Foundation Fighting Blindness Leader Crowned Mrs. America - Tampa Bay Chapter President April Lufriu Wins National Pageant for Married Women
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Columbia, MD - April 18, 2011 - Foundation Fighting Blindness (www.FightBlindness.org) leader and Mrs. Florida, April Lufriu, beat out Mrs. Hawaii to win the 2011 Mrs. America crown Thursday night at the Greenbrier in West Virginia. In this unique pageant that celebrates the married woman, Lufriu rose above 50 other delegates to take home the national title. She will focus her year-long term on raising awareness about blinding diseases and the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ mission to drive research for treatments and cures. This platform is very personal to Lufriu, whose 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter are affected with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited retinal degenerative disease that progressively robs vision. Lufriu and her sister also demonstrate symptoms of vision impairment. “I’m thrilled for the opportunity to raise awareness about the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ important work in advancing research that gives hope to my family and millions of other Americans affected with blinding diseases,” said Lufriu. “The Mrs. America crown opens the door for me to provide encouragement for the visually impaired to live life without limits while progress in research leads us to a future without darkness from retinal degenerative diseases.”
As president of the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Tampa Bay Chapter, Lufriu volunteers her time to provide support for the area’s visually impaired community, as well as resources to stay informed about research advancements and low vision tools. She co-chaired Tampa Bay’s first-ever 5K VisionWalk in 2009, which raised $42,000 for sight-saving research, and participates annually. Active in pageants for over 20 years, Lufriu was crowned Mrs. Ybor City in 2007 and won the Mrs. Florida Scholarship Pageant in 2008. A first-generation American, the married mother of three runs a business with her husband George and works as a model and dental hygienist. The Mrs. America program is the fastest growing pageant system of its kind. For over 30 years, the pageant has recognized America’s married woman, who is often ignored in other beauty competitions. Dedicated to the nation’s 60 million wives, the pageant challenges delegates with rounds of competition including a personal interview, evening gown, swimsuit, and on-stage question. For more information, visit www.MrsAmerica.com. About Foundation Fighting Blindness The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national nonprofit driving blindness research that will lead to preventions, treatments and cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases that affect 10 million Americans. In its 40-year history, the Foundation has raised more than $425 million as the leading non-governmental funder of retinal research. With a network of 50 chapters, the Foundation also provides free disease information and low vision resources to affected individuals and their families. Most recently, a breakthrough Foundation-funded study using gene therapy restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind, paving the way for using this method to treat a wide variety of retinal degenerative diseases, and proving a cure is in sight. |
