The Vision Council Raises More than $150,000 for The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund Program
Through Virtual Auction, Optical Company Pledges and Individual Contributions
The Vision Council is pleased to announce that, to-date, more than $150,000 has been raised for The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund Program through a virtual auction, company pledges and individual donations.
About the Scholarship
The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund Program is a 501(c)(3) charity, created by The Vision Council through the Better Vision Institute, designed to support high school students in marginalized communities throughout the United States who have an interest in pursuing a career in the optical industry. The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund will support selected students through monetary scholarships to opticianry school, paid internships and mentorships. The intent of the program is to launch a far-reaching effort that can expand to other segments of the industry.
How to Donate
The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund program is still accepting contributions. To donate to The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund Program directly, click here.
Virtual Auction and Special Guest Appearance
To kick off the program launch, The Vision Council hosted a virtual auction from January 20 to January 27. Featuring exceptional items and experiences donated by The Vision Council’s members, including limited edition artwork, celebrity memorabilia, fashion pieces and unique experiences, the auction raised $19,821, all of which will be donated towards the scholarship program.
The auction concluded on January 27 during a celebratory virtual happy hour hosted by Ashley Mills, The Vision Council’s CEO, at the organization’s 2021 Executive Summit. Hosted under the banner of “A Celebration of OPTImism,” the happy hour included several special guests and announcements, including a surprise appearance from multi-Grammy-award winning artist, Maxwell, who was announced as the newest member of The Vision Council's Scholarship Fund board of directors.
Additionally, Maxwell announced a frame collaboration with STATE. Launching February 1, the limited-edition Maxwell x STATE frame is called “Reunion,” named after a song from Maxwell’s debut album, Urban Hang Suite. STATE will be donating a portion of proceeds from the frame to the scholarship program, with a minimum of $5,000 being donated to the program. The frames will be available for purchase at stateopticalco.com; through Maxwell’s website, musze.com; and through a small number of STATE’s independent eyecare partners.
Individual and Company Pledges
Several optical companies also made pledges during the event to contribute to the scholarship program, including:
Tim Mayhew, CEO at Luxury Optical Holdings, announced the company would donate $25,000 to the scholarship program.
Tracy Scott, Director, Philanthropy/Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, at National Vision Inc., announced that the company would sponsor six $15,000 scholarships over two years, for a total pledge of $90,000 over two years.
Sue Downes, CEO of MyEyeDr., announced that the company would contribute $5,000 in 2021, with the intent of donating incrementally larger amounts each year.
Alessandro Baronti, CEO at DeRigo Rem, pledged to donate $5,000 to the program.
Additionally, during the event, Wendy Salle, founder of Salle Opticians, an independent boutique in Atlanta, made a $1,000 pledge to the program and challenges her fellow independent retailers and designers to match her.
The Optical Poet Collaboration
A new collaboration was also announced between Tarrence Lackran, The Vision Council’s Director of Partnerships and Programming, known as @theopticalpoet on social media, and UK-based company, Frame Chain. The collaboration, The Optical Poet X Frame Chain, will feature the “Time for Change Chain,” which will be available for pre-order soon. Additionally, until February 28, the optical community is encouraged to shop Frame Chain’s website with the code “OYES” to receive 50 percent off their order, 10 percent of which will be donated to the scholarship program.
For additional information on the scholarship program, contact Tarrence Lackran, Director of Partnerships and Programming at The Vision Council, at tlackran@thevisioncouncil.org.