ST. LOUIS—Third-year and fourth-year optometry students are invited to submit entries to be considered for a group of grants and scholarships offered by Optometry Cares—The AOA Foundation. Fourth-year students are eligible for the Dr. Pat & Patrick Cummings Scholarship, while third-year students can apply for the InfantSEE Scholarship Grant (sponsored by Vision West, Inc.), the Dr. Seymour Galina Grant, and the Essilor-sponsored Bernard Maitenaz Scholarship. The requirements for each scholarship can be found at the links below, and all entries are due Nov. 11, 2014.

The Dr. Pat & Patrick Cummings Scholarship is in memory of American Optometric Association past president, Pat Cummings, OD, one of the first supporters of the InfantSEE program, who died in a private plane crash in 2009, and whose son, Patrick, passed away in a car accident at age 18. Individual donors and a large contribution from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care were used to establish the Dr. Pat & Patrick Cummings Memorial Fund through Optometry Cares. The scholarship will award $5,000 to the winning fourth-year optometry student.

Two winning entrants will be selected for the InfantSEE Grant, with $5,000 going to the winner and the runner-up receiving $2,500. The winner of the Dr. Seymour Galina Grant will receive $2,500.

The new Bernard Maitenaz Scholarship was first introduced during the Essilor-sponsored opening general session of this year’s Optometry’s Meeting, as reported in VMail’s coverage of the event. In honor of the inventor of the progressive addition Varilux lens, the scholarship will award $10,000 to the winning third-year optometry student.

“We are excited to have this opportunity to encourage the best young optometric minds around the country to dream big,” said Howard Purcell, OD, FAAO, Dipl., and senior vice president of customer development, Essilor of America.  “This scholarship serves not only as a way to honor Bernard Maitenaz but also support future leaders in the optical industry and help further their education, while continuing our longstanding support for the AOA.”