ATLANTA – (December 2, 2024) – Prevent Blindness Georgia is thrilled to announce that it has received a generous grant from The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia to fund the Pediatric Eye Care Ensuring Georgia’s Children Reach Their Full Potential or the PEEP Summer Program. This vital support will help ensure that children and teens in Lumpkin County have access to critical vision services to ensure they are ready for the 2025 – 2026 academic year.
This innovative program aims to address the growing concern of potentially undiagnosed and untreated vision problems among children living in rural regions. By offering free certified vision screenings, comprehensive eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, and educational resources, the PEEP program seeks to improve the academic performance and the quality of life of children in underserved rural areas. With this funding, Prevent Blindness Georgia will be able to reach more young people and provide critical vision care services.
“We are deeply grateful to The Catholic Foundation of North Georgia for their generous investment in our work,” said Shavette Turner, VP of Children’s Vision Services. “This grant empowers us to offer even more opportunities for children to have access to necessary and quality eye health and vision care services.
The PEEP program initially rolled out in Fannin County at the Back-to-School Fair hosted at the Fannin County High School on July 27, 2024. In total, 38 children were seen by Dr. Sarah D. Lee and Dr. Shundale Mixon – two optometrists from the Metro Atlanta area. This year, the grant from the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia will enable the program to expand into another underserved rural county and reach more children.
Registration for the PEEP Summer Program will be announced in the spring, with spots available on a first-come, first-served basis. Families interested in enrolling their children can visit georgia.preventblindness.org or contact Shavette Turner for more details.
