"Miriam and I decided to include OVDRA in our estate plan because of what OVDRA has meant to us. The organization has been an anchor to professional development and a source of camaraderie that is priceless."

Leonard J. Press, OD, FOVDR | OVDRA Past President & VDR Editor-in-Chief

In 2015, OVDRA received a $25,000 donation from the Kaplan Estate to honor Dr. Walter Kaplan, OD, FOVDR, to support a speakers bureau of optometrists passionate about vision therapy (VT) and willing to spread the word to optometry students and residents, as an enhancement of our successful "Tour de Optometry" program. 

"I joined COVD in 1972, one year after the organization formed. I became involved and eventually served as President. It is important that the organization continue to grow. Our numbers need to increase. It is important that those of us that have been involved step up to help establish an estate planning program to help COVD continue to flourish."

Neil Draisin, OD, FOVDR | COVD Past President

In 2010, COVD received a $50,000 donation from the Jacqueline T. Clark Trust. Dr. Clark practiced with her husband, Dr. Oliver "O.C." Clark in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. They opened the first optometry practice at the beach in 1949, where Jacqueline specialized in children's vision and optometric vision therapy. The Clarks received their Fellowships together in 1973 during the 3rd Annual COVD Meeting in New York, NY and were both active members of OVDRA.

"We just finished our Living Trust, and we put OVDRA in our trust to develop programs for children's vision."

Elise Brisco, OD, FOVDR

The following options may provide you or your estate with substantial tax benefits:

OUTRIGHT CASH OR PROPERTY GIFT

An outright cash or property gift to OVDRA can be the most effective and beneficial method of making your contribution. These donations can be invested immediately to generate income to address those projects or programs in greatest need.

PROVISIONS MADE THROUGH A TRUST AND/OR WILL

You can make provisions in your trust and/ or will whereby contributions can be made during your lifetime or at the time of your death. This can give flexibility as to when and how the funds could be used.

BENEFICIARY OF AN INSURANCE POLICY

You can designate OVDRA as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy whereupon your death the cash value of the insurance policy would go to OVDRA.

Your estate plan can be set up to make a regular annual contribution to OVDRA. The monies generated from this method of commitment would allow OVDRA to better plan its investment strategy. 

You may request that your pledged yearly contribution be used where needed most, or choose to donate to a specific fund. Your options are: 

Making Vision Therapy Visible, our public awareness campaign. 

Donations made to the Wold SAFE Fund are used to support optometric student and resident travel to the OVDRA Annual Meeting. 

The President's Research Fund supports grants for vision therapy research. 

The BSK-COVD Research Fund was developed to provide support for optometric faculty research and/or optometric resident research in binocular vision and/or visual performance issues.