WIT foundation gets first corporate donation

EYE-HEALTH company Bausch & Lomb has become the first corporate donor to the Waterford Institute of Technology Foundation.

The foundation office was established in November last with the objective of raising finance to fund the on-going development of the institute, with a specific focus on research, development and innovation.

Announcing the donation, Bausch & Lomb vice president Frank O’Regan, said the company was pleased to support the foundation in its important work of helping to develop higher education provision in the south-east.

“Bausch & Lomb has been in Waterford for over a quarter of a century.

“Just as the company has grown here in that time, so too the Waterford Institute has expanded to meet the region’s needs.

“Indeed, our team in Waterford includes many graduates of the institute, while Bausch & Lomb personnel continue to pursue part-time courses there.

“Named as Sunday Times Institute of Technology of the Year in 2005, Waterford is at a particularly crucial stage in its development.

“The next phase of the college’s growth will be vital to the future social and economic well-being of both Waterford and the entire south-east region.”

He added: “Given this, Bausch & Lomb are delighted to provide initial backing for the Foundation and wish its chief executive Ms Bernadette Kiely every success with the challenges ahead.”

Thanking Bausch & Lomb for the company’s donation, Ms Kiely said the firm deserved particular credit for being the first to come on board with a corporate donation.

“We are very appreciative of the donation received from Bausch & Lomb this week. While we will obviously work with the college alumni and friends of Waterford Institute of Technology when fundraising, the foundation also requires the on-going support of the private sector.

“Now Waterford’s largest private employer, Bausch & Lomb places great emphasis on being good corporate citizens and contribute very generously to worthy causes in Waterford,” she continued.