Natrona Heights ministry helps area’s disadvantaged residents
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Barbara Morris is painfully aware of the cost of new glasses .
In need of trifocals, she is looking at a $600 price tag.
It’s too much money and out of reach for the Kittanning resident whose family is without health insurance.
But that won’t stop Morris from getting the new eye wear.
Morris, who also is director of Morning Light Ministries in Heights Plaza, Natrona Heights, is bringing a free clinic sponsored by Mission Vision, a Cranberry nonprofit that offers free eye exams and free glasses to the poor.
The clinic will be held Monday at the Sheldon Park Community Center, 480 Park Ave., Natrona Heights, for economically disadvantaged residents without vision insurance.
“This is a blessing to me and other residents,” Morris says. “It’s a big thing.”
Others agree. Already, 32 residents have signed up for the clinic, according to Morris.
Morning Light Ministries, affiliated with the nondenominational Harvest Community Church in Kittanning, serves about 200 disadvantaged residents, offering free clothes and other services.
“A lot of the people we work with don’t have insurance to get eye examinations and they can’t afford plastic eyeglasses
,” Morris says.
According to Susan Henault of Mission Vision, there are thousands of people in the region who do not have access to eye care.
Mission Vision was founded five years ago by Dr. William Christie, an ophthalmologist practicing in Cranberry and Fox Chapel, who has volunteered for numerous medical missions to Ghana and other parts of Africa.
In the past year, Christie has expanded his charitable medical work to Southwestern Pennsylvania.
“Right here in Pittsburgh, there are impoverished people, including the homeless, who are not able to see,” Henault says. “How are you supposed to get a job if you can’t fill out an application?” she asks.
The fate of children with poor eyesight is more precarious, as they are labeled as slow learners in school and could be stuck in special student learning groups for years when their only problem is lacking good vision.
“And with a child who doesn’t have glasses, they don’t know that they can’t see well,” Henault says.
The work of Mission Vision has resonated with nonprofits that serve the poor: The Cranberry group has sponsored 24 free eye clinics in the region in the past year and has a waiting list of 25 organizations representing 40 different sites requesting the eye care clinic, according to Henault.
“There is so much need,” she says.
The clinics have been offered at the Light of Life Rescue Mission in Pittsburgh’s North Side, Salvation Army citadels, food banks, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other places where the truly needy dwell.
“We go right to the site where we can help the people and we rely on our partners to screen and make sure that we are serving the people in the most need – the homeless, uninsured and the working poor,” Henault says.
Mission Vision sets up mobile eye clinics staffed by volunteer, state-licensed optometrists, opticians and other professionals.
“I think the entire project is very rewarding for everybody involved,” says Dr. Larry Henry, a Butler optometrist with offices in Kittanning and Butler who volunteers for the program.
“It’s amazing the majority of people we see don’t have the advantage of having a pair of glasses and their visions can be fairly poor,” he says.
Because of vision problems, many of the patients who show up at the clinics don’t read. “You can tell they are appreciative of the fact they will finally get back to some type of normalcy where they are able to finally see and function normally,” he says.
In addition to the exams and free glasses, the clinic doctors end up flagging other ailments.
According to Henault, one of five patients is diagnosed with eye conditions that can cause blindness such as glaucoma if left untreated.
To meet demand, Mission Vision has applied for grants to raise more money, Henault says.
Henry adds that more eye doctors could help the cause.
“I think everybody should take the time out and help,” Henry says. “That’s the only thing that holds back the program. If we had the availability of more doctors, we could do so much more.”
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Best Areas to Purchase a Home in Pennsylvania
Each year, organizations like Kiplinger and CNN rank the top cities in which to live, to buy a home and to work. This year, Pennsylvania cities are hitting high in the rankings of best places to buy a home in a number of different forums. Three Pennsylvania cities rank in the various top 10 and top 30 places to buy a home, and five Pennsylvania cities made the 2008 Kiplinger Top 50 Places in America to Buy a Home list. Where are the best areas to purchase a home in Pennsylvania? The answers may surprise you.
Harrisburg-Carlisle
Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, ranked third on MSN Real Estate?s Best Bargain Markets. The Harrisburg-Carlisle area has a lot to recommend it to potential home buyers. An hour and a half east of Philadelphia, Harrisburg is a quiet city with a growing economy that is shifting from manufacturing to life sciences and biotechnology, logistics and tech support services. The new businesses are pulling in young professionals who enjoy the city?s amenities and the comfortable but historic feeling.
The city is a small one, with a population of about 50,000, but the metropolitan area has a population of more than ten times that, making it the fourth most populous metro area in Pennsylvania. Home prices are currently stable, and there are museums, sports and many other entertainment venues.
The biggest cons: Limited public transportation and an hour and a half drive to the nearest large city.
Pittsburgh
Once seen as a stodgy steel town, Pittsburgh has become a very desirable location for young families, professionals and retirees. It offers affordable homes in a wide variety of neighborhoods, each offering a unique personality and identity. Pittsburgh is home to many major corporations, as well as Duquesne and Carnegie Mellon Universities. The combination of high tech, education and manufacturing means that the employment picture is robust and growing.
In the area of entertainment and leisure, Pittsburg offers a diverse and vibrant downtown area with great shopping and plenty of nightlife along the river. Pittsburg is well known for its sports fan base in hockey, baseball and football.
The biggest cons: The weather rates as one of the less appealing aspects of Pittsburg, and, say locals, it may not be the most exciting place for young singles to live.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia has a surprising amount of good things going for it. While most major Northeastern cities have hit the top of their housing bubble, Philadelphia home values continue a slow but steady appreciation. With a housing cost to income ratio of 31%, Philadelphia has a low cost of living compared to cities like Washington DC (53%) and New York City (72%). Job growth is also slow and steady, which suggests an increasing economy that bodes well for long-term growth.
Like Pittsburgh, Philadelphia has numerous neighborhoods with unique identities, so it?s easy for most families to find a home in a community that suits them well. The city boasts major historical attractions, excellent science museums and venues, art museums and a healthy sports base. There?s also an excellent public transportation system.
The biggest cons: While the crime rate is dropping, it is still high in some sections of the metro area.
State College
Sometimes known as Happy Valley, State College, Pennsylvania made it onto Kiplinger?s list of 30 Smart Places to Live. In the 1980s, a survey conducted by Psychology Today rated State College as the least stressful place to live in the United States. Sperling?s has rated State College as the Safest Small City to Live, and Forbes listed State College among the top ten places to start a new business. It?s also been listed as the Number One Single City by CNN Money.
As a college town, State College offers many cultural, sporting and educational opportunities for families, singles and retirees. Housing prices are stable, and the economy benefits greatly from the presence of Pennsylvania State University.
Lancaster PA
With a population of just over 50,000, Lancaster is the 8th largest city in Pennsylvania. The city has a rich cultural and historical heritage, and is home to several small but well known colleges. The cost of living in Lancaster is low in comparison to many other cities its size and the range of architectural styles makes the real estate market varied and interesting.
Home prices are stable, and the economy takes equal parts from agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. Lancaster is home to one of the largest settlements of Amish in the nation. The city is accessible via both Amtrak and the Lancaster Airport.
