Summer Updates From half Helen!

She's Our Star!

Last month, Chelsea traveled to Los Angeles to be recognized as a 2024 KXAN Remarkable Woman!?Her leadership and tireless commitment to half Helen's mission have been instrumental in transforming the lives of countless individuals in need of vision care.?

As a token of this remarkable achievement, Chelsea was awarded a replica Hollywood star, painted by the same artist who creates the official star plaques awarded to actors. We extend our congratulations to Chelsea on this well-deserved recognition. Her leadership continues to guide us, inspiring hope and changing lives in our community every day.

That's a Wrap!

As the school year draws to a close, we are excited to announce the successful completion of the 2023-2024 school-based care program. This year, we had the privilege of serving students across our partner schools, providing essential eye care services.?Our school-based clinics are dedicated to ensuring that every child has the vision care they need to succeed.?

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing school partners for their collaboration and support in identifying students in need of care. Together, we're making a real difference in the lives of our young learners and ensuring they have the vision they need to thrive in school and beyond.

half Helen?in the Community

Throughout April, half Helen was out and about, supporting our partners and sharing our mission all over the community! We kicked off the month by joining Austin Achieve Public School at their inspiring Eclipsing Barriers, Illuminating Possibilities Gala. It was a fantastic evening celebrating the incredible work they do to empower young minds! Next, we had the honor of attending the Corazon Awards hosted by Con Mi Madre, where we showed our support for their efforts to empower Latina mothers and daughters. To top it all off, Chelsea had the opportunity to share the half Helen story at the District 2S-3 Lions Club Convention, spreading the word about our mission to serve those in need of eye care in our community and beyond. We're grateful for these opportunities to connect with our community and make a positive impact together!?

New board member, Denise Herrera, PhD.

We're excited to welcome Denise E. Herrera, PhD, MCHES, to the half Helen family as our newest board member!

Denise brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having served as the former Senior Capacity Building Officer at St. David’s Foundation. Her work with the Community Investments team ensured that philanthropy aligned with organizational health to fulfill non-profits' missions.

With a background in managing research and evaluation portfolios at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Denise's programmatic and evaluation expertise will be invaluable to half Helen's mission of providing essential eye care services to underserved communities.

Austin Under 40 Awards

Chelsea Elliott has been named a finalist for an Austin Under 40 Award in the Nonprofit Service category! Since 1998, the Austin Under 40 Awards (AU40) have been celebrating the outstanding achievements of Austin's emerging professionals and their mentors who are making a real impact in our community. Chelsea's dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed, and we couldn't be prouder to see her recognized in this prestigious event.

The AU40 gala, hosted by the Young Men’s Business League (YMBL) of Austin, honors individuals under the age of 40 in various categories, including Austinite of the Year. The event not only celebrates the achievements of these remarkable individuals but also supports a wonderful cause—Austin Sunshine Camps.

Sharing half Helen's Story

Dr. Mutahir Ahmad recently had the opportunity to share the half Helen’s story and mission with the Pak Family Eye Careteam, thanks to an invitation from Ms. Haley Meyer at Alcon.

During the presentation, Dr. Ahmad shared half Helen's commitment to increasing accessibility to vision care for underserved patients in the greater Austin area. He highlighted the organization's mobile clinics, school-based programs, and community events, emphasizing the importance of early detection and intervention in preserving vision health. Following the presentation, Dr. Ahmad engaged in a discussion with the doctors and staff of Pak Family Eye Care where they exchanged ideas on how to further expand reach and impact.