Area school children will continue to receive the quality healthcare services they need - thanks to Salus University’s twelfth annual Looking Out for Kids (LOFK) charity fundraiser held Saturday, November 3 at the Hilton City Avenue Hotel in Philadelphia.
The LOFK fundraiser and initiative was originally established to benefit The Eye Institute’s (TEI) School Vision Programs, which provides comprehensive eye care services and eyeglasses to uninsured and underinsured children in Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Delaware counties.
However, for the first time, some money raised from this year’s event will also go towards establishing a hearing aid loner bank for children through the Pennsylvania Ear Institute (PEI). PEI offers a range of provides hearing and balance services for adults and children. Hearing aids can be very costly and are often not covered by health insurance.
NBC10 reporter and anchor Rosemary Connors co-hosted the fundraiser for the fourth time. During the program portion, Connors interviewed Eric Melton, a sixth grade student from Franklin S. Edmonds Elementary alongside his school nurse Margo Owen. Melton is one of the many children who have received vision care services and two pairs of glasses – one for home and one for school - thanks to TEI’s School Vision Program.
“Before my glasses I couldn’t really see that good but now I can see better in class and I’m also getting straight A’s in school,” he said.
“We have children who would not otherwise be able to receive the care they need so the benefit of having The Eye Institute come out has been invaluable,” said Nurse Owen.
Donna Frisby-Greenwood, president and CEO of The Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, was presented with the 2018 Lighthouse Award. The award honors those who are beacons of light in the community in which they live, work, and serve, above and beyond their occupations. Frisby-Greenwood has spent her life advocating for Philadelphia’s youth through various education, literacy and community initiatives.
Tanya Ruley-Mayo, CEO of Independence Charter School, and State Senator Vincent Hughes, both spoke fondly of their longtime friend and colleague before Frisby-Greenwood accepted her award.
“It’s no coincidence that this is called the Lighthouse Award - especially in these dark times that we are living in, we need lighthouses to help lead the way,” State Senator Hughes said. “There is no one is more deserving of this award than Donna Frisby-Greenwood.”
Frisby-Greenwood was met with a standing ovation as she accepted her honor. “I am humbled and honored to receive this award. I’ve always had a great deal of passion to work with young people and I’ve always wanted to be in a position where I could make a difference,” she said.
Along with dinner and dancing, guests had the opportunity to bid on an array of items throughout the night during a silent and live auction. Some of the much sought-after silent auction items included a Mike Tyson signed boxing glove and a chainsaw-hewn wooden bench while the live auction featured travel packages to Virginia, Long Beach Island, N.J., and New York City.
Total funds raised came from auction sales, program advertisements, monetary donations and the generous support of corporate sponsors including the event’s title sponsor National Vision, Inc. Since its inception in 2007, the LOFK charity benefit has brightened the lives and enhanced the educational performance of thousands of children locally.