Essilor and Airwear Lenses Declare September 5-11 “Four Eyes Pride Week”
Celebration Kicks Off with “Breit Eyes” Facebook Contest in Conjunction with Iconic Artist Mary Engelbreit
DALLAS (September 1, 2011) – Airwear® lenses, Essilor’s lighter, safer and greener brand of polycarbonate lenses, is declaring September 5 -11, 2011,“Four Eyes Pride™ Week,” to encourage consumers to wear their glasses with pride! To kick off the celebration, Essilor and Airwear have partnered with iconic artist and healthy vision advocate Mary Engelbreit to ask fans to change their Facebook profile picture during the week to one of themselves wearing glasses.
During “Four Eyes Pride Week” and throughout the entire month of September, Airwear and Mary Engelbreit are also asking parents to visit Facebook.com/AirwearLenses to enter the “Breit Eyes” contest. By submitting a photo of their child being “lighter, safer or greener” while wearing glasses, parents have a chance to win one-of-a-kind prizes from Mary Engelbreit. One lucky grand prize winner will receive an original sketch by Engelbreit in the likeness of the child in the winning photo, plus a trip to tour Engelbreit’s St. Louis studio. One runner up will receive a collection of children’s books authored and signed by Engelbreit.
Like her most beloved and bespectacled character, Ann Estelle, Engelbreit herself got glasses as a young girl and attributes her beginning in art to being able to see details of the world around her clearly for the first time. Engelbreit, who is now presbyopic, is an advocate for healthy vision and yearly eye exams.
“I was in second grade, loved to read, and was holding the books up so close that my parents knew it was time for glasses. Once I put on my first pair of glasses, I noticed new things, like individual leaves on trees and airplanes way up in the sky—things I had never seen before,” says Engelbreit. “It’s wonderful to work with Airwear lenses, a brand that is committed to helping both children and adults see the world more clearly through a lens that is lighter, safer and greener.”
“Mary Engelbreit is so prolific that many people think she is a brand, not a real person. But she is both real and very passionate about her work,” said Carl Bracy, senior vice president of marketing and new business, Essilor of America. “Essilor is excited to partner with Engelbreit and bring her passion to the Airwear brand as the face of ‘Four Eyes Pride Week’ and the ‘Breit Eyes’ Facebook contest.”
Entrants can submit an original photo of their child being “lighter, safer or greener” while wearing glasses by visiting the Facebook.com/AirwearLenses and clicking on the “Breit Eyes” contest tab. The contest begins on Sept. 1 and ends on September 30 and is open to U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older.
The “Breit Eyes” contest will also be featured in an upcoming edition of the popular DailyCandy Kids dedicated email newsletter, scheduled to run September 7. SocialMoms, the online network for social media savvy moms, will also host a Tweet-a-Thon to promote the contest from September 1-30, and later, IWearYourShirt.com, a company that creates entertaining and light-hearted social media content to build buzz around brands, will feature Airwear on December 1.
Airwear lenses are thinner, lighter and more impact-resistant than standard plastic lenses while providing 100 percent UV protection. Airwear lenses are also made using environmentally conscious practices in packaging, water consumption and manufacturing waste re-use. To learn more about Airwear’s commitment to producing lighter, safer and greener eyewear for adults and children, visit LighterSaferGreener.com.
For more information about “Four Eyes Pride Week” and the “Breit Eyes” Facebook contest, including the official rules, visit Facebook.com/AirwearLenses or LighterSaferGreener.com. For more information about Mary Engelbreit, visit MaryEngelbreit.com or Facebook.com/MaryEngelbreit.
Eye Exams and Safe, Impact-Resistant Lenses Rank at the Top of 2010 Back-to-School Lists
Twenty-five percent of Children Struggle with Vision Problems that Could Impact Learning
DALLAS (July 13, 2010) – Eighty percent of everything a child learns in his first 12 years comes through his eyes and 25 percent of children have vision problems that impact their learning. That’s why author and healthy living expert Beth Aldrich is partnering with green lens manufacturer Essilor to put eye exams at the top of back-to-school lists.
“Educators and eyecare professionals all agree that good vision is a critical component of academic success,” said Aldrich. “Just as kids get an annual back-to-school physical, they should also have annual eye exams setting them on the path to a healthy, safe and successful school year. Also, the lenses themselves can make a significant difference in a child’s performance in school and in their active lifestyles.”
Aldrich, published as part of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and Power Moms (Simon & Schuster 2009), is an influential blogger and offers the following recommendations when selecting lenses for your children’s eyes:
- Many eye injuries are preventable. The American Academy of Ophthalmology reports that more than 100,000 people sustain eye injuries each year. Airwear® lenses are tough and durable- so tough that NASA uses the same material to construct visors for astronauts. Airwear lenses from Essilor are 30 percent lighter and 25 percent thinner than regular lenses, and 12 times more impact-resistant than standard plastic lenses. Kids are active, so select lenses as active as they are.
- Twelve to 15 million people annually develop blindness from cataracts –and about 20 percent of those cases may be caused or compounded by sun exposure. Airwear lenses provide 100 percent protection from harmful UVA and UVB rays.
- Consider the environment when selecting lenses. One hundred percent of the production waste from Airwear lenses is recycled, greatly reducing the environmental footprint put forth by the manufacturing process. Airwear lenses are the first Essilor lenses to GO GREEN.
- Essilor Junior lenses, which are made of Airwear material, are specifically designed for kids and resist scratches smudges and are easy to clean.
Lighter. Safer. Healthier. Contest
Aldrich and Essilor’s Airwear lenses are sponsoring an essay contest for consumers, encouraging parents and care-givers to share how they plan to help their kids live a healthy, safe and successful school year. Families can submit their thoughts by visiting LighterSaferGreener.com beginning today. One grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000, while 10 first prize winners will receive vouchers for Airwear lenses valued up to $400. On LighterSaferGreener.com, visitors can learn more about Airwear’s eco-friendly practices and view more of Aldrich’s tips to ensure kids have a healthy, safe and successful school year.
For further information, please contact:
Kristan Willingham
Essilor of America
(214) 496-4463
Kristan.Willingham@essilorusa.com
Stefanie Samarripa
Weber Shandwick
(469) 375-0217
SSamarripa@webershandwick.com