Miller hosted his annual Von Miller's Celebrity Steak Out at the Denver Ritz-Carlton to help Denver youth with their eyesight. (Photos by Aric DiLalla)
DENVER – On Sunday evening, Von Miller had his eyes on the quarterback.
On Monday, he made sure local children could see just as well.
Miller hosted his annual Von Miller's Celebrity Steak Out at the Denver Ritz-Carlton to raise money for his charity, Von's Vision. The event, which was sponsored by iOrthodontics, helps Miller fund programs like Von’s Vision Day and Von's Back to School Vision Day. A $20 donation puts a pair of glasses on a child's face, and on Monday night, Miller and Co. hoped to raise enough money for many, many pairs.
"I just feel blessed," Miller said. "I never started out to create all of this. I was trying to help one or two children, and to see Von's Vision's grow -- it's truly a blessing."
On the fifth anniversary of the event, Miller made an exciting announcement about what's to come for the foundation in 2017. Beginning next year, all students in the Denver public school system will reap the benefits of Von's Vision.
"I just found out about it earlier," Miller said, "And I'm blown away [by] it. Any child that has any problem with their eye sight, they can just go to their school nurse and receive glasses. It's pretty incredible. It just shows you the type of team I have behind Von's Vision."
Those in attendance had the chance to meet with Miller and several other Broncos players, including DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, Demaryius Thomas and more than a dozen others. The players mingled with guests, who had the chance to take part in a silent auction.
"[My teammates' support] means the world," Miller said. "It's called Von's Vision, but they come to see the Broncos. They come to see all the guys: DeMarcus, D.T., Emmanuel. And it just shows you the type of team that we have. We all show up to everybody's events."
Ware complimented Miller's choice to pursue a charity that fit with his personality, and Miller echoed that sentiment by saying he was glad he waited a year before deciding on a path in the community. Now, with the platform the Broncos hold, Miller is able to affect change in the Denver area. When he signed a contract extension in July, that opportunity became much greater.
"This is it," Miller said. "This is the vision that I had. It's kind of like Spiderman, the movie: 'With great power comes great responsibility.'"
Von's Vision, which was founded in 2012, aims to provide low-income Denver-area youth with eye exams and eyewear.
More information can be found at vonmiller.org.
