Giving Tuesday | Optometry & Vision Science

Mark Your Calendars to Donate

Giving Tuesday You plus Waterloo Rise to the Challenge

The annual ONE DAY event is almost here! Giving Tuesday is a traditional philanthropic initiative where we all chip in to donate to worthwhile causes that support the School of Optometry. This year we are continuing with supporting our Seeing Beyond 2020 campaign that will help build the Waterloo Eye Institute - a new, modernized clinic where students will gain rich experiences and integrate new innovations that will advance patient care.

Challenge Champions

Dan Langlois (BA '92, MAcc ’92) and Tracey Webb (BMath ’93)

“We are a Waterloo family at heart. Tracey and I are proud Waterloo grads, as is our son, Ben, who graduated in 2022 with a software engineering degree. With our daughter, Emma, currently in her fourth year at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, we are proud to be matching donors for the OVS challenge.

This year we are particularly excited that Giving Tuesday donations will be going toward the Waterloo Eye Institute. Sight is related to so many aspects of life, and this project will enable our community, Canada and beyond to have expanded access to collaborative, efficient eye and vision care when it is needed most. We view Giving Tuesday as a means of giving back to the University and its students in a meaningful way. We hope to inspire others to generously donate to the University on Giving Tuesday by taking advantage of our promised matching gift, effectively doubling the impact of donor contributions!”

Dr. C. Lisa Prokopich (OD ’90)

“The University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science is my ‘home’. Since graduating from the program and completing my residency, I have been fortunate to be able to invest in the profession we all love, from right here at the School. My passion has been in the clinical education of our exceptional Waterloo Optometry students, but my other passions include case-based learning, curriculum advancement, scope of practice expansion and cultural safety and equity in health care. There is always more work to be done! While I have been a silent supporter for many years, this year I am hoping to encourage our optometry community along with our ‘School family’ of students, staff and faculty to invest in the vision of the Waterloo Eye Institute. 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. Please join us on ‘Vision’ Tuesday!”

TRIPLE YOUR IMPACT

This year, not only do we have two generous matching gift donors, we also have the $1M match for optometrists, thanks to Dr. Marta Witer (OD '79) and the Ihnatowycz Family Foundation. That means we are not just doubling your donations to our Seeing Beyond 2020 campaign for the Waterloo Eye Institute (WEI), we are giving you the opportunity to TRIPLE your impact!