Earlier this year, we launched the Contact Sports program to educate young athletes, parents and coaches about the importance of eye health in relation to sports. As part of the program, we kicked off the Gear Up Grants Contest, a contest in which teen athletes could submit a video or photo and a story explaining why their team deserved the grant to help fund a sports-related need. The Round 1 Gear Up Grants recipients were announced in September - 10 teams from across the country received grants of $2,500 each as well as a year supply of contact lenses for each team member with vision correction needs.

The Round 1 recipients are utilizing their grant money to fund practices and help support the cost of new uniforms, among other things. One of the recipients, the Victor Central School District's Marching Blue Devils band (NY) will use their $2,500 grant to help fund practices for their 115 student band, as well as offset the cost of their students' participation in one of three indoor performance ensembles this winter. The Kahuku High School Girls Volleyball team in Kahuku, Hawaii plan to use their $2,500 grant to purchase new volleyball equipment, as the majority of what they use currently is donated from other schools. To read more about these two teams and the rest of our Round 1 Winners, please visit our website. Stay tuned for the announcement of our Round 2 Gear Up Grants Winners!