Programs for 2011
• Young Ambassador Scholarship In Memory of Christopher Nordquist
• Fight for Sight Summer Student Research Fellowship


Previous Young Ambassador Scholarship Winners
Year
• Jessi-Ann Bettcher
2009
• Ian Phillips
2007
• Andrew Perez
2006
 

Young Ambassador Scholarship In Memory of Christopher Nordquist

The Eye-Bank is pleased to announce the establishment of its Young Ambassador Scholarship in Memory of Christopher Nordquist. The annual $1,000 award to an eligible student is made possible through private contributions given to The Eye-Bank in memory of Christopher, who was two when he died and left the gift of sight.

Through the years, his mother Andrea Nordquist has shared the story of their family’s loss and subsequent decision to donate Christopher’s corneas in hopes of increasing awareness of the good that eye donation can do. In this way, Christopher became one of The Eye-Bank’s first Young Ambassadors.

The Scholarship in his memory is intended to encourage young people to pursue learning and to help spread the message about the priceless gift almost anyone can leave after death – the gift of sight through eye donation.

Scholarship Criteria
To apply, students must meet all of the following requirements:

Application Deadline
Please submit the completed application and related materials post-marked by June 1 to:

Mrs. Andrea Nordquist
The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration
120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005

Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.

Young Ambassador Scholarship Winners

2009
After a heart transplant that gave Jessi-Ann Bettcher a second chance at life, the twenty-year old was determined to give back to society in some way. Through a local transplant group, Jessi-Ann shared her story and disseminated information about eye, organ and tissue donation at area high schools, health fairs and various church and community events. A student at Westchester Community College, Jessi-Ann realizes how her donor’s gift has changed her life and given her a bright future. She learned of The Eye-Bank’s Young Ambassador Scholarship though the transplant group and it was her tremendous effort to advance the cause of eye, organ and tissue donation that The Eye-Bank recognized in naming her its 2009 Scholarship Winner.

2007
The Eye-Bank’s subway ad featuring Jerry Orbach caught the attention of School of Visual Arts film major, Ian Phillips, who had been working on a school assignment about blindness in New York City. Ian had had no prior information about corneal transplants and after visiting The Eye-Bank’s website, decided to shift the focus of his film to create awareness about eye donation, transplantation and the need for more donors. The result was a 20-minute documentary on the importance of eye donation titled From Darkness to Light. For the film, Ian conducted interviews on camera with Eye-Bank staff, donor family members and cornea transplant recipients in the Greater New York area. His decision to enter his documentary as a contender for the 2007 Young Ambassador Scholarship was a rewarding one because he was chosen as the winner. According to Ian, “My intention is to highlight the priceless gift each one of us can give.”

2006
Seventeen year-old Eagle Scout, Andrew Perez, was motivated by the great need of people needing transplant surgeries. As a result, he initiated a campaign as part of his Eagle Scout project to ensure more people enrolled in the Donate Life Registry. Andrew enlisted the support of his church parish, arranged for recipients to share their personal transplant stories and publicized his project on the local radio station. This led to his great achievement of signing up over 300 people to the Donor Registry. The Scholarship committee was so impressed that he was declared winner of the first Young Ambassador Scholarship. Andrew understood the importance of signing up to be a donor and was able to ignite a passion for his vision in others that led to their taking appropriate action. A 2006 graduate of Eastchester High School in Westchester County, Andrew currently attends SUNY, Binghamton.







 


The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration and Fight for Sight Summer Student Research Fellowship

Beginning in 2011, The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration and Fight for Sight are co-sponsoring a Summer Student Research Fellowship. Annual grants of $2,100 will support fulltime research conducted from June to August. Applications will be reviewed by the Fight for Sight Scientific Review Committee, and a grantee will be selected based upon the committee’s recommendations to the boards of both organizations. 

Since 1996, Fight for Sight has supported and inspired eye and vision research by funding promising scientists early in their careers. FFS has granted over $20 million in research that has contributed directly or indirectly to major advances in ophthalmology and vision research.

The goal of this award is to advance the skills needed to initiate and carry out work in a scientific environment.

Scholarship Criteria

To apply, students must meet the following requirements:

Application Deadline

Please submit the online application by February 1.
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
All material submitted becomes the property of Fight for Sight.