that are 40 and older are more likely to develop glaucoma. The older you are, the greater your risk.

Race: People of African American heritage are more likely to get glaucoma than the rest of the population. They are also more likely to develop glaucoma at a younger age.

Family History: If you have a parent or sibling who has glaucoma, you are more likely to develop the disease and are considered ‘at-risk’ for glaucoma.

Diabetes: People with diabetes have a higher risk (40 percent) of developing glaucoma. People with diabetes should be receiving a dilated eye exam every year due to the complications it has on vision health.

How Can You Protect Your Vision Health?
If you have any risk factors for glaucoma, it is extremely important to receive regular dilated eye exams (every one to two years) from your eye doctor. The only way to diagnose glaucoma is through a dilated eye exam. It is highly recommended to ask for your eyes to be dilated during the eye exam. This ensures the eye doctor can see the entire back of the eye (retina); not just a narrow snap shot.

dilated eye exam diagram

Glaucoma is a chronic condition that needs to be monitored closely. Medications and surgery may slow the disease development and progression. Don’t wait until it’s too late—take control of your vision health and make your dilated eye exam appointment today.

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Join Our Team!

Development Intern

| Come learn with us | hands on experience | great resume builder!

We are seeking a motivated, detail-oriented, self-starter with an interest in non-profit fundraising who can fill an integral role in our Resource Development Department.
Are you interested in the non-profit sector and transforming lives?
• Do you possess a curious mind, hearty sense of humor, and strong written and verbal skills?
• Detail-oriented and organized with strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Are you detail oriented, organized, punctual, and dependable?
If so, read the full intern description and how to apply!

Program Intern
Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is looking for an intern to help our team with the many programs in our office. If you have an interest in gaining professional experience in a health-oriented nonprofit agency or you just want to work in a fun work environment and gain some valuable skills, then this is the internship for you! To learn more about how to apply and to read the full job description click here.

Staff Picture Walk 2019

Your support allows us to carry out our vision for each Wisconsin resident to have healthy vision at every stage of life.

Thank you!

Donate
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