Join the Foundation Fighting Blindness for the
6th Annual Philadelphia VisionWalk!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Independence National Historical Park – Philadelphia, PA
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is pounding the pavement to increase awareness and raise critical
research dollars for preventions, treatments and cures for blindness through VisionWalk,
the Foundation’s signature fundraising event.
Put on your Walking Shoes!
VisionWalk is a fun-filled, family-friendly 5K (3.1 miles) walkathon fundraiser. All walk routes are
wheelchair and stroller accessible.
Ready? Set. Go!
Lead a Team
Walk on a Team or as an Individual
Volunteer on Walk Day
Become a VisionWalk Sponsor
Make a Donation
Visit www.VisionWalk.org for the
latest information
Help us reach our $250,000 goal!
The Foundation Fighting Blindness has raised more than $450 million for retinal disease research
since it was founded in 1971. Foundation-funded scientists are innovative leaders in the development
of highly promising genetic, pharmaceutical, cell-based, and nutritional therapies for blindness.
With your help, a cure is in sight!
For more information please contact Noell Rembert, Associate Events Manager,
at (212) 244-1470 or via email at [email protected].
B EN EF IT I NG T H E F O U ND AT I O N F I GH T I NG B LI ND N E S S
Thank You for Supporting
POP Eyes
A fundraiser for the Foundation Fighting Blindness
The POP Eyes Program
Through POP Eyes, local and national businesses have the
special opportunity to participate in a good-will fundraising
initiative driven by the generosity of their customers.
You may have seen programs similar to POP Eyes like the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation sneakers or the
Children’s Miracle Network hot air balloons in retail stores. In
line with this concept, store cashiers ask customers at the point
of purchase to support the Foundation Fighting Blindness in
their mission to save and restore sight by purchasing a paper
POP Eye for $1.00 or more. This donation is added to the
customer’s final bill. Customers then sign his/her name on the paper POP Eye and they
are proudly displayed and hung in a prominent location(s) throughout the store.
This fun, easy and profitable promotion typically runs for a four week period and has
effectively raised millions of dollars for charities across the country. Support your
community’s local Foundation Fighting Blindness event and help us in our quest for a cure
of retinal degenerative diseases; participate in POP Eyes today!
How do companies and stores benefit from POP Eyes?
•
POP Eyes can be used to build a strong team, enhance employee morale and
contribute to they company's support of local non-profit efforts.
•
Customers will feel good about patronizing a store that gives back to its community.
•
Increase public relations. Experience shows customers are excited and enthusiastic to
support the program. Once the POP Eyes begin to "take-over" your store’s walls, its
time to alert the local media! POP Eye sales are a great way to build company visibility
throughout the community. Best of all, you can raise a substantial amount of money for
retinal degenerative diseases at no financial cost to the store!
•
Over ten million Americans of every age and race suffer vision loss from these blinding
diseases. Chances are that many of your customers and employees have had their
families touched by retinal degenerative diseases in some way.
•
Of course, the best reason for participating in this promotion is the satisfaction
companies and their employees will have in knowing dollars raised will help find more
effective treatments for retinal degenerative diseases, and someday, a cure.
Yes, I Would Like To Participate!
Please contact Noell Rembert at [email protected] or
(212) 244-1470 to bring POP Eyes to your area and receive POP Eyes Promotional
Packets for prospect stores.
FOUNDATION OVERVIEW
Passion and Focus
The Foundation Fighting Blindness was
established in 1971 by a passionate
group of individuals driven to overcome
vision-robbing retinal degenerative
diseases that were affecting themselves
or their loved ones. At the time,
very little was known about these
devastating conditions.
Key Facts about the Foundation
• Over the past 40 years, the Foundation
has raised more than $450 million to
put an end to retinal degenerative
diseases.
• Throughout its history, the Foundation
has invested nearly 80 percent of its
revenue in research and public health
education programs.
The Foundation’s goal was clear: to
drive the research that would lead to
• The Foundation has 50 volunteerpreventions, treatments and cures
led chapters across the U.S. These
for the entire spectrum of blinding
dedicated volunteers raise funds,
retinal diseases – including macular
increase public awareness, and provide
degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa
support to their communities.
and Usher syndrome
– that together affect
Over 40 years, the Foundation Fighting
more than 10 million
Blindness has raised more than
Americans and millions
$450 million to put an end to retinal
more throughout the
world.
degenerative diseases.
Today, the Foundation
is a thriving national
nonprofit and the world’s leading
private source for retinal disease
research funding. The Foundation is
committed to driving research until the
entire spectrum of retinal degenerative
diseases is eradicated.
www.FightBlindness.org
• The Foundation’s national signature
events, VisionWalk and Dining in the
Dark, raise money for research, as well
as build public awareness about the
devastating impact of retinal diseases.
FALL 2011
Foundation Overview
Driving Research, Saving Vision
Foundation-funded researchers are achieving remarkable success with a wide range
of promising therapies for saving and restoring sight. Below are just a few examples
of the research that is providing hope to millions affected by retinal diseases.
Gene Therapy Restores Vision
The Foundation is funding clinical trials
of gene therapy that have restored
vision in patients who were virtually
blind from a childhood form of retinitis
pigmentosa. Thanks to the treatment,
they can now enjoy some of life’s simple
joys, like reading and playing baseball.
Harnessing the Power of Stem Cells
Foundation-funded researchers are
using stem cells derived from a variety
of sources, including a person’s own
skin, to create healthy retinal cells that
can potentially restore vision. Stem cell
treatments hold great promise for
people with advanced vision loss.
Repurposing Approved Drugs
to Preserve Vision
Valproic acid, a drug that is FDAapproved to treat epilepsy, has shown
promise for preserving vision in people
with certain forms of retinitis pigmentosa. The Foundation has launched a
human trial to test this drug and, if
effective, move it quickly out to patients
who need it.
Funding the Best in Retinal Research
The Foundation has funded studies
at hundreds of prominent institutions
throughout the world including:
• Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins
• Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at
Harvard Medical School
• Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA
• Moorfields Eye Hospital at University
College London
• Scheie Eye Institute at the University of
Pennsylvania
“The Foundation has given hope to people who didn’t
previously have hope, and supported the most important
retinal research being carried out anywhere in the world.
Thanks to the Foundation, I am confident that we will be able
to treat many retinal diseases in the near future.”
– Morton F. Goldberg, M.D.
Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital
www.FightBlindness.org
FALL 2011