MISHAWAKA, IN –  The P-H-M Education Foundation has partnered with Boling Vision Center in Elkhart to bring an innovative program called Kindness to Prevent Blindness to P-H-M School Corporation and throughout St. Joseph County.

The Kindness to Prevent Blindness Mobile Clinic will provide a medical eye exam and two pairs of prescription glasses at no cost to all 1st, 3rd, 5th & 8th grade students who fail their state mandated vision exam in the following school districts:

• Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation
• South Bend Community School Corporation
• School City of Mishawaka
• John Glenn School Corporation.

On behalf of the four education foundations in St. Joseph County, the P-H-M Education Foundation submitted and was awarded a United Way of St. Joseph County four-year grant that will support the financial expansion of Kindness to Prevent Blindness in St. Joseph County. 

“We are thrilled to have been awarded a $45,000 a year grant from the United Way of St. Joseph County. This grant will help expand Kindness to Prevent Blindness to all public schools in St. Joe County. Partnering with Boling Vision and the area education foundation was a natural fit for PHMEF. It is our hope to eliminate barriers so that all children can reach their academic potential,” said Mari Linn M. Wise, executive director of the P-H-M Education Foundation. 

The media was invited to a joint announcement of the project on Thursday, July 18 at the Century Center; tours and free vision screenings of the Kindness to Prevent Blindness Mobile Clinic were also provided.

Kindness to Prevent Blindness expects to provide more 4,000 students with free glasses in Elkhart and St. Joseph counties during the 2019-2020 school year. Launched in September 2018 in Elkhart County, Kindness to Prevent Blindness’s mission is to diminish obstacles families face getting vision screenings as mandated by the Indiana Department of Education. 
 

The P-H-M Education Foundation was founded in 1996 and has disbursed more than $1 million in innovative grants and scholarships. The mission of the P-H-M Education Foundation is to support excellence in education in all 15 P-H-M school by securing alternative funding that supports student programs that fall outside the school corporation’s budget.

Boling Vision Center has been compassionately serving the families of Michiana with a state-of-the-art, personalized eye care experience since 1960.  With four locations in South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen and Notre Dame, the team at Boling Vision Center provides a high-tech, family environment where the genuine care and comfort of their patients is the highest mission. BVC pledges to provide the finest products, facilities and services for their patients in a warm, relaxed and caring atmosphere. Boling Vision Center feels honored to have had the opportunity to serve as many as four different generations of families in their eyecare practice. From babies to seniors – patient eye health is the main focus.

Please view the photos below to see the inside of the mobile unit: