Half Helen

6 Days until half Helen turns 13!

In 2019, half Helen entered a new era.

Up until this point, our work focused on identifying students who needed follow-up care and glasses. But identifying a vision problem was only part of the solution. Time, transportation, and cost remained major barriers that prevented many families from accessing the care their children needed.

As always, Chelsea began looking for ways to bridge that gap.

The answer was simple in concept: if families couldn't get to the eye doctor, why not bring the eye doctor to them?

The idea of a portable optometry lane began to take shape. To make that vision a reality, Chelsea pitched the concept during Impact Austin's annual grant cycle. After demonstrating how this innovative model could create immediate, measurable impact, half Helen was awarded a $100,000 grant to purchase the necessary equipment. With that support, Optical Prime Jr. was born.

A sprinter van was transformed into a mobile eye clinic, allowing half Helen to bring comprehensive eye exams directly to schools across Austin. For many students, this was their very first visit to an eye doctor.

8 days until half Helen turns 13!

2017 was a year of growth, advocacy, and recognition for half Helen.

As our vision screening program expanded, half Helen began serving schools across Central Texas, reaching communities as far south as San Antonio. One of our most significant partnerships was with KIPP schools in San Antonio, helping ensure that students received the vision screenings they needed to succeed in the classroom.

Beyond screenings, Chelsea worked closely with the Lions Club to advocate for better vision screening practices across Texas. These efforts contributed to the passage of Texas House Bill 3157, which expanded state vision screening requirements by authorizing the use of photoscreening technology in public and private schools. Chelsea's work through half Helen was recognized by the Texas State Board of Education when she was named a Hero for Children for helping provide vision screenings to more than 15,000 students. She was also honored as an Austin Young Chamber ChangeMaker for her commitment to improving children's access to vision care.

2017 also marked another fun milestone: half Helen hosted its first major fundraising event. The inaugural Glow Ball invited supporters to spend an evening playing night golf while raising funds to help expand our programs and reach more families in need.

12 days until half Helen turns 13!

As we count down the days to half Helen’s 13th birthday, we’re looking back at the moments that shaped our organization and made this mission possible.

In 2013, Chelsea Elliot graduated from St. Edward’s University and founded half Helen after attending a community meeting where a guest speaker demonstrated the Spot Vision Screener. Inspired by the possibility of making vision care more accessible, she turned an idea into action.

After hosting a garage sale to cover the cost of registering a nonprofit and partnering with the Lions Club to secure funding for a vision screener, half Helen officially began. With little more than determination and a belief that everyone deserves access to vision care, Chelsea took the first step toward building what half Helen is today.

Last week, we had the joy of delivering glasses to our friends at Decker Elementary School and Lagos Elementary . For many students, this was their very first pair of glasses, and getting to watch their personalities shine through as they picked out their favorite frames was so special. Thanks to the support of Warby Parker’s Pupils Project, students had more than 100 frame styles to choose from, giving each student the chance to find a pair that truly felt like them.

A special thank you to our friends at Santé Eyecare for joining us at both schools and helping ensure every pair of glasses fit perfectly!