The Vision Council raises more than $150,000 for the Open Your Eyes scholarship program

The Vision Council is pleased to announce that, to-date, more than $150,000 has been raised for the Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program through a virtual auction, company pledges and individual donations.
The Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program is a 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 Open Your Eyes Scholarship 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 Open Your Eyes Scholarship program is still accepting contributions. To donate to the Open Your Eyes Scholarship Program directly, click here.

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 Open Your Eyes Scholarship board of directors.
Additionally, Maxwell announced a frame collaboration with STATE. The brand will be donating a portion of proceeds from the frame to the scholarship program.
Several optical companies also made pledges during the event to contribute to the scholarship program.