Following landfall of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, the AOA Foundation issued an emergency appeal for donations to Optometry’s Fund for Disaster Relief (OFDR) to which the profession quickly responded. Now totaling more than $233,000 in contributions from individuals, as well as $50,000 each from the Health Care Alliance for Patient Safety and AOAExcel, and $100,000 from AOA Visionary Supporter EssilorLuxottica, OFDR continues to take applications from practitioners and students impacted by Helene.

To date, OFDR has awarded 14 grants, after quickly processing, reviewing, and notifying recipients of their grants given the urgent need. Applicants for OFDR grants reported a litany of catastrophic damage: practice closure due to a loss of electricity; flooding and mudslides washing out driveway; without electrical, cellphone, and water service; major sinkhole opened on the property; and a tree fell through the roof of the house, causing flooding inside.

Affected individuals could be eligible for grants up to $4,000 to help provide financial support with an aim toward helping cover necessary expenses and expediting practitioners’ ability to reopen their practices to serve their patients.

• Donate to The AOA Foundation. Help make sure OFDR grants are available for those affected by natural disasters.
• Submit an OFDR application. Those affected by these or other disasters can learn more about grant criteriaand complete the OFDR application and Form W-9.