Kids Will Get Free Glasses and Vision Screenings in Memory of Isabella Joy Thallas

Isabella Joy Thallas had many dreams for her life.

For a high school writing assignment, Isabella once envisioned what she would accomplish by the age of sixty. She described retiring alongside her husband and two children after a long, fruitful career. She wanted to be an editor of Vogue, to volunteer at a Manhattan soup kitchen, and to work for a nonprofit helping children with vision issues access eyeglasses.

But Isabella never got the chance to do any of those things. She was murdered when she was 21, fatally shot by a stranger in broad daylight in June 2020 while walking with her boyfriend and their dog in downtown Denver.

Now, Isabella's loved ones are carrying on her dreams in her honor: They're hosting an event on Sunday, June 8, to provide free vision screenings and glasses for local youth.

"Isabella didn't live long enough to be able to do anything she wanted to. It was in her heart and it was stolen from her," says Ana Thallas, Isabella's mother. "Isabella had a very giving heart, and she was a very thoughtful person. ...This was Isabella's idea. It was not mine."

Ana has worked in the eyewear industry for decades, becoming an optician at age nineteen and currently serving on the Opticians Association of Colorado. Growing up, Isabella would often accompany Ana to work conventions and trade shows.

Ana found Isabella's writing assignment saved among her things last December, when she was moving. Reading her daughter's words, Ana remembered when Isabella received her first pair of glasses at six. Isabella had very poor vision, Ana explains, and seeing clearly for the first time "opened this whole new world" to her.

"All of those memories just flooded back," she says. "And I thought, 'Why don't we do this?' It just made sense."
During the Sunday event, anyone eighteen or younger can receive a free vision screening and pair of glasses at the Bella Joy Gardens at 1122 East 17th Avenue, with prescription lenses provided by the Artisan Lab Network. Organizers distributed consent forms to local schools, churches and community organizations, though walk-ins are also welcome.

The vision screenings will begin at 10 a.m. and last all day. The event will also feature activities including live music, arts and crafts, a basketball tournament and a candlelight vigil for Isabella.

This is the first event of Ana's initiative called Vision After Violence, launched three months ago. She plans to host regular glasses giveaways like this one, including during the back-to-school season, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

"I know how expensive it is to fit your children. I would have never been able to afford to keep up with Isabella's prescription if I had not been in the industry myself," Ana says. "We're trying to improve the quality of life for children and help families. ...The response has been insane. From the East Coast to the West Coast, people started mailing glasses left and right. That just goes to show that there are still good people out there."

The inaugural Vision After Violence event will combine with this year's annual Peace in the City community memorial honoring Isabella's memory, at the park named after her.

Many of Isabella's loved ones are getting involved in the effort, Ana says. Isabella's boyfriend, Darian Simon, who was also shot during the attack that killed Isabella, is hosting an arts and crafts table for the children. Isabella's brother, Jacob, designed the logo for Vision After Violence: a broken heart wearing a pair of glasses.

"This is all a healing process for us," Ana says. "Every year is hard. It doesn't get easier, it just gets different. So, any way that we can interact and help spread peace, especially in times of discord, is healing."

The Vision After Violence glasses giveaway event starts at 10 a.m. Sunday, June 8, at the Bella Joy Gardens, 1122 East 17th Avenue; admission is free.