RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Three students from Cristo Rey High School are able to see a brighter future for themselves thanks to the help of Conexus Vision.
Conexus is a 501(c)(3) organization that helps area students see better with free eye exams and glasses. Students from Cristo Rey spoke with 8News about how these vision services impacted them personally.
Amiya Herring, a student at Cristo Rey, said she used to squint to have to see and had trouble comprehending what she was reading.
“Reading without my glasses I missed certain words that is right there but I don’t see it,” she said. “So when I put my glasses on, I see the words, I understand the question more clearly.”
Cristo Rey is unique in that each student is part of a corporate work-study program with local area businesses. Juan Verone, a student at Cristo Rey, said he wants to be in the medical field, which requires a lot of reading.
“I used to sit in the first row of the desks to see more clear, now I can sit back in the classroom and thanks to the new glasses I can see more clear,” Verone said.
Now he has corrected vision and is part of a study program is with the Virginia Cancer Institute.
“I am able to see the patients and talk to them in a clearer way. I can see the charts and every single thing on the boards,” Verone said.
The third student 8News spoke with, Jasmine Leon-Ortiz, said her right eye was really bad compared to her left eye.
“In my classes, I had to sit in the first row to see,” she said. “When I got to glasses it was much better because I didn’t have to squint, move forward or turn up the brightness as much.”
These are just three students whose life has been changed just by getting their vision corrected through Conexus. You can change more lives by donating to the Gift of Light campaign. You can find more information about the program, as well as make a donation, online here.
