News from the AOA's Blog

Optometry Cares®—The AOA Foundation is beginning a series of Donor Spotlight articles in the AOA News. The focus of the Donor Spotlights will be to highlight donors who are committed to the foundation and its mission. 

This is part 2 of the series on Joseph Mallinger, O.D., and Vision West, Inc. Read the rest of this entry ?

Optometry Cares®—The AOA Foundation is beginning a series of Donor Spotlight articles in the AOA News. The focus of the Donor Spotlights will be to highlight donors who are committed to the foundation and its mission. 

Joseph Mallinger, O.D., and Vision West, Inc., have been, and continue to be, amazing supporters of the foundation. As such, we thought it only appropriate to highlight them in the very first Donor Spotlight piece.  Read the rest of this entry ?

With this year’s challenges and accomplishments still fresh in your mind, now is a good time to review and update your estate plans. To help you in this process, we have constructed the following checklist of estate planning actions for you to go over as the end of the year rolls closer. Read the rest of this entry ?

Nominations for the 2012 National Optometry Hall of Fame are now being accepted. The National Optometry Hall of Fame highlights the luminaries within the field of optometry—individuals who have made a significant and long-lasting impact on the profession. Read the rest of this entry ?

Holter

Optometry Cares® – The AOA Foundation welcomes new Chief Advancement Officer Dennis Holter. As chief advancement officer, Holter will be helping the foundation realize growth and develop reciprocal, sustainable relationships for the advancement of the AOA.

Holter is a health care and education executive with more than 30 years of fundraising, communications, marketing, and management experience.  Read the rest of this entry ?

As a result of the extension of the Pension Protection Act through 2011, anyone over the age of 70 ½ can now make an outright gift to a qualified charitable organization, such as Optometry Cares®-the AOA Foundation, by requesting a direct transfer of up to $100,000 from an individual retirement account (traditional or Roth IRA) without paying taxes on this distribution.

Foundation donors have found these gifts can be accomplished simply and can maximize the benefits of IRA dollars that would have been taxable in the past.  Read the rest of this entry ?

From the collection of The Archives & Museum of Optometry, Optometry Cares® – The AOA Foundation

The Woman’s Auxiliary to the AOA, formed in 1927, was an active, creative, and dedicated group, carrying the banner of modern optometry and supporting the work of the profession.

Their work required financial support, and sometimes that was lacking. In 1951 the Washington Optometric Association Woman’s Auxiliary realized that dues were small and other means of revenue were limited.

They proposed to the national body that attractive optometry seals (similar to the popular tuberculosis seals) be printed and sold to the state associations, auxiliary members, optometrists, and friends of optometry. Read the rest of this entry ?

With the help of Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief, one New Hampshire practitioner is recovering from damage sustained during Hurricane Irene in August.

“A lot has happened in the last six weeks,” said Richard Stegen, O.D., of North Country Eye Care Associates in West Lebanon, N.H. Read the rest of this entry ?

Being AOA President isn’t all work. Past AOA Presidents Richard Hopping, O.D., DOS, (1971-72) and Jimmy Tumblin, O.D., (1972-73) enjoyed the perk of serving as pitcher and catcher during pre-game ceremonies honoring the AOA’s 75th anniversary. They are shown here with St. Louis Cardinals catcher Jerry McNertney before taking the field at Busch Stadium in June 1972. Images are from the collection of The Archives & Museum of Optometry, Optometry Cares® – The AOA Foundation.

Nominations for the 2012 National Optometry Hall of Fame are now being accepted. The National Optometry Hall of Fame highlights the luminaries within the field of optometry—individuals who have made a significant and long-lasting impact on the profession. Read the rest of this entry ?