The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness (NCCVEH) has selected Eye Thrive as the recipient of the 11th annual Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award. The recognition honors the organization’s “Wraparound Vision Services” program, which provides free eye care to children in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The award will be formally presented during a virtual ceremony on Oct. 29. Accepting on behalf of Eye Thrive will be CEO Kate McKearn and senior external optics coordinator Brandon Hinkle, who will share details of the group’s initiatives.

Established in 2014, the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award recognizes efforts to improve public health approaches for children’s vision and eye care at the state or national level. It is named for Bonnie Strickland, who served as director of the division of services for children with special health needs at the Maternal and Child Health Bureau before her retirement.

Eye Thrive operates two Mobile Vision Clinics that deliver on-site screenings, eye exams, and same-day prescription glasses at schools, camps, and community centers. The program also provides referrals for specialized care, replacement glasses, and maintains electronic health records to support continuity of care. In the 2024-2025 school year, the organization reported serving nearly 18,000 children across more than 100 schools and community centers, providing almost 4,800 exams, 6,000 pairs of glasses, and 168 medical referrals.

“We are honored to receive the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award in recognition of our work throughout the greater St. Louis region,” says McKearn. “We believe that eyesight is a human right, and that early intervention vision care is critical to protecting it for our children, empowering them to thrive in the classroom and beyond."

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