VISIONQUEST 20 20 APPLICATION GRIC 2017.PDF

Created: 01/25/2017 • Last updated: 03/06/2017
General information
Organization VisionQuest 20/20
Contact First name Lisa
Contact Last name Glow
Contact e-mail lisa.glow@cox.net
Contact phone number 6024482270
Address
Street 4113 E. Pinchot Ave.
City Phoenix
State Arizona
ZIP Code 85018-7115
From what tribe is the Gila River Indian Community
organization requesting the
grant?
Total grant amount request 75,000
1 / 2

The Gila River Indian Community offers multi-year awards. If your
organization is requesting a multi-year grant for this project or program
from the Gila River Indian Community, enter the amount to be requested
each year.
Amount
Year 1 (Gila River Indian
75,000
Community Grants Only)
Year 2 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
Year 3 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
Year 4 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
Year 5 (Gila River Indian
Community Grants Only)
2 / 2


Cover Sheet
Municipality Information
1. Date of Application: February 27, 2017
2. Name of City, Town or County:
Maricopa County
3. Board of Supervisor’s Chairman (County): Denny Barney
4. Mailing Address: Maricopa County Government Relations, 301 W
Jefferson, 10th Floor
5. City: Phoenix State: Arizona Zip
Code: 85003
6. Acknowledgement of Submission by Authorized Municipality
Representative:
Typed Name/Title: Melody Henderson
Signature:
Applicant Information
7. Department/Organization Name: VisionQuest 20/20
8. Is this a 501c non-profit Organization? YES
If yes, attach IRS Determination Letter
9. Application Contact Person: Title: Richard Tirendi, CEO
10. Phone Number: 602-791-7140
11. Mailing Address: 4113 E. Pinchot Avenue
12. City: Phoenix State: Arizona Zip
Code: 85018
13. Email Address: rtirendi@visionquest2020.org
Website Address: www.visionquest2020.org
Project Information
14. Project Name: EyeSpy 20/20: Promoting Educational Success and
Health through Vision Screening
15. Purpose of Grant: Provide Critically Needed Vision
Screenings and Eyeglasses to Schoolchildren
16. Priority Funding Area Education
17. Annual amount requested $75,000

18. Number of years that funding is
requested
1
19. Total amount requested (annual $75,000
amount x number of years)
20. Has your organization received past
funding from GRIC? If yes, list each year
and amount 2016 - $75,000
21. Geographic area served
Maricopa County
Narrative
Please structure your proposal to provide the following information in the order indicated.
Provide the narrative in paragraph form in the text field provided. Please be thorough but
strive for brevity.
1. Briefly describe the organization’s history, mission and goals.
History: VisionQuest 20/20 was founded in 2003 by James W. O’Neil, M.D., a nationally
renowned pediatric ophthalmologist, and Richard Tirendi, an accomplished technology
developer. Recognizing that, far too often, children needlessly struggle with undetected vision
disorders that affect their health and education, the founders contributed their medical and
technical expertise to develop a technological solution to dramatically improve the accuracy
of large-scale vision screenings for school children. The result is EyeSpy 20/20, a state-of-the-
art vision screening system providing an accurate, reliable, and cost-effective method of
identifying children with vision problems that would have otherwise gone undetected. Since
inception, VQ2020 has vision screened more than 350,000 Arizona children in over 219 Arizona
schools and community health programs with the state-of-the art EyeSpy 20/20™ vision
screening program. In 2016, more than 84,000 children were vision screened with EyeSpy
20/20 and to date, nearly 500,000 children across the nation have received an EyeSpy 20/20
vision screening.
The EyeSpy 20/20 program replaces the traditional eye chart that has been in use for 150
years and prone to significant user error including peeking, memorization, and human
interpretation of results. The EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening program provides results
comparable to those achieved by a certified ophthalmic technician, does not require
specialized training to administer, and is more accurate and easier to use than the eye chart.
EyeSpy 20/20 evaluates the ENTIRE vision system while the child plays a 2-3 minute treasure
hunt video game. Medically validated, EyeSpy 20/20 increases the accuracy of vision
screenings by computerizing intelligent screening protocols, automatically choosing the
correct vision chart based on the age of the child to assess visual acuity, depth perception,
and color vision. Results are automatically collected and reports can be printed in Spanish or
English. Additionally, VQ2020 holds the unique distinction of having the only centralized
HIPAA-compliant childhood vision screening database in the nation. VQ2020 is also the only
Arizona nonprofit that is systematically addressing the public health gap that exists to vision
screen children in Arizona public schools and low income communities. VisionQuest 20/20 is a
Guide Star Platinum rated nonprofit organization, the highest rating possible. Ratings are

awarded based on nonprofit's mission, legitimacy, impact, reputation, finances, programs,
transparency, and governance.
Mission: Founded in 2003, VisionQuest 20/20 (VQ2020) is an Arizona nonprofit organization
dedicated to the use of technology for the early detection of vision disorders and preventable
blindness in children to promote educational success, vision health and quality of life.
Goals: VisionQuest 20/20 addresses an unmet public health need in Arizona by bringing
modern, cost effective, user-friendly vision screening technology to thousands of Arizona
schoolchildren in kindergarten through eighth grade. VisionQuest 20/20’s goal is to expand
vision screening activities in areas of most need including Title I schools and within the
community to meet this growing need.
Targeted Goals for 2017 are to:
1. Provide Direct Services to Hard to Reach Low Income Communities
Expand services to reach more children by bringing vision screening directly into the
community through community events, health fairs, and at public libraries, reaching an
estimated 1,000 additional children with vision screening. By engaging directly with the
community, through a variety of events, the opportunity to increase public awareness of the
critical importance of early identification of vision disorders to preventable blindness and
importance of healthy vision to educational success is unprecedented.
2. Continue to Reach Schools in Areas of Most Need
Work closely with Title 1 schools to bring EyeSpy 20/20 vision screenings to schoolchildren.
reaching an additional 20 schools this year.
3. Provide Critically Needed Eyeglasses to Children
Deliver targeted follow-up at Title I schools currently screening with the EyeSpy 20/20 vision
screening program, providing vouchers for a professional eye examination and eyeglasses for
100 children whose families do not have insurance or the means to pay for corrective lenses.
2. If the applying organization is non-municipal or a non-profit 501c, please describe your
relationship with Arizona municipalities including past and present support, whether it be
through partnerships, collaborations, in-kind contributions, grants, tax-based funding or
other. Describe the supporting municipality’s role in this project. If the applying
organization is a municipality governmental sub-division please enter the text “Not
applicable.”
VQ2020 serves a significant need in public schools as well as the needs of the children and
families living in underserved communities by bringing critically needed vision screening to
Arizona children. In addition to the 219 Arizona school partnerships developed throughout
Arizona, VQ2020 has partnered with the Chandler Regional Medical Center-Building Blocks for
Children Program which has been using the EyeSpy 20/20 screening program for 6 years, the
Yuma Regional Medical Center, HeadStart Programs, and the Phoenix Public Libraries to
provide vision screenings throughout Phoenix. We are also expanding our reach through our
relationships with organizations such as the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national
organization that holds vision related events and with the Parsons Center for Children’s
Dentistry Children’s Health Fairs.
3. Describe the proposed project and planned goals and activities.
Reaching Schools in Areas of Most Need
VisionQuest 20/20 consistently reviews its goals and strategies focusing on the best solutions

to protecting children’s vision. With this focus in mind, we believe the best solution to
protecting children against preventable blindness and address this fourth leading health crisis
afflicting children is to expand vision screening activities within the community by delivering
accurate vision screenings, and eyeglasses directly to the child. With the support of the Gila
River Indian Community, VQ2020 will be able to implement EyeSpy 20/20 in 20 additional Title
I schools in medically underserved Arizona communities targeting areas of most need.
Investment in funding this project will provide schools with 10 years of unlimited use licenses
to the EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening program, allowing schools to continue to reach and
improve the lives of thousands of children for many years.
Provide Direct Services to Low Income Communities
The next step in VQ 20/20’s growth, and a natural progression to help more children, is to
expand our vision screening activities into the community through targeted public events,
community health fairs and public libraries. Through this expanded public outreach, we will
be able to reach 1000's more children who need vision screening. In 2016, we began providing
outreach at large public events, health fairs and public libraries and found there is a
tremendous unmet need. VQ2020 has built a solid partnership with the Phoenix Public
Libraries who are asking that we provide more vision screening. The Phoenix Public Libraries
are ideal locations to reach young children, including children who are pre-kindergarten.
Additionally, we have been invited by the Foundation Fighting Blindness to expand our reach
to provide screening at events they conduct in Arizona.
Provide Critically Needed Eyeglasses to Children
Another next step for us this year to Close the Loop on Children's Vision with our existing Title
1 schools who are already using EyeSpy 20/20. We will be working with these schools to help
provide children with vouchers for corrective lenses. Our resource partners include Global
Source Rx-GSRX Eyewear, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, Lens Crafters, and Phoenix
Children's Hospital.
Goals and Activities
With your support this year, we will achieve the following:
➢Expand program outreach efforts to serve 1000's of underserved children at public
events and venues, including public libraries, walks and other events. In year one, an
estimated 1,000 children will be vision screened at these outreach events. To
accomplish our community outreach goals, we will be hiring a full-time Outreach
Coordinator. VQ2020 has a very small staff currently, with only two full time people
and one part time person. The Outreach Coordinator will be responsible for the
outreach program as well as recruiting and working with volunteers to help with the
vision screening. Additional support will be provided through our partnership with The
Phoenix Chapter Delta Gamma Organization. The Delta Gammas have committed to
provide volunteers to perform vision screenings at schools, health fairs and community
events.
➢Provide targeted follow-up at Title I schools currently screening with the EyeSpy 20/20
vision screening program, with the goal of providing vouchers for exams and corrective
lenses for 100 children whose families do not have insurance or the means to pay for
eyeglasses. EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening reports have a section for eye care
professionals to complete and parents can return this report to the schools to verify
follow-up. Parents of children who failed an EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening and are
lacking the means to obtain eyeglasses, can return their vision screening reports with

information filled out by the eye care professional indicating the child requires
corrective lenses, will receive a voucher for eyeglasses. This will incentivize parents to
seek follow-up care and incentivize them to return their vision screening reports with
diagnosis information to the school to assist in gathering critical information regarding
the number of children identified, number of families following-up to ensure the child
receives eye care services and the extent of the need for eyeglasses in low-income
communities.
➢Reaching Schools in Areas of Most Need: Expand the EyeSpy 20/20 program to reach
children in medically underserved schools, obtain useful information on [1] the
number of children identified with a vision problem with EyeSpy 20/20, [2] number of
children diagnosed with vision issue requiring eyeglasses [3] number of children
without the means to pay for critically needed eyeglasses.
The Gila River Indian Community will be recognized as a Champion for Children's Vision
throughout the year of support, including our website, on collateral materials, quarterly
newsletters, and on every vision screening report sent home to parents.
Testimonials:
"My daughter had been given glasses in 2005 for use only when reading. When she got
screened at school using VisionQuest with her glasses on, she failed. We went back again to
see an Ophthalmologist and she was diagnosed with amblyopia and now wears glasses all the
time and is doing wonderful in school. Headache free, and her nose is always in a book."
Parent, Washington School District, AZ
"We have been using VisionQuest 20/20 in the Chandler Regional Medical Center program
since 2006. I can honestly say it has helped us create a huge impact on our community. In
each clinic VisionQuest is used we might see a child with vision issues undetectable or even
undetermined. The program has the ability to screen differently than the "chart on the wall
method" which my own child passed, yet was in need of glasses. She was only 8 and
struggling in school. Not realizing that everyone did not see the way she did there were no
complaints. After the VisionQuest screening, it was clear something wasn't right. I took her
to the Ophthalmologist and she has to wear glasses all the time. Unbelievable, I thought
WOW this VisionQuest 20/20 really works!"
4. Describe how the proposed project satisfies one or more of the priority funding areas
identified by the Gila River Indian Community.
VQ2020's mission is in full alignment with Gila River Indian Community's commitment to
support the health and education needs of children and lifelong success. Vision health is
fundamental to all aspects of a child’s health, quality of life and educational success.
Undetected vision problems pose a significant health and educational risk. With 80% of
learning occurring visually, children unable to see clearly in school will suffer academically.
Very often children don’t know they have a vision problem and are silently suffering as a
result. Although less obvious, many children diagnosed with attention related disorders have
undiagnosed vision problems, resulting in difficulty concentrating, slow reading, and
procrastination – all of which significantly hinder learning.
5. Identify the needs/problems to be addressed, target population and number of people
to be served by the project.
Need: The Healthy People Progress Review published every 10 years by the CDC, documented
that no progress has been made in the early detection of vision disorders or reduction in

preventable blindness in children under the age of 17 years (Healthy People 2010). The Vision
Council of America estimates that 25% of children suffer from vision problems that could have
been addressed or eliminated if appropriate screening and follow-up had been in place upon
entry to school. Additionally, low-income children and children experiencing problems in
school are disproportionately affected by vision problems (Healthier Students Are Better
Learners, 2010), and children 10–17 years of age with vision disorders are at increased risk for
obesity (Prevalence of Obesity Among Children with Chronic Conditions, 2010).
Childhood vision screening is directly related to preventive healthcare and a child’s education
and academic success. It is estimated that 80% of children with a learning disability have an
undiagnosed vision problem (Vision Council of America). Seventy percent of juvenile
delinquents cannot read due to vision deficits (CA Youth Authority) and 90% of prison inmates
cannot read due to vision deficits (Folsom Prison Study). In the United States alone, every 6.5
minutes a child is diagnosed with irreversible vision loss that could have been prevented with
early detection and treatment.
Arizona children are at particular risk because Arizona is 1 of 8 states in the nation that does
not require vision screening in schools. This leaves a significant health care gap for what is
now the 4th leading health crisis afflicting children.
Our target population for vision screening are Arizona children in pre-school through 8th
grade. Support from Gila River Indian Community will be utilized throughout Arizona to vision
screen underserved children through outreach activities at public libraries, public health fairs
and community events. Support from the Gila River Indian Community will further our efforts
of focusing on Title I schools utilizing the EyeSpy 20/20 screening program to help “close the
loop” for children in need of follow up care and corrective lenses.
In year one, an estimated 1,000 children will be vision screened at outreach events, including
public libraries and community events.
This year, we will be doing targeted follow up at the Title I schools we serve for the purpose
of helping them to Close the Loop for children in need of additional care and corrective
lenses.
6. Define the project as a new or continuing program.
VQ2020‘s expansion into more Arizona communities through public health fairs, events and
public libraries is a new approach, but will continue to use the EyeSpy 20/20 screening
program technology for accurate identification of vision disorders in children. Providing
children attending Title I schools with vouchers for exams and eyeglasses is a new approach
and will be meeting a critical need in the community.
7. Provide a brief timeline including start and finish dates. Indicate if the timeline is
flexible.
October 2017–June 2018:
Deliver screening to underserved children at public events and in public libraries using the
EyeSpy 20/20 state of the art vision screening program.
Schools begin implementing the EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening program.
Program expansion into 20 additional Title I schools in Arizona.
Work with current Title I schools to provide corrective lenses to medically underserved
children.
June-August 2018:

Evaluate progress through data analysis and surveys and set goals for the 2018 school year.
Continue to deliver screening to underserved children at public events and in public libraries
using the EyeSpy 20/20 state of the art vision screening program.
August-October 2018:
Schools continue vision screening with 10-year EyeSpy 20/20 licenses. Final reports and
impact results reported.
8. Identify other organizations, partners or funders participating in the project and their
roles.
Partners include:
Phoenix Children's Hospital - will continue to provide the EyeSpy 20/20 vision screenings on
their Crews'n Healthmobile serving homeless youth and young adults living in the Phoenix.
PCH will also serve as a referral source for children with vision issues.
Phoenix Public Libraries- The Phoenix Public libraries will continue partnering to provide
vision screenings to children at libraries throughout Phoenix.
Global Source Rx (GSRX) -GSRX will partner with VQ2020 to provide eyeglasses at a
significantly discounted cost, allowing VQ2020 to provide free eyeglasses to children in need.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) -FFB will continue its partnership with VQ2020 to
provide free venue space for vision screenings and education and awareness materials at FFB
Vision Walks in Arizona.
The Phoenix Chapter of the Delta Gamma Organization-The Delta Gamma Organization and
its dedicated volunteers have partnered with VQ2020 to provide volunteers to perform vision
screenings at schools, health fairs, public libraries and community events.
9. Would you be able to implement the proposed plan if your organization received partial
funding for this project?
Yes, partial funding would still allow VQ2020 to implement the community outreach program
but it may limit how many events can be conducted and limit the number of schools receiving
the EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening program thereby impacting the number of children who can
be identified with a vision problem and number of children receiving critically needed
eyeglasses. Partial funding may also limit our ability to move our part time staff to full time
for the purpose of working more closely with our Title I school partners. Any amount of
support from the Gila River Indian Community would be gratefully appreciated and
responsibly and conservatively stewarded.
10. Describe your plan for project sustainability beyond the grant period. If this is a
program/project previously funded by the Gila River Indian Community describe efforts
made towards the previously described sustainability plan.
VQ2020 has many committed, long term funders who have helped us to implement our state
of the art vision screening program (EyeSpy 20/20) that is now in nearly 20% of all Arizona
elementary schools! Those partners have encouraged us to expand our program focus to
respond to meet the needs of more communities through greater outreach. Some of these
funding partners have already indicated an interest in funding our outreach model. In addition
to long-term funding partners (foundation and corporate), we are building new corporate
relationships. Many of these companies serve consumers statewide and sponsor children's
health and school programs aimed at helping children to succeed. VQ2020 is qualified to
receive tax credit donations through the AZ Charitable Tax Credit. VQ2020 is focused on
growing our individual giving program through our Arizona Charitable Tax Credit program and
through an increased presence on social media and with large volunteer groups such as the
Delta Gamma Organization, a national sorority dedicated since 1936 to the philanthropic
mission of preserving sight and providing assistance to children and adults with visual
impairment.

Other components of our long-term sustainability plan include: 1) increasing sales of EyeSpy
20/20 software nationwide, and 2) creating unique, new partnerships to respond to the needs
of whole communities. Two examples include: 1) Bringing EyeSpy 20/20 to the Department of
Defense Education Activity to serve schools with children of military families and 2) Bringing
the EyeSpy 20/20 video game vision screening to special education communities, including
children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by offering a language independent format with
the unique capability to reach nonverbal children and other children with significant
communication disorders. We will soon be implementing the program in the Arizona Autism
Charter Schools.
11. Describe your plan to document progress and results.
VisionQuest 20/20 uses a HIPAA-FERPA compliant, centralized data repository to securely
collect, store, analyze, and report results from the vision screening processes. In addition to
the data collected through equipment and process integration, we will also employ surveys to
measure impact beyond the treatment of vision disorders in children and of public awareness
of the critical importance of vision care to educational success and blindness prevention.
The data repository can be queried to answer complex questions such as:
[1] Screening referral rates based on [a] age, [b] gender, [c] ethnicity, [d] grade level and [e]
geographic location.
[2] Time to provide vision screening services based on [a] age, [b] gender, [c] ethnicity, [d]
grade level and [e] geographic location.
[3] Number of children screened, children referred and children provided exams and
eyeglasses via the program.
At no time is personally identifiable information disclosed. All data is aggregated and can be
filtered based on [a] age, [b] gender, [c] ethnicity, [d] grade level and [e] geographic
location.
12. Indicate any application to and/or awards made by a tribe other than the Gila River
Indian Community for state shared revenues for this and any other project for the past
five (5) years. If this information is included in a separate attachment, please indicate
that here.
For the last two years, the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community has supported VQ2020.
In 2015, VQ2020 received $25,000 in support from the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian
Community. In 2016, the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community awarded VQ2020
$25,000.

Project
Budget
Budget Period: October 1, 2017 - October 30, 2018
For each budget item listed here please provide a narrative description on the following
Project Budget Detail page.
Proposed Budget Amount Amount In-Kind Total Budget
Expense (list each requested requeste contributions
budget item) from GRIC d or
secured
f
1. EyeSpy 20/20 10-year $30,000 CloudScaper $400,000
licenses for 20 schools (developer of
EyeSpy 20/20)
is contributing
$370,000 of
software
licensing fees.
2. 80 vision $4,000 Good-Lite is $10,000
screening supply contributing
kits (4 kits per $6,000 worth
school) of materials to
reduce the
t f th
3. Vouchers for $15,000 We hope to $15,000
100 professional receive some
eye examinations free or
and eyeglasses reduced cost
vouchers to
e tend o r
4. Provision of on-site $15,000 CloudScaper is $20,000
training and technical contributing
support $5,000 of
h i l
5. Volunteer coordinator $4,000 $4,000
– staff time
6. Project management $7,000 $7,000
including reporting
7. Community screening $7,500 $7,500
Total Budget $75,000 $7,500 $381,000 $463,500
Project
Budget
Please provide a narrative description for each of the project budget items listed on the
previous page. Include the dollar figure and how it was derived.
1. EyeSpy 20/20 vision screening software is available to schools to purchase for
approximately $2,000 per school annually. Through our unique relationship with the

software development company, we can deliver this technology to schools for
significantly less money allowing us to reach and serve many more children.
2. Similarly, we have a unique relationship with Good-Lite Co. allowing us to provide the
necessary vision screening supplies at a substantial reduction is cost.
3. We anticipate that we will be able solidify partnerships that will allow us to provide
more than 100 children vouchers for professional eye examinations and corrective
lenses.
4. Providing on-site technical support and training is essential to ensuring successful use
of the program for the next 10 years. We need to assist both Information Technology
and Health Administrators.
5. This represents the amount of staff time required to coordinate and manage the
volunteers engaged in the community events in which we participate related to this
project.
6. This represents the amount of staff time required to manage this project including
the collection, analysis and reporting of follow-up results for those students to whom
vouchers are provided.
7. We will allocate $7,500 from other grant sources to support the services that we are
providing in the community as part of this project.

January 23, 2017
Richard S. Tirendi
VisionQuest 2020
Dear Richard,
GSRx is pleased to support VisionQuest 20/20 in your efforts to bring better vision to underprivileged
children. To this end, we will provide complete children’s eyewear, including frame and impact-resistant
polycarbonate lenses, at a price of $25.00 per pair. The price may be higher for specialty eyewear. For
comparison purposes, the retail price for this eyewear is $79.00 per pair.
We appreciate your efforts, and we look forward to supporting you in this important work.
Sincerely,
Keith Posin
Executive VP
480-748-4545
kposin@gs-rx.com
GSRx Inc.
7440 E. Karen Dr., Suite 500, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
480-478-4545 (p) 480-478-4546 (f)
www.gs-rx.com www.properoptics.com