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Welcome!
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Jody Kelly, National Trustee; Gordon Gund, Founder
& Chairman, Board of Directors; Donna Burke Tehaan,
National Trustee & Montgomery
County Chapter President; Llura Gund |
As a newly appointed National Trustee and President of the Montgomery County Chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, I would like to extend an invitation for you to become a part of a community of individuals dedicated to working towards a cure for retinal disease. Founded in 1971, FFB’s mission is to drive the research that will provide preventions, treatments, and cures for people affected by the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative disease.
When I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 20, I was told "there were no treatments available for my condition and I would be legally blind by the age of 35." Though those words became my reality, my hope for a brighter future materialized through the work of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. As a mother and an independent woman looking for more, I decided to become involved with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and dedicate my energy to raising funds for research - research that has already shown so much promise.
The FFB family welcomed me openly with warmth and encouragement. I was immediately inspired and motivated to take on the role of co-chair for the 2008 Northern Virginia/DC Metro VisionWalk. I’m proud to say that, in my first year, I raised close to $50,000 and the walk in total raised over $200,000. I have since served as co-chair of the inaugural Montgomery County VisionWalk in 2010 as well as the Northern Virginia Dining in the Dark in both 2009 and 2010. My passion for the FFB community has led me to Dining in the Dark events and VisionWalks around the country, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Dallas, with my good friend and frequent co-chair, Jody Kelly.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness brings incomparable leadership, dedication, and resources to the challenging field of retinal degenerative disease research. I take great pride in associating my name and my efforts to support the work of FFB, and I hope you will too. One can find so many ways to get involved with your local chapter on varying levels of participation. Consider forming a VisionWalk team, attending a chapter speaker series, coffee social, dinner event, symposia, or just getting in touch – the choice is yours! My goal is to make sure that as many people as possible know about our chapter, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, and the hope we have for a future free from retinal disease.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness offers us so much hope and promise through the cutting edge ground-breaking research they fund. Their successes are our successes. Working together with our support, a cure is in sight.
Best regards,
Donna Burke Tehaan
National Trustee
Montgomery County Chapter PresidentWelcome!
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