The WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences is proud to support Kids Vision for Life St. Louis in the purchase of a third mobile vision clinic, expanding access to essential eye care for thousands of children throughout the St. Louis region.
Since becoming a sponsor in 2019, WashU Medicine Ophthalmology has partnered with Kids Vision for Life to help eliminate poor vision as a barrier to learning for children across the St. Louis region. The fundraising campaign for the new mobile vision clinic was co-led by Kids Vision for Life and WashU Medicine Ophthalmology, with additional support from community partners, including St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
A generous gift from major donor Jane Hardesty Poole was instrumental in making the project possible. Combined with WashU Medicine Ophthalmology’s support, these contributions covered nearly half of the total cost of the new mobile vision clinic.
For more than 16 years, Kids Vision for Life has delivered high-quality vision care directly to schools, removing barriers such as cost, transportation, and access to care. Today, the organization partners with more than 180 schools throughout the St. Louis region, bringing vision care directly to students where they learn.
In 2025 alone, Kids Vision for Life provided 45,942 vision screenings, 5,389 comprehensive eye exams, and 4,835 pairs of prescription glasses. The organization also increased the number of students receiving comprehensive eye exams by 36% over the previous year, reflecting its continued growth and ability to meet the increasing need for pediatric vision care.
The addition of a third mobile vision clinic will significantly expand Kids Vision for Life’s reach, allowing the organization to serve more schools and more children throughout the region. Early detection and treatment of vision problems can improve academic performance, confidence, and overall well-being, helping ensure that poor vision is not a barrier to a child’s success.
“Because of your support, thousands of children across St. Louis will have greater access to vision care, eye exams, and glasses for years to come,” said JJ Scarbrough, executive director of Kids Vision for Life St. Louis. “This third van is truly going to be a game-changer for our ability to reach more students and eliminate poor vision as a barrier to learning.”
WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences is committed to improving vision health through excellence in patient care, research, education, and community engagement. Through its longstanding partnership with Kids Vision for Life, the department is helping expand access to quality vision care so more children across the St. Louis region can see clearly, succeed in the classroom, and reach their full potential.
About WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,900 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 56% in the last seven years. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing at 130 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a storied history in MD/PhD training, recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.