Project Vision Hawaii
What We Do
Project Vision is a non-profit organization that aims to achieve better access to healthcare for Hawai‘i’s people. It provides health screenings and education with a focus on vision health. We are a state-wide team comprised of community health workers, advocates, community members, as well as AmeriCorps VISTA members. The organization’s four mobile screening units travel to communities statewide and serve as vehicles to better health.
Project Vision Hawai‘i has the only mobile health screening programs in Hawai`i that provide statewide services in communities with significant access-to-care challenges related to income, lack of insurance, geographical location, or cultural conflict.
To date, Project Vision has provided free medical screening services to more than 115,000 patients across the state, including high populations of seniors, children from low-income families, immigrants, and individuals with disabilities.
Who We Are
Project Vision Hawai`i was founded in 2007 by Dr. Michael Bennett, a local ophthalmologist who specializes in retinal surgery. With his oversight, the foundation for the program was developed by Hawai`i’s top experts in vision care. In 2011, under the guidance of a board and then Executive Director, Elizabeth “Annie” Valentin, Project Vision Hawai`i became a 501(c)(3).
As a community driven organization, expansion of Project Vision has been guided by need. Since 2007, it has grown from one mobile screening unit to 10 mobile screening units serving Hawai`i Island, Kaua`i, Lāna`i, Maui, Molokai`i and O`ahu.
Project Vision Hawaii provides a variety of health and human services including but not limited to vision screenings in schools, mobile showers serving our neighbors experiencing homelessness, and SNAP benefit outreach.
Cause Areas
Keiki, Kupuna, Special Needs, Food Insecurity, Social Services, Health & Wellness, Preparedness & Response, Advocacy, Human Rights, Non Profit Support
