PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lions Vision Center, Inc. has been awarded a $100,000 grant as the winner of this year’s Humana Communities Benefit program in Arizona. The grant was funded by the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM).
Testing more than 40,000 children in Maricopa County and seniors in nearly 800 nursing homes annually, Lions Vision Center strives to provide free or low cost services and new eyeglasses to needy children and adults, and detect treatable eye diseases that affect their quality of life.
The Humana Communities Benefit grant will allow Lions Vision Center to acquire 10 spot vision refractors for pre-school, elementary and high-school children. The testers will enable Lions ophthalmologists to screen thousands of students in a short period of time to detect vision disorders that would handicap a child’s potential in school, helping to expedite and improve the accuracy of vision testing and detect eye diseases. The remainder of the funding will be used to purchase eye glasses for the students. The testers may also be used for screening elderly patients who are unable to use an eye chart.
“Our organization is grateful to receive this grant from the Humana Foundation and look forward to putting the funds to good use with improved, more efficient vision testing for school children,” said Jeannette Russell, Executive Director of Lions Vision Center, Inc. “We’re encouraged that, due to this grant, we will soon be able to expand our services to more people throughout Arizona in need of vision care.”
In its seventh year in Arizona, the Humana Communities Benefit program, funded by the Humana Foundation, gives 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Maricopa County the opportunity to receive a one-time grant of $100,000 to create new programs or enhance ongoing activities that have a positive transformational impact on the organization and the community. Proposals align with the Foundation’s funding priorities of childhood health, intergenerational health, and active lifestyles. The Humana Communities Benefit grant provides the opportunity for one nonprofit to create new programs or enhance ongoing activities focused on improving health experiences or building healthy communities.
“Vision care is a critical element to one’s health and well-being, but is often overlooked,” said Curt Howell, Humana’s Arizona Employer Group President and co-chairman of the awards program. “As a company dedicated to providing people with good eye care, we are pleased to support Lions Vision Center’s mission to provide all individuals with quality eye care, regardless of opportunity or income.”
Humana associates selected three finalists among numerous applicants, then a panel of local judges comprised of community leaders, public officials and business representatives selected Lions Vision Center, Inc. The annual grant was awarded at a celebratory dinner on Oct. 8 at the Heard Museum. The other two finalists, Adelante Healthcare and Special Olympics Arizona, each received donations.
“This organization is truly deserving of the Humana Communities Benefit grant,” said Brendan Baker, Regional President of Senior Products for Humana’s Desert Pacific Region and co-chairman of the awards program. “We’re happy to help Lions Vision Center become more efficient in their work and expand to serve more people with quality eye care.”
For more information on the Humana Communities Benefit program in Arizona, visit www.humana.com/hcb.
About the Humana Foundation
The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care companies. Located in Louisville, Ky., the site of Humana’s corporate headquarters, the Foundation’s mission is to promote healthy lives and healthy communities. The Foundation’s key funding priorities are childhood health, intergenerational health, and active lifestyles. For more information, visit www.humanafoundation.org.
Humana and the Humana Foundation are dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility. Our goal is to ensure that every business decision we make reflects our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our members, our associates, the communities we serve, and our planet.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is a leading health care company that offers a wide range of insurance products and health and wellness services that incorporate an integrated approach to lifelong well-being. By leveraging the strengths of its core businesses, Humana believes it can better explore opportunities for existing and emerging adjacencies in health care that can further enhance wellness opportunities for the millions of people across the nation with whom the company has relationships.
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