Baltimore Leaders Gather to Fight Blindness at Visionary Awards Dinner

Baltimore, MD - November 17, 2010 - The Foundation Fighting Blindness (www.FightBlindness.org) announces it will recognize three prominent Baltimore community leaders with Visionary Awards on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis and his mother, Sunseria “Buffy” Smith, as well as local businessman David S. Cordish, will be honored at the event, which will raise money to drive research for retinal degenerative diseases.

Lewis and Smith will both be recognized for their leadership and generosity in the Baltimore community.  Lewis is founder of The Ray Lewis Foundation, dedicated to enhancing the lives of at-risk youth. He credits his mother, vice president of The Ray Lewis Foundation, for instilling his sense of civic duty. Smith almost single-handedly organizes and oversees programs that support children and families in need.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. I’m thrilled to be connected to such a great organization whose main mission is restoring sight. I admire the Foundation’s commitment and the progress they have made in helping so many,” said Lewis. “I couldn’t be more proud to receive a Visionary Award from an organization that itself is so visionary, leading the way through funding retinal degenerative research.”

Cordish, chairman of The Cordish Companies, is known for reinvigorating depressed areas, such as Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and has been instrumental in some of the nation's most compelling success stories in urban redevelopment. The Visionary Award will honor his innovation and leadership in developing communities around the country.

“It’s an absolute honor to receive a Visionary Award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Hard work and focus are integral to any significant endeavor, and the Foundation Fighting Blindness embodies these qualities,” said Cordish. “I can’t think of a better cause to support than giving the gift of vision.”

The event is co-chaired by Lu Ann and Jay Blackman. Dr. Morton Goldberg, chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Neurovision Research Institute and former director of The Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins, will serve as the honorary chair. Also in attendance will be those whose lives have been impacted by retinal degenerative diseases and who share the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ commitment to finding treatments and cures. For instance, 12-year-old Chloe has the retinal degenerative disease retinitis pigmentosa, which progressively leads to blindness. Despite her limited vision, Chloe acts, studies both classical and Irish music on the violin, and won first place in an Irish dance competition to qualify for the 2010 World Irish Open Championships in Dublin, Ireland.

Baltimore Ravens players, including Todd Heap, Ray Rice, Chris Carr, Haloti Ngata, Matt Birk and Jarrett Johnson, are expected to attend the event to show support for their teammate and Smith.

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.  Since its inception in 1971, the Foundation has raised over $400 million. Most recently, the Foundation is funding gene therapy clinical trials treating patients affected with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa that causes blindness or substantial vision loss at birth. Results from the breakthrough study showed that gene therapy has restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind. The advancement paves the way for using gene therapy to treat a wide variety of retinal degenerative diseases, proving that a cure is just around the corner.