Joseph Carbone Of EyeCare4Kids: 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful & Effective Nonprofit That Leaves A Lasting Legacy
Identify Your Mission: Think through who you want to serve and the best possible outcomes if you pursue that specific end goal. At EyeCare4Kids, we want to reach under-resourced children to improve their vision, thereby setting them up for success at school and in life.
For someone who wants to set aside money to establish a Philanthropic Foundation or Fund, what does it take to make sure your resources are being impactful and truly effective? In this interview series, called “How To Create Philanthropy That Leaves a Lasting Legacy” we are visiting with founders and leaders of Philanthropic Foundations, Charitable Organizations, and Non-Profit Organizations, to talk about the steps they took to create sustainable success.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Joseph Carbone.
A board-certified optician since 1975, in 2001, Joseph Carbone left his private practice to become the founder and president of the non-profit organization EyeCare4Kids™. Focused on rural and underserved areas, including indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities mostly in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, and Nevada, with plans to expand into California and New Jersey, EyeCare4Kids provides professional eye care to low-income, visually impaired children and underserved families through five community-based clinics, annual school-based clinics, and a mobile vision van that travels to community locations across the southwest. Since its founding, the organization has helped more than 400,000 children whose families cannot afford or face barriers to seeking out regular eye exams and corrective glasses, when needed.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about a ‘top of mind’ topic. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today?
When I reflect back on my life, so far, I realize that what I value the most are the mentors who guided me, emotionally, spiritually, and professionally, as well as the subsequent relationships I’ve built in my optical practice, my foundation, and, more personally, among friends and family.
My life took a dramatic turn when I was just a teenager. At that point, I was an indifferent, unsuccessful student. I was often in trouble and going down the wrong path. It wasn’t until one trusted adult in my life set me straight — and actually got me my first set of glasses — that I realized I could do more with my life. My glasses helped me to see more clearly — both the words in front of me and my future. Getting glasses inspired me to become an optician and help other children whose circumstances could be dramatically improved simply by seeing better.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? We would love to hear a few stories or examples.
I try to live my life according to three important guidelines:
- Eliminate Pride: I never assume that I’m the smartest person in the room. All of my success is directly linked to my ability to surround myself with other smart, dedicated people who are collectively working towards similar goals.
- Be Teachable: Even though I’m nearing my 50th year in opticianry, I’m still learning. I’m learning from my colleagues, my staff, my friends and family and all my other connections. It’s important to ask questions and actively listen to those responses so that everyone feels heard and you can make considered choices in your professional and personal life.
- Build Relationships: No man is an island, and I take that idea to heart by valuing all the people in my life and recognizing how we are all interconnected. I take care to check in with people and to treat people with respect and understanding. I’m always building new relationships, as well.
What’s the most interesting discovery you’ve made since you started leading your organization?
Getting my first pair of glasses as a teenager changed the trajectory of my life. Previously, I sat in the back of the classroom, making jokes, disrupting the class, and counting the minutes until the bell rang. I was in trouble all of the time. But when I could see better, I suddenly felt more confident and my ability to do well in school dramatically improved.
I started EyeCare4Kids to provide professional eye care to low-income, visually impaired children and underserved families so that other children have the same fresh start I experienced. It seems like a small thing; Aren’t glasses widely available? But the reality is that children in rural communities or those who live in poverty often face barriers to health services.
For example, one in four children in the United States have imperfect vision in the United States, but vision problems are more than double than the national average in high-poverty neighborhoods. The magnitude of this problem cannot be understated given that 80 percent of a child’s learning happening through the eyes.
Can you please tell our readers more about how you or your organization intends to make a significant social impact?
In 2001, alongside my wife and a business partner, I started EyeCare4Kids after 28 years of maintaining my private optometry practice because I wanted to help more children, particularly those who lacked access to regular vision screenings. Becoming a non-profit on paper was the easy part. The hard part was putting the pieces in place to serve as many children and their families as possible. Since then, I’ve surrounded myself with 50+ professionals who daily implement our mission of Helping to Sight the World. Sometimes, I think of myself as a Robin Hood, seeking out donors with means and then turning it around to serve children with unmet needs. We take pride that between 89–94 percent of every dollar that supports our foundation directly benefits children (with the rest supporting administrative costs, as needed).
EyeCare4Kids works primarily in the southwest United States, targeting rural and poor areas, which often includes people from indigenous, immigrant, and refugee communities. Vision screenings, eye exams, and glasses are provided via our five, freestanding, community-based clinics as well as at school-based clinics that we coordinate annually across five states, and in other community locations where we park our mobile van. The van itself is an optometry clinic. Plus, we service the most remote locations in our area, such as a Native American reservation that can only be reached by helicopter. Bringing our clinics directly to families eliminates potential logistical obstacles parents may face in getting their children the eye care they need.
Central to our mission is providing our patients with identical care that their peers receive, meaning that after a thorough eye exam they get to pick from hundreds of stylish, colorful glasses. This is important because if a child doesn’t like their glasses, they won’t wear them. Hence, health equity is served when our program participants feel good about their glasses and then wear them like any other kid. Teaching each youngster how to wear and take care of their glasses also fosters a positive sense of ownership and responsibility with the added benefit that children who wear their glasses have improved academic performance.
In 2024 alone, the organization delivered over 50,000 vision services, highlighting our commitment to improving children’s lives through better vision. In addition to working in the southwest United States, we also have active programs in five African countries.
What makes you feel passionate about this cause more than any other?
I see myself in the children that EyeCare4Kids serves. If not for the intervention of a caring adult who helped me get my first pair of glasses, I might have gone down the wrong path and not have the life I lead today.
I also believe that all of us have a responsibility to give back. While I’m not an expert in most things, good vision is my passion. To be able to share my knowledge and create resources that directly and often immediately improve the potential of children to succeed drives me daily.
Without naming names, could you share a story about an individual who benefitted from your initiatives?
One day, one of our benefactors brought to our clinic an older kid — fifteen or sixteen years old. He lived on a nearby reservation that lacked many of the community resources and amenities that the rest of us take for granted. He’d never had an eye exam before despite being extremely nearsighted with astigmatism. I privately wondered how he ever made it through school. About a week later, when his glasses were ready, he came back to the clinic. He put on his glasses, looked around, and then burst into tears. He said to me, “You know, I never realized trees had leaves before!” To him, everything was a blur and he was seeing clearly for the first time. Imagine what that must have been like to have your world suddenly open up?
Another example: we had a young girl visit our clinic starting in her elementary school years. We saw her every year after that, adjusting her prescription, and making her new glasses, as needed. As soon as she got her glasses, her grades improved and it inspired her to keep up with her schooling. Now she’s an adult and a community college graduate. She’s shared with us that without our support her education may have turned out differently. We’re so proud to play that role in her life.
We all want to help and to live a life of purpose. What are three actions anyone could take to help address the root cause of the problem you’re trying to solve?
Being a part of any type of societal change first requires you to recognize when there is a problem. If you see something and feel like your intervention could make a positive impact, find a way to lend your voice and contribute.
Specific to improving vision among children, our organization (and many others) cannot continue our mission without the support of others. And by support I don’t just mean dollars and cents, though that is certainly vital, but I also mean support through volunteering with us at one of our clinics or finding ways in your own community to support vision care for all children. It could be as simple as noticing that one of your child’s friends is squinting while picking out a snack and maybe his/her parent would appreciate a heads-up.
I also recommend spreading awareness of our organization or the organization that is local to you. Educating others about our mission and the services we provide may help get those resources into the hands of the children and families who need them the most.
Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Create A Successful & Effective Nonprofit That Leaves A Lasting Legacy?”.
To create a non-profit organization that leaves a legacy, the important steps are to:
- Identify Your Mission: Think through who you want to serve and the best possible outcomes if you pursue that specific end goal. At EyeCare4Kids, we want to reach under-resourced children to improve their vision, thereby setting them up for success at school and in life.
- Visualize the Perfect Day: With your mission in mind, what does the perfect day look like? Who are you serving, what resources do you need to accomplish that service and how do you measure results? Thinking about the endgame will help you map out your action plan.
- Plan Ahead: What does success look like in one year, five years, or even ten years? If you think about your perfect day, multiplied, what are the actionable steps you need to take to get started and then perpetuate success?
- Treat it Like A Business: Running a non-profit organization is no different from running a Fortune 500 company. It’s vital to think through the SWOTs (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) that apply to the steps in your action plan and then take professional action to ensure that your employees and investors are getting a return on investment (ROI). In this case, the ROI is related to your impact in the community and not stock dividends, but the framework for accomplishing goals is the same.
- Be Transparent: Aligned with treating your non-profit like a business, it is very important to partner with independent, outside auditors and other counsel to transparently report on your financial decisions and outcomes. This is required to build trust and credibility in the community you serve and among current and future supporters.
How has the pandemic changed your definition of success?
As you might expect, during the pandemic we had to pause our services due to required physical distancing. But it was important to us to keep all of our talent, so we kept the payroll going while also taking a leap of faith to invest in ourselves by updating our facility infrastructure, making sure it was ready when we reopened completely. We still use social distancing in our clinics and, as always, make sure to maintain good hygienic practices in between our patients.
During that time, success was keeping our staff together and focused on our mission. Post-pandemic we are focused on maintaining our robust services and expanding into new communities.
How do you get inspired after an inevitable setback?
Setbacks happen to all of us. For me, I rely on my faith and the support of my family, friends, colleagues and community. Every time I connect with a family who benefits from their visit to EyeCare4Kids, it inspires me to keep moving forward.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world who you would like to talk to, to share the idea behind your non-profit? He, she, or they might just see this, especially if we tag them. 😊
As a person who values relationships, I can’t name just one person who I want to connect with. There are some colleagues whom I’ve known for decades and I can turn to for support of the organization or business advice. Other connections are newer, and we take turns talking through our issues, inspiring each other. As I stated earlier, my advice is to always treat people with respect and to keep learning from them. I never want to stop learning and I think this natural curiosity and excitement about life contributes to the success of EyeCare4Kids today and in the future.
You’re doing important work. How can our readers follow your progress online?
To learn more about EyeCare4Kids, please visit https://eyecare4kids.org/ You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram
Thank you for a meaningful conversation. We wish you continued success with your mission.
Joseph Carbone Of EyeCare4Kids: 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful & Effective Nonprofit That… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.