Philanthropist and former editor of the L.A. Times, Austin Beutner, created an idea which has blossomed into a national organization that provides needy children with free eye exams and glasses.
Founded in 2012 in Los Angeles, Vision To Learn provides children with free eye exams and free glasses by bringing its mobile eye clinics to schools and to other neighborhood youth and community organizations.
Kids’ vision issues often go undetected, with as many as one in five children lacking the ability to see clearly.
Students with impaired vision can struggle to read a book, study math, see the board, or even participate in class... all of which can result in poor grades and adversely affect academic achievement.
Vision To Learn alters these outcomes by coordinating screenings for children and supplying those in need with eye exams and glasses; an age-old yet critical tool for success.
Vision to Learn: Changing Students' Lives
Learn about the groundbreaking influence of the Vision To Learn program.
Additional Info
- Segment Number: 5
- Audio File: wizard_of_eyes/1623we1e.mp3
- Featured Speaker: Austin Beutner, Founder of Vision To Learn
- Guest Website: Vision To Learn
- Guest Twitter Account: @austinbeutner
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Guest Bio:
Austin Beutner is the former Publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the first Publisher to serve in both roles. Earlier in his career, he worked at The Blackstone Group, and at age 29 became the firm’s youngest partner.
He left Blackstone to serve in the U.S. government, where he led efforts to help Russia transition to a market economy after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He went onto found Evercore Partners and as President and Co-CEO built the firm into one of the leading independent investment banks in the world. In 2010, he accepted a $1 annual salary to serve as First Deputy Mayor and Jobs Czar for the City of Los Angeles.
He currently serves on the Boards of The California Nature Conservancy, The Los Angeles Fund for Public Education, the Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation, the National Park Foundation, the Pacific Council on International Relations and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation; and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the former Chairman of the Board of CalArts and The Broad Stage.
In 2012, he created Vision To Learn, a nonprofit that provides free eyeglasses to children in low-income communities in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa and Maryland. - Length (mins): 10
- Waiver Received: No
- Host: Robert Abel, Jr., MD
Published in
The Wizard of Eyes
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