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The Foundation Welcomes New Board Members
“These two impressive leaders have demonstrated their commitment to advancing retinal disease research in many ways,” says Bill Schmidt, the Foundation’s chief executive officer. “They also bring a wealth of experience and determination to our board of directors as we ramp up efforts to move promising therapies from bench to bedside.” Joining the Foundation’s board of directors is Edward G. Babin, of Berwyn, Pennsylvania. The founder and president of Metropolitan Fire Protection Company, Inc., Ed has been a Foundation trustee since 2010. He initially got involved with the Foundation because his two sons, Eddie and Andrew, are losing their sight to Stargardt disease. Since then, the Babin family has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for research through the annual Philadelphia VisionWalk and other local events, including Dining in the Dark, which Ed will co-chair, once again, in Philadelphia on June 18. Also new to the board is Jason Ferreira, of New Hyde Park, New York, who became involved with the Foundation in 2010, after his 5-month-old son, J.J., was diagnosed with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Over the past three years, Jason and his family have created two successful fundraising events—a dinner called “Una Vision Para El Futuro,” or “A Vision for the Future,” which unites the supermarket industry to support research, and “Pitching for a Cure,” a family day at Yankee Stadium. Through these creative efforts and their VisionWalk team, the Ferreiras have raised more than three quarters of a million dollars. Jason, whose family owns a group of Met Foodmarkets, was also named a national trustee, along with his wife, Jennifer, in 2012.
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