Von’s vision? Put a pair of glasses on every local kid in need

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller’s vision on the field is clear: Sack the other team’s quarter back, then do it again. But without his signature glasses, Miller’s vision off the field would be cloudy at best.

“For me, it all started in the second grade where I got teased (for wearing glasses),” Miller told the attendees of the first fundraiser for Von’s Vision, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to better the vision of Denver-area youth by providing them needed eye examinations and eye wear to succeed in the classroom and in life.” “I’ve been a geek since day one. This is something I can connect with and support. You wouldn’t believe how many kids need glasses to succeed.”

For Miller, who wears contacts during games and has a stash of replacements standing by on the sidelines, turned his “geek” into “chic” through a collection of 45 pairs of funky and fashion-forward glasses.

Event attendees paid big bucks to mingle with Broncos players who doubled as servers during the celebrity dinner Monday at Ocean Prime on Larimer Square. Players posed for pics, signed souvenir footballs and chatted up the sold-out room of admirers.

And when it came time to be seated in the upstairs dining room, Denver’s football favorites deftly delivered dinner with no reports of spillage.

Miller, who thanked his teammates and sponsors, wrote a $30,000 check for his own charity.

“I’ve been trying to find a way to give back,” Miller told me. “It just hit me that glasses are part of my image.”

Participating players included: Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Champ Bailey, Wesley Woodyard, Derek Wolfe, Tony Carter, Mike Adams, Kevin Vickerson, Sylvester Williams, Omar Bolden, Terrance Knighton, David Bruton, Duke Ihenacho and Malik Jackson.

For more information on Von’s Vision, go to www.vonmiller.org.

Broncos receiver Wes Welker poses with guest Bradley Joseph, top. Above, Bryant Gunn shows off his autographed football with Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas during Von Miller’s celebrity waiter event at Ocean Prime restaurant for his charity, Von’s Vision.