COMMITTED TO
YOUR VISION
A Campaign by Illinois College of Optometry
Being part of the ICO community can mean many different things, but fundamentally it means commitment -- to our patients, our students, our colleagues and each other's vision of the future. We have incorporated this all into one statement: “Committed to your vision.”
“Committed to your vision” means more than just a commitment to eye and vision health for our patients. It means committing to each and every graduate’s vision of their future. It means committing to building a future where the possibilities within the Optometric profession expand, and it means committing to the betterment of our community and our profession.
As we celebrate 150 years, we are redoubling our commitment to being at the forefront of teaching, training, discovery and healthcare delivery.
Every day we strive to continue our commitment to:
Patient Care
We want each and every patient to receive optimal health care. Patients have a right to good care, regardless of their ability to pay. Patient care has always been our foundation, and we want to continue that commitment by reinvesting in several programs and the clinic to better meet our patients’ needs.
FOCUS AREAS
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Access for everyone – providing better care for more populations. Vision of Hope underwrites care for nearly 65% of our un/underinsured patients. We want to be prepared to meet current demands and to ensure that no one is turned away.
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Clinic updates – providing optimal care. We are committed to staying in this community and to continue serving our South Side neighbors. We want to make sure that our space best serves our patients' needs.
GOAL
$750K
Programs
Capital
$500K
$250K
Research & Education
Since its founding, ICO has committed to training and educating optometrists who have changed the course of our profession. Every year, we graduate leaders in the field who are ready to take on new challenges and to expand Optometry’s scope. In a world where access to eye care is increasingly important, we want to commit to building and nurturing classes that serve all of our patient populations through innovations in optometry.
FOCUS AREAS
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A state-of-the-art research facility – allowing us to make advances that will change how we think about dry eye, glaucoma, myopia and much more.
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Access for any student – expanding access and increasing socioeconomic diversity of the student body through scholarships.
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Research funding for students and residents -providing students funding to increase participation in ICO research activities and representation at national conferences.
GOAL
$1.5MM
Research Center (capital)
Scholarships & Awards
Programs
$800K
$500K
$200K
Our Community
We want to commit not only to our students’ vision of the future, but also to that of our community. By that we mean both our student community and the community at large.
FOCUS AREAS
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Student wellbeing and growth – providing a space and resources to promote personal wellbeing and mental health at every stage in their optometric journey.
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Increased representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color on campus – raising awareness of optometry through our newly launched White Coat Project as well as our long-established Focus on Your Future program.
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Continued support for Chicago Public School children – continuing to serve over 7000 CPS students every year and continuing to be the largest outreach program of any Chicago-area medical institution.
GOAL
$250K
Programs
Scholarships
$125K
$125K
Will you commit?
