This past Giving Tuesday was one for the history books. The School of Optometry and Vision Science was the "little department that could" as alumni and friends came together to support the Waterloo Eye Institute (WEI), taking the title of the Most Donors and Most Dollars challenges!
"I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support and grateful to all the hard work that went into making Giving Tuesday a smashing success," says Dr. Stanley Woo, Director, School of Optometry and Vision Science.
Largely thanks to the dedication to the profession of optometry and the School, this allowed us to secure an additional $12,000 towards the WEI. Combined with the additional $10,000 each from our two challenge champions, Dr. C. Lisa Prokopich (OD '90) and Dan Langlois (BA '92, MAcc ’92) & Tracey Webb (BMath ’93), together we raised $311,000!
Challenge champions: Dr. C. Lisa Prokopich and Dan Langlois & Tracey Webb
I’m grateful for our alumni’s commitment to the School of Optometry and Vision Science. Supporting the Waterloo Eye Institute will not only enhance our students’ education, but also improve patient care across our region and Canada.
It is a fitting story for a centre set to be a national resource dedicated to creating historic innovations in education, clinical care, and research. Your support is helping to advance eye health and vision science to better serve our patients and communities.
The School would like to give special thanks to all of our alumni and volunteers, including our colleagues at the Ontario Association of Optometrists, whose hard work helped us achieve this great feat.
"I truly believe that the WEI will facilitate advances in optometric education, patient care and research, and will be a springboard to launch Canadian optometry into the future," says Dr. Prokopich.
If you would like to contribute to the creation of the WEI:
