Foundation Fighting Blindness Hosts Awards Ceremony
December 26, 2011
 |
Former Secretary of Commerce and Reigning Mrs. America to Speak at Vision for the Future Event
(Queens, NY) The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national nonprofit that drives sight-saving research, will host its inaugural Una Visión Para El Futuro (A Vision for the Future) on Thursday, Jan. 19, at Terrace on the Park. Spearheaded by supermarket industry leaders whose children are affected with blinding retinal degenerative diseases, the event will honor Stephen R. Bokser with the Foundation’s Visionary Award.
“I’m inspired by the industry’s support of our fight against blindness, a cause that’s extremely personal and close to my heart,” said Event Chair Jason Ferreira, of New Hyde Park, NY, a first-generation Dominican American whose family owns a group of Met Foodmarkets. “We’re thrilled to recognize the accomplishments and admirable character of Steve Bokser, whose hard work and rise to the top of the supermarket community is as impressive as his affinity for helping others.”
Ferreira became a passionate advocate for the Foundation Fighting Blindness in 2010 when his infant son JJ was diagnosed with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a rare genetic condition that causes blindness at birth. Since learning the devastating news, Ferreira has worked tirelessly to raise over $100,000 for sight-saving research toward a brighter future for his son and millions more around the world.
Special guest speaker The Honorable Carlos Gutierrez, Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce, will be in attendance, and Mrs. America 2011 April Lufriu, whose children are also affected with a vision-robbing disease, will emcee the event. Visionary Award Honoree Steve Bokser is former CEO of White Rose, the largest independent wholesale food distributor in the New York City and New Jersey metropolitan areas. His rise to the helm of White Rose spanned more than 40 years with the company, and over the course of his career he helped several Dominicans become grocery store owners, helping to build today’s strong community of Latino industry leaders in the New York region.
The evening of dinner, dancing, awards and entertainment will benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ urgent mission to drive the research that will lead to preventions, treatments and cures for the more than 10 million Americans affected with retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.
Individual tickets are available for $350 and sponsorship packages begin at $2,000. For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Events Manager Jennie Wexler at JWexler@FightBlindness.org or (212) 244-1470. To RSVP as a member of the media or to coordinate an interview with an event spokesperson, contact Allie Gebhardt at 410-423-0643 or AGebhardt@FightBlindness.org.
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 more than 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 families. Most recently, a breakthrough Foundation-funded study using gene therapy restored some 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.
Posted by News LI Editor · Filed Under Charity
Have a press release or local story you would like us to review? Let us know about it!
| You can Bookmark & Share this page by clicking here: |
|
More Long Island News
-
Long Island Exchange is the leading resource on Long Island New York for news and business. Find Long Island news, check local weather, real estate, classifieds, and used car listings for Long Island.
News Comments for this Article
Got something to say? Be sure you've read and understand our (Terms of Service)
You may not post any unlawful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. All comments should be relevant to the topic and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. You are solely responsible for your own comments, the consequences of posting those comments, and the consequences of any reliance by you on the comments of others. More... |
