Every program has daydreamed about what their work would look like if funding, or capacity, or resources were no object. But our time and attention is taken up by finding ways to stretch resources further and do more with less. Topics like advocacy and legislative outreach feel out of reach – where do we start? how could we even do it with staff wearing so many hats and stretched so thin? This session will focus on action steps any organization – big or small – can start to take to pursue those big, hairy, audacious goals.  

Vision To Learn (VTL) provides vision care to 100,000 students nationwide annually on their mobile clinics, enhancing equitable access for kids in underserved rural, urban, and suburban communities. Since launching in Ohio in 2021, the program has grown to three mobile clinics that have provided over 17,500 eye exams to kids throughout eastern Ohio. But by 2023 there was a waitlist of more than 75 school districts who had requested service, but due to capacity or funding restraints could not be served.   The work and advocacy of VTL and other providers brought attention to children’s vision. Working with legislators to build awareness of the unmet need and impact vision care has for kids’ educational achievement, the state allocated more than $3M for kids vision from 2021-2024. In his 2024 State of the State address, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced a goal to ensure that every child in the Ohio who needs vision care receives it. In early 2025, the Governor announced a proposal for a $50 million dollar OhioSEE program that would make that goal a reality.  

In Oregon, VTL collaborated with a state legislator to introduce a bill that would create a statewide vision program serving approximately 20,000 students annually throughout the state. That legislation, endorsed by a broad coalition of child advocacy groups and vision organizations and pending legislative approval in early 2025, would be the first statewide K-12 vision program in the country. The program would form a true public-private partnership with financial support from both state government and the Oregon business community.  

This session will focus on actionable strategies any organization – large or small – can implement to bring awareness to your work, build relationships with key funders, leaders and legislators, and take steps to advocate for additional resources and funding to meet the needs of clients.  

Learning Objectives: Attendees will learn networking tools to connect with state and local leaders. Attendees will develop funding strategies that they can implement in their community. Attendees will identify actionable advocacy practices that they can implement immediately.