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Sept. 21, 2012—As the Foundation Fighting Blindness strives to add up to 10 new clinical trials to its translational research portfolio within the next five years, the need for funding to facilitate expensive human studies and, eventually, advance treatments and cures to patients grows significantly. Over the past few months, several donors have made significant financial contributions that will help fuel the Foundation’s aggressive push to the clinic.
“Without the generous support of individuals and organizations who invest in a brighter future through giving to our research efforts, we wouldn’t be in the position to fund the most promising studies to save and restore sight,” says Bill Schmidt, the Foundation’s chief executive officer. “We sincerely thank those who’ve made these recent donations."
Among the donors are Marilyn and Dean Green, of Greensboro, North Carolina, who contributed $200,000 through The Green Foundation. They are also supporting the upcoming North Carolina Dining in the Dark as an Innovator Sponsor. Dean is a national trustee of the Foundation, and Marilyn is a board member who is affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Donating $100,000 for sight-saving research, Frances and George Villere have given generously to the Foundation since 1984. Affected by RP, George is a member of the Foundation’s board of directors and a managing partner at an investment management firm in New Orleans.
Leo Burnett Worldwide, a leading global communications company, is supporting the Chicago Visions Ball as a $50,000 Innovator Sponsor, and CEO Tom Bernardin is co-chairing the event with others who have family members affected by retinal diseases.
The Grousbeck Family Foundation has generously supported the Foundation’s research efforts for more than a decade, most recently with a $50,000 contribution. Wycliffe Grousbeck – managing partner, governor and CEO of the Boston Celtics – and his wife, Corinne, support retinal research because their family is impacted by Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).
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