VolunteerMatch

The urgent mission of The Foundation Fighting Blindness is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher Syndrome, and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.

The urgent mission of FFB is to drive the research that will provide treatments and cures for blinding retinal degenerative diseases. Since its inception in 1971, The Foundation has raised over $225 million in support of research at hundreds of prominent institutions. The culmination of more than three decades of research has resulted in discovering the building blocks for cures through novel treatments like gene therapy, pharmaceutical therapy, nutrition, drug delivery, and retinal cell transplantation. We are encouraged that our many years of investment in basic research have now led us to exciting new opportunities for human clinical trials in a number of diseases.

Our national signature walkathon program, VISIONWALK, is one of the primary ways we raise money for that research. In 2006, we will have walkathons in ten cities across the country and are hoping to raise over half a million dollars for research. The Northern Virginia VISIONWALK willtake place on Saturday, June 3 at Reston Town Center.

The walk is approximately 5K (3.2 miles)long and is stroller and wheel-chair accessible. This is a family friendly event with light refreshments and entertainment. I encourage you to visit our website, www. FightBlindness.org , to learn more about The Foundation and the VISIONWALK program.