Dr. Tania Sobchuk, president of the London Bridge Rotary Club, working with other groups and individuals, raised $7,000 to purchase a vision screening machine to make it possible for Lake Havasu City school children to receive vision screenings.

London Bridge Rotary Club donated $1,000; Lake Havasu City Lions Club donated $1,000; Lake Havasu Family Eyecare donated $1,000; Retinal Consultants of Arizona donated $1,000; and individual donor Roger Fosseen chipped in $3,000 to make the presentation of the screening machine to the Lion’s club Monday.

“I feel like this is a really good opportunity to raise awareness in our community for children’s vision,” Sobchuk said. Sobchuk practices at Lake Havasu Family Eyecare.

Dr. Breanna Ruesch holds a vision screening machine that will be used at all of the elementary schools in Lake Havasu. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Dr. Breanna Ruesch, optometrist at Lake Havasu Family Eyecare said, “We have gotten together with Lions and Rotary clubs and Retinal Consultants of Arizona and Mr. Fosseen to get this screening device that we will be using at the schools in the fall to help screen the children for any eye conditions. We’re also going to us it at community outreach events this August.”

Ruesch said the machine will help streamline eye screening procedures for school children. It will provide more information about the screenings that was available before. She said it will also increase the number of children that will be screened

“It takes a long time to do one individual child and with this machine we’ll be able to see a lot more children and age groups,” she said. “I hope we’ll be able to get to all of them.”

Feature Photo: Jerry Haworth, Hal Ries, Lois Heath, Dr. Tania Sobchuk, Bonnie Humphrey, Jack Heck, Linda Haynes, Dr. Breanna Ruesch, and Dr. Sachin Mehta pose for a photo with a vision screening machine Monday morning. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene