Church Hill Irish Festival Helps Prevent Blindness

Members of the Church Hill Irish Festival committee, Stokes McCune, Bernie Mann and Father Wayne Ball presented a check for $5,000 to Frank Carlomagno, Director of Special Gifts for Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic.  The contribution helps Prevent Blindness match two challenge grants of $130,000 from the Parsons and Cabell Foundations for a Capital Campaign.

The Capital campaign for additional space will serve the outreach for 400,000 schoolchildren, 1,800 school health nurses in 131 school districts in Virginia and Washington DC. The region's outreach is centralized in the offices of PBMA in Richmond. The success of this effort will be a long-term solution to the increased need for critical vision services for children.

One in four school age children has a vision problem that could affect their ability to learn. Bernie Mann commented that Lazy eye leaves a lasting effect on children's sight if not discovered before the age of seven. Children can't read what they can't see.

The Church Hill Irish Festival is an annual event held around St. Patrick's Day. The proceeds benefit organizations such as St. Patrick's Church, Prevent Blindness, Children's Cancer, Richmond Hill and Crime Watch. St. Patrick's Church on Historic Church Hill will have a year-long celebration of 150 years of service to the community.