Tyreke Evans & VSP Vision Care Provide Eye Exams and Glasses to Community of Chester, Pa., for the Sixth Consecutive Year

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif., September 28, 2015 /3BL Media/ – NBA star and Chester, PA, native Tyreke Evans returned to his hometown for the sixth year in a row with VSP® Vision Care to provide no-cost, comprehensive eye exams and glasses to eligible children and adults, September 9-13, 2015. Evans and VSP also hosted a free basketball camp for 132 fourth to twelfth graders. Students took home backpacks filled with school supplies, apparel and athletic gear donated by VSP.

“Vision is important and many people, including kids, can’t afford to get the eye care they need in my hometown,” said Evans. “Bringing the VSP mobile eye care clinic and our basketball camp to Chester is a great way to give back to my community, and I look forward to it every year.”

Evans is committed to giving back to the community he grew up in which is why he continues to partner with VSP to provide eye care for those in need. Ten VSP doctors volunteered their time to provide the eye exams for the community on board the VSP Mobile Eyes® clinic. They provided care at Chester High School, Memorial Park, the Boys and Girls Club of Chester, and Chester City Hall. More than 680 people in need received access to eye care during the five-day event, and gift certificates for use at a local VSP doctor’s office will provide access for another 200 Chester Upland School District staff and other community members who qualify.

“It was very rewarding to work with VSP and provide needed care for those in Chester,” said VSP provider Dr. Jack Hauler. “I’ve also been part of volunteer missions in foreign countries, but this was special to me because it was local. The VSP team clearly wants to make the world a better place.”

During the trip, VSP Global® CEO-elect Jim McGrann and Evans both received a key to the City of Chester for their ongoing efforts to help increase access to high-quality eye care for residents. Chester is one of the most financially stressed communities in the state. The White House named Chester one of the six cities with the greatest need under the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative.

As children return to school, healthy vision is essential to help them achieve their academic potential. It has been estimated that as much as 80 percent of what a child learns is through his or her eyes and more than 60 percent of children with learning problems have undiagnosed vision problems.

Evans plays for the New Orleans Pelicans. He played college basketball at the University of Memphis and was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. Evans was the 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year winner. He was the fourth rookie ever to average 20 points, 5 five assists and five rebounds per game. Evans was traded to New Orleans in 2013.

About VSP Global
SP Global® unites industry-leading businesses to bring the highest quality eye care and eyewear products and services to help people see across the globe. VSP Global businesses include not-for-profit VSP® Vision Care, the largest vision care company with 77 million members and a network of 34,000 eye doctors in the U.S., Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland; Marchon® Eyewear Inc., one of the three largest global manufacturers, designers and distributors of quality fashion and technologically advanced eyewear and sunwear; Eyefinity®, the largest EHR and premier practice management software company for the eye care industry; VSP Optics Group, industry leaders in new lens technologies, production processes, service and logistics; and VSP Retail Development, delivering a memorable consumer experience through a variety of channels that meet the diverse needs of VSP customers. VSP Global businesses operate in 100 countries on 6 continents.