Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief « Optometry Cares

Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief

When Disaster Strikes

Natural disasters keep optometrists from doing what they do best: helping patients. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the American Optometric Association created Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief to provide immediate financial relief to optometrists in need.

Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief
Total Charitable Assistance:
$472,600

“Every dollar of aid in those first few months after the storm helped us to get back on our feet. The sincere concern and selfless giving of Optometry Cares and its generous donors will always be appreciated and will never be forgotten.”

Drs. James and Kimberly Benigno
Pass Christian, Miss.

The damage to structures and equipment is only part of the challenge facing affected practices. Many optometrists see their patients disperse to other areas of the country, further hampering practice recovery efforts. For some optometrists, it may be months before their home community stabilizes to allow recovery to begin. Without a practice or patients, these optometrists have no means for generating income and require help with basic needs.

Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief has changed the lives of many optometrists by providing immediate financial relief for critical and urgent needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

Disasters are unpredictable and can be life-altering; it is our goal to ensure that the fund is always poised and ready to help, so doctors can get back to doing what they do best.

Assistance

Applying for a disaster relief grant is the first step to recovery. If you have recently experienced the effects of a catastrophic event, please read the grant criteria and complete the application in its entirety. Applications must be submitted directly to the affiliate state association.

Help Now

house

“When I locked the door to my office two days before the storm was to hit, I never imagined that my insurance company would soon be saying the words, “you are 100% not covered.” Somewhere buried in the hundreds of pages of clauses was the perfect scenario that prevented my coverage from the storm…. The $2,000 was such a welcome sight in the mail and has done much for my confidence in knowing that my business and staff will remain intact. Please pass on my sincere thanks and appreciation for what this group has done for me and so many of my colleagues.”

–Chad Moffitt, O.D.
Alvin, Texas

Help optometrists like Dr. Moffitt. Donate now to help make certain that funds are available when the next disaster strikes.