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EyeOn Patients - Illinois College of Optometry

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Eye On Giving<br />

Helping Hands<br />

ICO’s annual Alumni Reunion couldn’t<br />

happen without sponsorship support.<br />

When Connie Pietrzak started her<br />

job as Director <strong>of</strong> Alumni Relations at<br />

the <strong>Illinois</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Optometry</strong> last<br />

year, Reunion 2004 was a week away.<br />

The planning <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> the <strong>College</strong>s<br />

major events was over; all Pietrzak<br />

could do was jump in and help with<br />

the festivities.<br />

It was a great weekend, but not all<br />

fun. In addition to making alumni feel<br />

welcome and comfortable, planners juggle<br />

council meetings, receptions, dinners,<br />

speakers, awards, <strong>of</strong>f-campus excursions<br />

and continuing education courses.<br />

And they have to figure out how to<br />

pay for it all. The <strong>College</strong> kicks in half<br />

the money, but in order for the event to<br />

be as affordable as possible for alumni,<br />

the other half <strong>of</strong> the budget comes<br />

from fundraising.<br />

21 ICO Matters / Spring 2005<br />

That’s why ICO is so grateful to its<br />

sponsors. Last year Alcon, a muchappreciated<br />

perennial supporter, came<br />

forward again as the exclusive educational<br />

sponsor <strong>of</strong> the event. USI<br />

Optometric underwrote the Reunion<br />

dinner, and Micros<strong>of</strong>t sprang for the<br />

programs. Additional gifts helped <strong>of</strong>fset<br />

the cost <strong>of</strong> speakers and other programming<br />

(see sidebar).<br />

“We couldn’t do it without them,”<br />

Pietrzak says. “As hard as we try to<br />

keep costs under control, we still need<br />

outside support.”<br />

Because the show must go on. Not<br />

only does Reunion help alumni stay<br />

connected to the school and their classmates,<br />

it <strong>of</strong>fers CE and networking<br />

potential. “Reunion provides educational,<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>essional and social opportu-<br />

To proudly and<br />

publicly thank the<br />

generous supporters <strong>of</strong><br />

the <strong>Illinois</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Optometry</strong>, a donor<br />

wall was installed<br />

last fall in the<br />

hallway outside the<br />

Lecture Center.<br />

The <strong>Illinois</strong> <strong>College</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Optometry</strong><br />

would like to thank the following<br />

sponsors for their support <strong>of</strong><br />

Reunion 2004:<br />

Alcon<br />

Art Optical Contact Lens, Inc.<br />

Essilor<br />

HUB International<br />

Micros<strong>of</strong>t<br />

Ocular Sciences<br />

TLC Laser Eye Centers<br />

USI Optometric<br />

Volk<br />

Welch Allyn<br />

nities,” Pietrzak says. “I’d just like to say<br />

thank you to our sponsors for helping<br />

us pull it together.” ◆

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