Inspired by a Navajo teen’s joy when he got his first pair of glasses, Joseph Carbone took a leap of faith by quitting his optician business to start Eye Care 4 Kids.
“If the child can’t see the chalkboard, they can’t succeed,” says Carbone. Since 2001, the nonprofit organization has given clear sight to more than 100,000 children in Utah and Nevada. Every day his mobile clinic brings free eye exams and optical equipment to under-served families right where they live.
For 15 Years He Collected Leftover Office Toilet Paper for the Poor
This year the organization’s reach has extended even further thanks to Cecil Swyers, a biomedical engineer whose company manufactures diagnostic machines for eye clinics. Carbone gave Swyers an Eye Care 4 Kids mobile unit to help students at his alma mater, Alta E. Butler Elementary in Phoenix, Arizona.
The school’s assistant principal Cindy Alonso said the visit was especially great because a lot of their families don’t even have transportation. Swyers plans to visit additional schools and Native American reservations with the goal of helping more than 1,000 kids weekly.
Carbone’s big dream is to help a million children see. With his “sights” set on providing services to kids internationally, this vision may soon come true.
(WATCH the video below from of KSTU)