It’s hard to believe we’ve already made it to the autumn of 2019. At the POA, we are diligently preparing for the planning session at the beginning of November to discuss 2020. Is it just me or does 2020—20/20—feel like our year, Optometry’s year? That’s not to say 2019 has not been fantastic because it has been! I am so proud of the POA and all we have accomplished this year!I want to take a moment to thank our volunteers. To all of you in our volunteer structure, diligently working for the POA in your spare time, thank you. Whether you serve on one committee or several, it is important work you are doing. Perhaps you attended our Lobby Day in Harrisburg or simply met with your legislators in your home district, thank you. Maybe your volunteer time is spent more on the local society level or the AOA level; we need that too, thank you. And for those of you who understand the value of simply being a member because numbers give us strength, thank you. The POA is a volunteer-based organization that cannot run without our volunteers, but does not exist without our members. It truly takes all of us to keep things going as well as they’ve been; thank you!
As many of you know, this organization also includes several employees who work so hard for our profession, and they deserve some recognition.
To Dr. Charlie Stuckey: we are so happy to have you assisting with the Third Party Center. You bring wisdom and experience that is extremely valuable.
To Danette Swartley: we appreciate all that you have done with membership and you will be missed.
To Joanne Cope, our Claims Administrator: you make a job that stresses and confuses so many of us look easy.
To Jean, our Membership Coordinator: thank you for organizing our members’ dues and more.
To Kelsey, our Communications Coordinator: in a world where so many things are happening at once, you do a fantastic job getting the POA message out in so many different ways.
To Ilene, our Director of Education: you help us host fantastic, organized meetings that run smoothly. You’ve been a part of this organization for decades and you do so much for us.
To Deb, our Chief Operating Officer: we cannot thank you enough for taking care of this tedious task. Your organization is impeccable and you make the job of Board member so much easier while keeping us all in line.
To Joe, our Executive Director: from overseeing the Harrisburg office to propelling this profession forward legislatively, and from coming up with new ways to promote optometry to being there for the daily questions of our members, you somehow manage to be everywhere at once.
We are so lucky as an organization to have these wonderful people working for us and with us. The next time you see one of these folks or call into the POA office and speak to them, please thank them. They deserve to hear from all of us!
I also want to thank the 2019 Board of Directors. It has been one wild year! Thank you for sticking together through the challenging times and for laughing together through the fun times. Your hard work and dedication to this organization are impressive and our profession is lucky to have each of you on its team.
All of these amazing people, our volunteers, our members, our board, and our staff have all helped to make 2019 such a fantastic year. Together, we have been able to accomplish so much. This year, we have worked hard to increase membership, improve communication, and expand our education. We have worked incredibly hard to advance our relationships with our Third Party Center and our Legislative Affairs Committee. From the creation of the Children’s Vision Care Alliance, which promotes the visual welfare of all of the children of the Commonwealth, to the leadership training that will keep us strong as an organization, we have accomplished so much. We currently sit in the middle of a two-year legislative cycle with multiple bills on the table and a keyperson structure that is stronger than it’s been in over a decade. Job well done, POA! And while I love sharing with you what we’ve accomplished together in 2019, I’m even more excited to tell you about 2020.
The AOA has termed 2020 The Year of the Eye Exam. They are working hard to encourage every employer in American to remind their employees of the importance of an annual eye exam and to encourage every person in American to schedule an in-person, comprehensive eye exam with an AOA doctor of optometry. More information is available at https://www.aoa.org/2020. Here in Pennsylvania, we are planning to promote those same ideas. In addition, we are planning a big event in March for Save Your Vision Month. It’s our hope that through this event we will be able to reach many people in need and promote our profession in new ways that haven’t been done before. Watch for more information to be distributed after our planning meeting in November.
As you’ve read, it’s been a busy 2019 and we are positioned well for a fantastic 2020. It’s been an honor serving as your President for 2019. Thank you!
Lori
