The Vision Council announces Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program

The Vision Council, through the Better Vision Institute, is pleased to launch the Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program, a  charity 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 program 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.

The Better Vision Institute is an Educational Foundation connected to The Vision Council. While largely inactive for the last several years, The Vision Council has continued to maintain the Foundation until it was needed. The Foundation will now be activated to make educational grants.
“We all take great pride in how much vision impacts lives, and this scholarship is an extension of that, showing how the vision community can impact lives, as well,” said Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council. “With the support of the vision care community, we will provide deserving students with not only the resources, but also the tools, guidance and work experience they need to succeed. We invite the vision care community to help us reach our goal of raising $1 million dollars by making a donation. Together, we can launch the next generation of opticianry students.”

“Some of the communities we will be working with have a mean household income that is less than the average licensed dispensing optician’s salary. Therefore, the tools and skills this scholarship will provide have the potential to truly change some of these students’ lives,” said Tarrence Lackran, Director of Programs and Partnerships at The Vision Council. “In addition, being able to bring professionals to our industry from diverse racial backgrounds will elevate our industry and fill the need for a more inclusive community.”
To kick off the scholarship program launch, The Vision Council and the Better Vision Institute are hosting a virtual auction, featuring exceptional items and experiences donated by The Vision Council’s members. The auction starts today, January 20 at 9:00 am EST and bids will be accepted until Wednesday, January 27 at 6:30 pm EST, following a virtual happy hour hosted by Ashley Mills, The Vision Council’s CEO, during the organization’s 2021 Executive Summit.
Presented under the banner of “A Celebration of OPTImism,” the virtual happy hour will take place from 5:30–6:30 pm EST on Wednesday, January 27 and will feature a surprise special guest appearance by a multi-Grammy-award winning artist.
To register for The Vision Council’s Executive Summit, click here.

All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the scholarship program. To view the auction items and make a bid, visit 32auctions.com/O-YES.