GE Lighting’s Recent Social Media Campaign Pays Dividends for the Foundation

August 28, 2012 – As part of “Lighting the Way,” a social media campaign which helped fund research for, and raise awareness of, blinding retinal diseases, GE Lighting recently donated $11,000 to the Foundation, bringing the company’s total donation over the past year to $16,000. GE Lighting’s involvement with the Foundation is the result of one individual’s passion for the organization.

“Vision-robbing diseases impact more than 10 million people in the U.S.A. alone. The Foundation Fighting Blindness’ focus on driving research to save and restore sight is vitally important to so many of these families,” says GE Lighting’s president and CEO, Maryrose Sylvester. “GE Lighting is pleased to partner with the Foundation, and it is our hope that, along with everyone’s generosity, the Foundation finds a cure for all the debilitating retinal diseases.” 

A longterm supporter of the Foundation, Sylvester helped raise awareness of the foundation within GE Lighting and encouraged its community relations team to take on the cause.

“We’re grateful to both Maryrose and GE Lighting,” says Bill Schmidt, CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. “The funds they’ve raised will be funneled directly into research efforts. And because they were raised through social media, they’ve helped raise awareness among people who may not have otherwise heard of the Foundation or the effects of retinal diseases.”

The “Lighting the Way” Campaign urged shoppers to redeem $1-off coupons, available online, for GE Lighting’s Brite from the Start™ light bulbs. The company contributed money for every coupon redeemed and for each “retweet” and “like” of social media posts about the Foundation.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, GE Lighting also made a $5,000 contribution as a sponsor of the 4^th annual Cleveland VisionWalk this past May. The Foundation’s signature fundraising event nationwide, VisionWalk is a 5K for which participants solicit donations from friends, family and businesses.

The combination of its fundraising efforts and contributions from sponsors allowed the Foundation to surpass its $55,000 goal for the Cleveland VisionWalk in 2012. To date, the Cleveland chapter of the Foundation has raised more than $73,000 to help fund research for the preventions, treatments and cures of retinal diseases that cause blindness.