NORWALK, CT – Malta House of Norwalk, CT, was recently selected as the charitable donation recipient by Dr. Jennifer Stewart, co-founder, and chief vision officer for Performance 20/20. Ms. Stewart received the Emerging Leader Award of the Optical Women's Association (OWA), recognizing her as a star within the optical industry for displaying exemplary leadership qualities.  

Each year, the annual OWA award honorees receive $1,000 each to put toward a charity of their choosing and Dr. Stewart has chosen Malta House as her charity this year.  Dr. Stewart currently practices at Norwalk Eye Care in Norwalk, CT.

Dr. Stewart notes that "I was the recipient of an incredible award from the Optical Women's Association, and they are donating to a charity of my choice on my behalf. I selected Malta House and am incredibly proud to do this. I felt honored to be able to give to an organization that means so much to so many."

The Board and staff of Malta House are incredibly grateful for this demonstration of generosity on behalf of a nationally recognized community leader.

Board Chair Kim Petrone said,"I am so proud of Jennifer [Dr. Stewart] for receiving this award and can't thank her enough for choosing Malta House as her 'charity of choice' and helping to spread the word about the services Malta House provides to young mothers in crisis." 

Dr.Stewart is an optometrist, speaker, writer, consultant, and entrepreneur. She is a partner at Norwalk Eye Care and has been involved in the optometric community for almost 20 years. She is a nationally recognized speaker with a passion for helping optometrists and organizations with operations, optical success, contact lens sales, and practice management through her company ODPerspectives. 

She is an established writer and has been featured in most optometric publications. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at the New England College of Optometry and a consultant for Coopervision, Zyloware, and GPN. With a deep interest in sports vision, Dr. Stewart is the co-founder and chief vision officer for Performance 20/20, which provides sports and performance vision training services.

She is a recipient of the Theia Award for Innovation by Women In Optometry and serves on the executive board for the International Sports Vision Association.She is a member of the OWA Membership and Schools Initiative Committees and is dedicated to increasing awareness and membership in the optometric community.

Malta House will use this contribution to carry out its mission of providing"Hope for Life" for new and expectant mothers throughout Fairfield County and beyond. 

Malta House's mission is to promote the dignity of God-given life by providing a nurturing home environment, support services, and independent living skills to pregnant and parenting mothers of all faiths and their children.

Mothers at Malta House receive on-site counseling, financial education, and parental development, followed by transitional and post-residential support.

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