At Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons, giving back to the community that has continued to support us through the years is paramount to our success. As a testament to our commitment to this core value, we have partnered with the LeBron James Family Foundation to provide eye care to I PROMISE School students and their families.
The I PROMISE School (IPS) is a public school in Akron, Ohio founded by its hometown hero LeBron James and Akron Public Schools. In 2011, the basketball star and Akron native wanted to dig deeper with his philanthropy and focus his Foundation’s efforts so that real, meaningful changed could be achieved. Discouraged by the shocking dropout rates in Akron, he started the “I PROMISE” program, a long-term educational initiative that supports at-risk youth in his childhood community. As LeBron grew up, he himself missed 83 days of 4th grade due to turbulent conditions at home and understands firsthand how important a consistent education is.
The NEOES vision is one where everyone in our community has equal access to quality eye care. Partnering with the LeBron James Family Foundation allows us the perfect opportunity to bring this vision to life.
On September 9th, 2018 our incredible staff of 11 doctors provided comprehensive eye examinations to over 120 I PROMISE students and their families. Students tried on pair after pair of glasses in search of the perfect fit. Their reaction was something to remember, as each student’s face lit up with the excitement of so many possibilities. Once the glasses were ready, our doctors and staff returned to IPS to hand deliver the new frames. Helping each student put on their custom fit glasses to see the world in a new way was all that we needed to understand why IPS is so necessary for our community. Once again, this September we will be providing comprehensive eye examinations to the IPS students and their families.
“Watching our students put on a pair of glasses that allowed them to see clearly for the very first time was life changing. They are literally seeing the world through a whole new perspective, with vision they didn’t even know they were missing. Being able to see is critical to learning, and now they have that resource available right on site thanks to this game-changing partnership.
To have the support and care of the incredible Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons team is invaluable and eliminates another barrier to learning many of our students and their families have. They can now feel confident in themselves and in their vision, knowing they have access to this transformational care.”– Michele Campbell, Executive Director, The LeBron James Family Foundation
We plan to continue to work with the I PROMISE School Family Resource Center to provide ongoing eye care to the students and their families. We will ensure that all families have access to any one of our three locations in the Akron area to receive the appropriate future care they need.
The I PROMISE School is already growing to 360 students in 3rd through 5th grades, with a goal to eventually expand to a full school of 3rd through 8th grade. We look forward to working with the I PROMISE School as they continue to grow over the coming years. We understand that at the I PROMISE School, family is a core value and we are so thrilled to be a part of that family.
