Brand partners with global nonprofit OneSight to provide vision care to students, empowering them to reach their full potential
New York (February 21, 2019) – In August 2018, Pearle Vision introduced “Olivia,” the brand’s latest iteration of their “small moments” marketing campaign. The story of Olivia features a young girl exploring a variety of interests from sports to space. When mom notices that she isn’t seeing clearly and cannot achieve all that she wants, she takes Olivia to their neighborhood Pearle Vision for an eye exam. It’s the eye care and glasses she receives, similar to those worn by a personal inspiration and tennis legend, Billie Jean King, that enables Olivia to do all the things she loves to do.
Olivia isn’t alone. In fact, one in four school-age children in the U.S. has an undiagnosed vision care problem. And when 80% of learning is visual, that becomes a challenge for students to achieve their full potential in school and in life. (Source: American Optometric Association)
“It was a teacher in elementary school that first noticed my vision issue. I was sitting closer to the board in the classroom and still squinting to see clearly. Although, I didn’t know it at the time, it was also affecting my tennis,” said Billie Jean King. “My first pair of glasses changed everything, from school to the court. Being able to see clearly was critical for me to achieve all that I wanted.”
It’s with this in mind that Pearle Vision partnered with the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative and OneSight, a global vision care non-profit, to deliver eye exams and glasses to students at Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary – a school where Billie Jean King is a Namesake of the first-grade classroom as part of the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.
On Tuesday, February 26, volunteers from New York-area Pearle Vision locations will partner with OneSight to provide eye exams and glasses to students at Girls Prep Elementary via an on-site one-day vision care clinic. Volunteers will conduct vision tests and optometrists will perform eye exams on board OneSight’s state-of-the-art mobile vision unit, Eyeleen.
“This one-day clinic is just one example of how the eye care experts at Pearle Vision bring to life the iconic consumer promise ‘nobody cares for eyes more than Pearle,’” said Doug Zarkin, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Pearle Vision. “There are millions of children with stories just like Billie’s and Olivia’s. We’re here today with OneSight to help some of those young girls see clearly and empowered to achieve their dreams.”
“At Girls Prep, we are committed to providing a rigorous, holistic education that prepares our students for college and beyond, but if they cannot see clearly they have a barrier in their path,” said Rebekah Adamek, Principal at Girls Prep Elementary. “Having Pearle Vision and OneSight host this clinic, and remove that barrier for some of our students, is invaluable. Vision and learning go hand-in-hand so we know the impact a pair of glasses can have on the lives of our students.”
About Pearle Vision
Pearle Vision was founded in 1961 by Dr. Stanley Pearle, who began the concept of one-stop, total eye care with the opening of the Pearle Vision Center in Savannah, Ga. Dr. Pearle combined complete eye exams with an extensive selection of eyewear. In 1981, Pearle Vision began offering franchise opportunities to select doctors and opticians. Today, with more than 500 EyeCare Centers located throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, Pearle Vision is built around a doctor-centered business model with a primary focus to deliver genuine eye care to patients and become the neighborhood trusted source for all their eye care and eye wear needs. Pearle Vision is owned by Luxottica, a leader in premium fashion, luxury and sports eyewear. For more information, visit PearleVision.com. And, to learn more about the Pearle Vision franchise opportunity, visit ownapearlevision.com or call 1-800-PEARLE-1.
About OneSight
OneSight is the leading global nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing access to an eye exam and glasses to the 1.1 billion people who have no way to get them. We have a proven model that provides permanent access to vision care and glasses and we are pioneering new ways to deliver quality vision care to the most remote communities. We believe one’s location and circumstances should not stand in the way of one’s potential. Our goal is to create a world where lack of access to vision care is no longer a barrier to human achievement, and every donation gets us one step closer to making that world a reality. For more information, visit www.onesight.org.
About Girls Prep
Girls Prep Lower East Side was founded in 2005 as the first and only all-girls public charter school in New York City; and Girls Prep Bronx was founded in 2009 to serve female scholars in the South Bronx. Girls Prep alumnae have now been accepted into some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, including Yale University, Stephens College, St. John’s University, and Howard University. Girls Prep is part of Public Prep, the nation’s first non-profit network that exclusively develops exceptional, tuition-free PreK and single-sex elementary and middle public schools, including Boys Prep Bronx. Public Prep is determined to graduate 8th grade scholars who thrive in “right-fit,” high-performing public, private, or parochial high schools, and ultimately earn a degree from a four-year college or university. A hallmark of Public Prep Academies is that each classroom is named after a “Namesake,” an influential role model, reminding scholars that hard work can lead to magnificent outcomes. At Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary, a first-grade classroom is treated to an annual visit by their classroom “Namesake,” Billie Jean King.
