Atlanta Hawks, local organizations team up to give King Elementary students new glasses, books

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (WUPA) – Some local students can now read and learn much easier, thanks to a partnership between the Atlanta Hawks Foundation, Georgia's Own Credit Union, and the non-profit, Vision to Learn.

Fifth grader Litzy Alonzo is among the hundreds of kids who got to see an Atlanta Hawks legend at a King Elementary School celebration, but something besides seeing Hawks legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dominque Wilkins opened her eyes. 

"My mom told me I was going to the doctor, and then, when I was doing the eye test, the doctor said I couldn't see well from reading," she said.

The Atlanta Hawks Foundation teamed up with Georgia's Own Credit Union and Vision to Learn to provide free eye exams and eyeglasses to nearly 140 kids at King Elementary, including Litzy. 

Wilkins, who volunteered at the event, said he could relate to kids living in underserved communities where families struggle to make ends meet. 

"That's how I grew up, you know, with eight brothers and sisters and one parent," he said. "If we can help one or two kids, you know, fulfill their dreams and help them learn a little easier, we've done part of our job."

King Elementary School Principal Dr. Carl Jackson discussed how clear vision plays a role in kids getting a quality education. 

"When you can't see, you can't learn to read at an early age, and we take reading for granted, but these little ones, as they're learning and moving from phonics to fluency, having clear vision is just a must," he said. "We had a third-grade student diagnosed with an eye infection. It's very treatable when it's caught, and when it's not caught, it could lead to blindness. That alone made this event worth it."

Organizers said the partnership will provide 5,000 Metro Atlanta students with free eyeglasses during the Hawks' 2022-23 regular season.