Fifteen students from Riverside's Sherman Indian High School (SIHS), received eye exams and glasses thanks to the Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) and Little Eagle Free, Inc. They are pictured with SCCO Vice President of Advancement and Marketing Paul A. Stover, M.Ed. (far left); SCCO Chair, Board of Trustees and Founder and Chair, Little Eagle Free, Inc., Frances Knott (second row, center); and SCCO President Kevin L. Alexander, O.D., Ph.D. (far right).

Fifteen students from Riverside's Sherman Indian High School (SIHS), received eye exams and glasses thanks to the Southern California College of Optometry (SCCO) and Little Eagle Free, Inc.

Optometric interns and faculty at SCCO's Eye Care Center provided comprehensive eye exams and assisted the students with selecting eyeglass frames at the December 10 vision care day. The Little Eagle Free organization provided the funding for any necessary frames and lenses.

The vision care day for SIHS was the idea of SCCO's Board of Trustee Chair Frances Knott, who is also the founder and chair of Little Eagle Free, Inc., an organization dedicated to assisting American Indians in developing productive lives through educational programs.

Watching the SIHS students selecting frames, Mrs. Knott remarked, "It's good for me to see the interaction and directly help these young people. If you can't see the blackboard you can't learn. It does my heart good to be part of this process. Giving back is part of my culture."

The Sherman Indian High School, established in 1892, is a boarding high school for Native Americans. It serves grades 9 through 12.

Established in 1904, SCCO is a private, non-profit, educational institution dedicated to educating today's minds to provide tomorrow's eye, vision and health care. SCCO grants a four-year, professional degree, Doctor of Optometry (OD) and a Master of Science in Vision Science (MS). The College's superior clinical education program provides patient care experiences in community optometric clinics; exposure to the delivery of optometric care in multi-disciplinary settings; and experiences in practices serving a wide variety of ethnic and socio-economic patient groups.

A hallmark of the College is its commitment to providing world-class eye and vision care at its two clinical facilities – the Eye Care Center located on its campus in Fullerton, CA, and the Optometric Center of Los Angeles located in south-central LA – and through its Outreach Clinical Program. Many of the Outreach clinical sites are United States Public Health Hospitals and Medical Centers that are located on American Indian Reservations. SCCO fourth-year optometric interns provide vision care at these sites alongside PHS staff optometrists and ophthalmologists.

Photo Gallery:

A student from the Sherman Indian High School checks the look of a new eyeglass frame with the assistance of an optometric intern from the Southern California College of Optometry.	An optometric intern from the Southern California College of Optometry helps a student from the Sherman Indian High School with frame selection.