By CLICK Staff
MADISON, Wisc.—Social media is the new "word of mouth" and it is playing a major role in fueling the involvement of dozens of eyecare professionals and optical retailers in a new type of event to be held across the U.S. next month: The first annual
Great Glasses Play Day is August 5th, when parents, ECPs, educators and their children will celebrate the positive aspects of kids wearing glasses.
The Great Glasses Play Day was conceived by
Peeps Eyewear founder, Kristin Ellsworth, who built her special collection of sparkly pink and purple eyeglass frames designed for girls ages 3 to 7 with accompanying dress-up kits and a book called, "Princesses Wear Glasses," a story inspired by her desire to help her daughter adjust to her new frames. Ellsworth teamed up with Great Glasses Play Day co-sponsor Ann Zawistoski, the founder of
Little Four Eyes, an online support community for parents of young children who wear glasses.
The two have been very busy, contacting a number of eyecare providers and groups across the country, reaching out to parent support groups and "Mommy bloggers" to build awareness about children's vision health. With the assistance of such groups as the Children's Eye Foundation, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin,
Kaboom and
Ficklets the team has confirmed supporters among dozens of optical retailers and ECPs around the country.
As of today, that group includes:
A Child's Eyes, Pennsylvania,
Aardvark Eyewear, Chicago,
Bright Eyes, Tampa,
Crown Vision, St. Louis,
Glasses Menagerie, Minneapolis,
Hartford Vision Center, Hartford, WI, Innovative Optique, Bayside, WI , Kids Optik, Milwaukee,
Premier Vision, Mequon, WI,
Seven Bridges Eyecare, Woodbridge, IL,
Standard Optical, Utah,
Star Pupil, Scottsdale and
Wink Optical, Chicago.
These retailers are spreading the word via social media-organized
Meet-Ups in such places, to date, as Minneapolis, , Washington, D.C. Milwaukee, Portland, Ore., as well as Australia and China, Ellsworth told CLICK. "We want children to love their glasses. Not just for how they see but for what they can help them do and help them imagine being," Ellsworth explains. Peeps is also sharing that message via readings at children's libraries, museums and other venues.
Eyecare providers can also take part in Great Glasses Play Day by ordering stickers from the website and they can celebrate online, too. "We're adding fun ideas to celebrate your own family, friends of neighborhood Great Glasses Play Day," Ellsworth added. Activities will include crafts, parades, frame fittings and, of course, dress up opportunities for little princesses – and princes. Virtual celebrations are also taking place on
Great Glasses Play Day pages on
Twitter and
Facebook. If ECPs or optical retailers are interested in being added to the Play Day list, they can send an email to
GGPD@shinypebble.com.
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