Fred A. Toomer Elementary School is the newest Atlanta Public School to have its students in the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation 2025 comprehensive eye health care mobile clinic program.
The program is geared to address the growing need for vision care services for children in some of the most populated counties in Georgia, made possible through the Sight For Kids program, co-founded by Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) and Johnson & Johnson.
In coordination with the current Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation’s school-based screening programming, the Sight For Kids program serves Fulton, Chatham, Clayton, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties, aiming to provide vision screenings to 10,000 students in more than 50 schools over the course of our two-year partnership, which began in 2024.
Georgia is one of three states in North America where Sight For Kids has expanded to address the growing need for vision care services.
Through this initiative, the organizations will ensure Georgia youth have access to vital vision exams. Many children need corrective lenses, such as glasses, for sharp vision.
In fact, in Georgia, 30-40 percent of elementary-age school children experience unaddressed vision needs.
Additionally, 52 Georgia counties currently have limited or no access to eye care, and 30% of Georgia counties lack access to eye care services. Sufficient vision is critical for students in preventing emotional, social, and psychological issues, as well as educational problems.
The Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation provides vision services through education, detection, prevention, and treatment, and works with organizations across Georgia to transform comprehensive vision care for children.
The Executive Director of Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, Beth Ehrhardt, said the elementary school has 60% or more free and reduced lunches, and that is their focus this year.
“We’re also serving all the students, and this school has over 400 students that will screen today,” she said. “We are looking forward to having the children be able to get their exams and, glasses. It’s exciting to be able to see how students can go from barely being able to see the board in the front of the classroom or read a book and realizing they really do need help because children never know what they don’t know.”
Ehrhardt also said doing this work and giving back to students is very crucial to their education.
“Georgia has a very high incidence or low incidents in terms of literacy and we’re finding that because children can’t see, they can’t read, so we want to increase that literacy rate by increasing the vision,” she said.
Former president of Lions Clubs International Jim Ervin said it’s a team effort with Johnson & Johnson and
“We’re all here as a team to be able to give these kids the opportunity for better vision,” he said. “We want to screen those kids, and if they have any challenges or any needs, we take them in for further examination.”
Ervin also says they provide eyeglasses for the students because it’s important for them to be successful in life.
“They have to be able to see so they can read, write, and function in their own way,” he said. “We’re very proud to be a part of that.”
School Business Manager at Fred A. Toomer Elementary School, Katie Clark, said she’s been a teacher and instructional coach in the past; her son goes to kindergarten at the school, so being a community hub is crucial for their school.
“We have tried hard in the last 10 years or so to make this one community and be able to be a resource for anything a parent needs, whether it’s academic-related or not, we want to be able to help provide services that will help our students be their best every day,” she said.
Clark also said they are grateful and honored to be able to do this program with Lions House and Johnson & Johnson so they can remove barriers for learning.
“Our main job is to remove any barriers that might keep a kid from being their absolute best every day and vision is one that many, especially our younger kids and parents, don’t even realize those are barriers to learning,” she said.
Twanna House, student health & wellness coordinator for Atlanta Public Schools, said this program is a great opportunity for their students to receive vision screenings and the support they need.
“This partnership with the Georgia Alliance has been very impactful because these days, students spend so much time on technology and on the Chromebooks, on cellphones, and it’s messing with their vision,” she said.
House says she has two daughters in middle school, and they both wear glasses as well.
“We’re finding that up to 40% of the students need glasses, so I enjoy being a part of this partnership to be able to witness this and provide support to our families and our students,” she said.