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Keeping Injuries Down in Sports (K.I.D.S.)

Second-Round K.I.D.S. Grants Winning Projects Announced

The AOA has announced the second-round winning projects for the Keeping Injuries Down in Sports (K.I.D.S.) State Association Grant program, sponsored by Liberty Sport.

A total of $50,000 was awarded to six state association applicants:

Mississippi Optometric Association - Save A Sport's Sight (SASSi)
South Dakota Optometric Society - SD K.I.D.S.
Michigan Optometric Association - Sports Protection and Education for Children - (S.P.E.C.)
Iowa Optometric Association - Time Out - A Program for Sports Eye Safety
Nebraska Optometric Association - Winning With Eye Safety - Promotion of Protective Eyewear in Sports
Optometric Physicians of Washington/ Imagine Children's Museum - Can You See How I See?

Keeping Injuries Down in Sports (K.I.D.S.) State Association Grants

The AOA launched the Healthy Eyes Healthy People initiative in 2001 with the goals of changing community health programs so that vision services are considered vital to the health care system and improving the quality of life for all Americans. Using the vision objectives found in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program, Healthy People 2010, these goals can be accomplished by partnering with key stakeholders to develop collaborative public awareness and educational programs at the state and national levels.

Objective 28-9 of the Healthy People 2010 initiative is to: “Increase the use of personal protective eyewear in recreational activities and hazardous situations around the home.”

Now, in accordance with this objective, the AOA is launching the Keeping Injuries Down in Sports (K.I.D.S.) State Association Grant program, thanks to generous sponsorship from Liberty Sport. The grants provide funding assistance for projects that support public education and awareness of the prevention of sports-related eye injuries through the use of appropriate personal protective eyewear.

The Program Handbook contains grant guidelines, an application, and an overview of sample projects, as well as a list of available resources to provide assistance with your project development and implementation plans. The AOA is open to consideration of other project ideas. Limited technical assistance is available if requested by December 7, 2007. Contact Becky Mossman at (800) 365-2219, ext. 4208.