Jan 27, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 5 min read

Karen mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Trevor Popeck, a Chartiers-Houston High School senior, started the Trevor Popeck Foundation last year. The nonprofit received the Washington Auto Mall Driven by Hope Award.

Courtesy of Trevor Popeck Foundation

Trevor Popeck has played scholastic sports since a young age, despite having vision loss since he was a child.

Courtesy of Trevor Popeck Foundation

Trevor Popeck, a senior at Chartiers-Houston High School, has overcome vision loss to excel in the classroom and on the football field.
A year ago, he launched the Trevor Popeck Foundation.

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

Trevor Popeck with Chartiers-Houston High School teacher Suzanne Ashmore, who serves on the board of the Trevor Popeck Foundation

It’s a busy time of year for Chartiers-Houston High School senior Trevor Popeck.

An all-conference offensive and defensive lineman for the Chartiers-Houston Buccaneers football team who maintains a 4.6 GPA, Popeck is juggling school work, preparing for graduation, completing a college search, and working out daily to stay in football shape.

But he’s also making time for The Trevor Popeck Foundation Inc., a nonprofit he launched in January 2023 with a goal of fundraising to help offset medical expenses for children who must undergo eye surgeries.

It’s a project that Popeck, who at age 3 was diagnosed with a juvenile cataract in his left eye that left him with lifelong vision impairment, is passionate about.

Popeck underwent surgery that improved his vision from 20/5,000 to 20/150. Normal vision is 20/20, while 20/200 vision is considered legally blind.

Popeck, 18, has worked hard to overcome his significant loss of vision and has found success in the classroom and on the athletic fields.

And he wants kids to know that they can handle the roadblocks that vision loss throws at them.

“My mission is for the foundation to open up a world of possibilities for kids, so that they know their future can still be bright and that they shouldn’t let limitations stop them from pursuing their goals,” said Popeck.

For his efforts, Popeck has been chosen as the first recipient of the Driven by Hope award, sponsored by Washington Auto Mall. Popeck’s nonprofit will be awarded $1,000, which he will receive at an upcoming check presentation.

The donation will boost Popeck’s efforts to help make a difference in the lives of children with visual impairment, and will push the nonprofit closer to reaching Popeck’s initial fundraising goal of $5,000.

The Trevor Popeck Foundation has hosted fundraisers at local restaurants and will hold a spaghetti dinner on April 14 at the FOP hall in Meadow Lands.

“I’m very honored to accept this from Washington Auto Mall. I look forward to using that donation to further our mission and our organization,” said Popeck.

“Our organization has always made donations in the community, and we wanted to donate to local nonprofits and inform the community about the work they do,” said Jennifer Trapuzzano, marketing director for Washington Auto Mall. “We’re super excited about this, and our employees are, too.”

The decision to select The Trevor Popeck Foundation was an easy one.

“We chose the Trevor Popeck Foundation because there’s an individual who is important in our organization who has a degenerative eye condition, so when we were reading about smaller nonprofits, we said right away, that’s the one,” said Trapuzzano. “It was personal.”

Popeck’s medical diagnosis isn’t uncommon. It’s estimated that about 5 to 20% of childhood blindness worldwide is caused by a cataract, which can be fixed by surgical intervention.

In 2009, a routine preschool eye screening revealed the cataract.

A few months later, the lens was surgically removed. He eventually got prescription glasses to help him with reading.

As a child, Popeck wore prescription sports goggles to play baseball and basketball, and was fitted with a prescription face shield to protect his eyes when he played youth football.

Popeck’s medical procedures were covered by his family’s medical insurance, but Popeck pointed out that not all children have insurance, or have limited insurance coverage.

Without the surgery, he would have been blind in one eye.

According to the foundation’s website, the average cost for children’s eye surgeries is between $1,000 and $15,000 without insurance. Even with insurance, some families pay 10 to 15% of the cost.

“We were fortunate to have insurance,” said Popeck.

Among those who serve on the board are Popeck’s parents, Steve and Laurie, and Chartiers-Houston High School teacher Suzanne Ashmore.

“He’s a genuine, good-hearted kid with a spirit for philanthropy, and when you see someone who has that kind of a heart, and takes an idea and turns it into something great, I can’t say no,” said Ashmore. “To see someone his age create something of his own and want to give back is truly something special.”

The nonprofit is looking for businesses, organizations and other partnerships, and pursuing other fundraising opportunities – such as the sale of The Trevor Popeck Foundation bracelets – and talking to those in the blind or seeing impaired community to learn what the needs might be. The nonprofit also provides community service hours for students.

“This has been such a positive experience. It’s made me grow as a person,” said Popeck, who plans to study engineering and play collegiate football. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, and we are trying to get the word out. It’s been energizing and exciting.”

For more information on the nonprofit, visit https://www.thetrevorpopeckfoundationinc.org/. Donations are tax-deductible.