Eyecare fair to give out 700 free pairs of prescription glasses in South and West Dallas

Financial services firm Goldman Sachs is partnering with organizations that work in South and West Dallas to hold a vision care community fair in early November.

The fair, called One Vision One Dallas, will happen Nov. 4-6 and will include free vision screenings, food, music, and games. In addition, 700 pairs of glasses will be given away.

The West Dallas location of Brother Bill’s Helping Hand at 3906 N. Westmoreland Road will be the site of the fair on Nov. 4. Brother Bill’s has worked in the community since the 1940s providing food, health care and other resources.

Bridgebuilders, at 6601 Bexar Street, a nonprofit providing resources to the Bonton neighborhood in South Dallas, will host the fair Nov. 5 and 6

One Vision One Dallas will have no requirements to qualify for the services provided. Its goal is to provide eye care services to those who have missed eye screenings through schools because of the pandemic.

“This event is important because access to this service is difficult for our neighbors,” Joey Darwin, senior director of adult and community services at BridgeBuilders, said. “One reason for that is transportation. There’s not a lot of optometrists in South Dallas. Another reason is the lack of insurance.”

Darwin said that poor eyesight often affects student performance in schools, especially in communities like South Dallas.

“We want to alleviate the financial burden but also address how this affects reading levels for our students,” he said.