BREWER – The first of 40 pairs of glasses already have been delivered to youths from the Brewer School Department thanks to a collaborative effort between the Penobscot Job Corps Center’s Optics Department and Brewer High School staff.

The glasses, created by students at PJCC in Bangor, and eye exams from local participating optometrists are being provided to the first 40 students to sign up for them free of charge.

Penobscot Optics teacher Jeff Bergin started the program to help those who needed glasses in October 2004 but only recently was able to establish an official partnership with the Brewer School Department through Brewer High School Nurse Kathy Sherman.

“Any time we can get services for the kids, that’s great,” Sherman said. “This has been a real help. Glasses can be difficult to fit into a family budget. Lots of insurance companies cover eye exams but not glasses,” she said. “This has been a real nice benefit.”

Nearly a dozen pairs of glasses already have been created and distributed to students. Sherman is still accepting inquiries for the remaining pairs of glasses.

Many of the eye exams so far have been taken care of by the office of Dr. Philip Goldthwait and by Bangor Mall Eye Associates. Goldthwait’s office donated 10 eye exams and Bangor Mall Eye Associates contributed five.

At an average of $200 a pair, the total donated value of the glasses is estimated at $8,000 when the program is complete. Eye exams are valued at about $70 each. The 40 pairs of glasses are being donated in honor of Job Corps’ 25th anniversary.

Officials from PJCC are still searching for additional eye exams to be donated toward the program. Any optometrists interested in participating may contact Bergin at 990-3000, ext. 170.

While the program has been geared toward assisting economically disadvantaged youth, any students from the Brewer School Department are encouraged to take part in the program.

“The lower-income families tend to have the higher need for these types of programs,” Sherman said, but making sure the eyes of youngsters in the area are taken care of is the primary goal.

The importance of the eye care collaboration has not been lost on the youths involved, Sherman said.

“This has been something special, especially for some of the kids. There was one boy smiling ear to ear by having a new pair,” she said.

The optics class has appreciated the opportunity to help the community, Bergin said. “This has been something we’ve really wanted to do with the community and luckily we were able to establish a relationship with Brewer to do so.”

The experience has been an educational one for some members of the Brewer School Department as well, Sherman said.

“It’s been a nice experience getting to know [Job Corps]. I didn’t really know what they did over there,” she said.

The Job Corps Center is hoping to establish connections with other schools in the near future to take part in this program or to help develop others, Bergin said.

The Penobscot Job Corps Center is entering its 25th year of service in the Bangor area and works with more than 500 students each year as they further their education. When the center opened its doors on March 17, 1980, PJCC became the first community-based Job Corps center in the nation.

All other programs had previously been in rural settings.

The Job Corps Center currently offers vocations in culinary arts, construction and business, with additional concentrations in facilities maintenance, advanced carpentry, welding and optics. For additional information, visit http://jobcorps.doleta.gov or call (800) 949-1937, ext. 305.