Florida Vision Quest Loses Funding Amidst Florida Budget Cuts, Seeks Donations
Florida's Vision Quest, which was founded in 1994, is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving more than 14,000 "at risk" children every year. They recently lost funding and are in desperate need of funds in order to keep helping the children of Florida.
- Orlando, FL (1888PressRelease) July 09, 2010 - The State of Florida has recently been forced to eliminate funding for Florida's Vision Quest (FVQ), a not-for-profit entity that provides children from low-income and uninsured families across the state (in every county except for Miami-Dade) with free eye exams and eyeglasses. The charity has historically relied on state funding ($900K+ annually through 2007, and $600K+ annually in 2008-09), making this budget cut particularly crippling. As a result, thousands of children from the most needful Florida communities are at risk of facing a difficult struggle in their crucial early learning years. In order to stave off this unnecessary struggle, Florida's Vision Quest is imploring sympathetic contributors to step-up and support this most worthy of causes.
Science tells us that 80% of learning for children from birth to age 12 is visual, and one out of every four children is born with poor vision. During the last decade, Florida's Vision Quest has provided over 140,000 children from low-income families with the basic need of clear vision. Throughout 2008-2009 alone, Florida's Vision Quest received 16,259 referrals, provided 6,522 free exams, and dispensed 9,105 pairs of beautiful new eyeglasses. Their Mobile Unit visited 219 schools in some of Florida's most rural areas, ensuring that over 4,200 children can see clearly enough to learn. They screened 503 children between the ages of 11 & 12 who were in remediation, children that should already have been screened, and 98 of them, nearly one in five, clearly failed their eye exams. Studies done since program inception show that, in communities served by Florida's Vision Quest, absenteeism is down, as are crimes relating to alcohol, drugs, fighting and harassment, all while graduation rates have improved. Reading scores in Orange County elementary schools alone have improved by a staggering 53%. The need for the services that Florida's Vision Quest provides is clear, and their track record for success is undeniable, yet both will face unprecedented difficulty amidst these budget cuts unless something changes.
To say that these are challenging economic times is an understatement, but with challenges come innovation and growth. Florida's Vision Quest is committed to doing everything possible to continue providing this invaluable service to our communities. It is their belief that the needless suffering caused by uncorrected vision problems and the resulting social and academic failure is unacceptable when we have the means to prevent it. They are currently working on rebranding the charity in order to become more visible within the corporate world and to help raise new funding. They are working on creating awareness amongst all Floridians, not just those in need, so that communities are aware of 'that school in the next neighborhood' and the hardships faced by its underprivileged students. Those efforts alone, however, will not keep the program funded at the necessary levels. That is why Florida's Vision Quest is seeking generous donations from individuals and entities that are sympathetic to the cause. Please visit their website at www.flvq.org to learn more about how to help correct unnecessary vision problems amongst our youth, and to set them on the path towards a successful education.
Media wishing to schedule a visit to the Florida Vision Quest facility are welcome to contact the organization at 386-917-1001. For those wishing to record the mobile unit in action, there are opportunities in Seminole County on July 6th, 8th, and 12th, as well as at the Back-to-School Fairs in Seminole and Lake Counties in early August.
About Florida Vision Quest
Florida's Vision Quest, which was founded in 1994, is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving more than 14,000 "at risk" children every year. We are committed to fiscal responsibility and being a good steward of the support and resources we receive from our generous benefactors and dedicated individuals.
Contact
Cristina M. Calvet-Harrold, +1-407-832-4814 cristina ( @ ) cchmarketing dot com
Web site: http://www.FLVQ.org
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