Remote Area Medical is holding a tornado disaster relief pop-up vision clinic on South Lawn on Jan. 15-16 to provide community members with free eye exams and glasses.

Doors open at 6 a.m. both days and care will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. According to Remote Area Medical’s website, “no ID, proof of residency, or proof of insurance is required to receive services.”

Hannah Kay Shapiro, a junior at WKU studying biology, played an integral role in bringing the event to town. She had worked with Remote Area Medical in the past and reached out to see if the organization would be able to provide assistance following the tornadoes that hit town on Dec. 11.

 “I was like, ‘Hey, we had this horrible thing happen in Bowling Green, what is the process? How do we get something set up and going here? Would you guys be interested in helping our community?’” Shapiro said. “They were super responsive and got me set up with the right people.”

Eye exams and glasses replacements may not come to mind when thinking of ways people may need help following a natural disaster. Shapiro notes that glasses can be left behind or broken amid the chaos of a tornado, leaving people vulnerable.

“A lot of people who lost everything or had to run out of their house at the last minute may have forgotten to grab their glasses or they were just completely destroyed during the incident,” Shapiro said. “It’s a really good opportunity for those people who don’t have glasses anymore and are trying to figure out the aftermath blind. They can come and get not only a free eye exam, but a free pair of glasses made on the side.”

Volunteer help is welcome and students who wish to give their time can sign up at Remote Area Medical’s website. The clinic will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Content Editor Jake Moore can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @Charles_JMoore.