VisionWalk set for this weekend

By Andrea Hirsch

October 03, 2008 11:27 am

— More than 10 million Americans are affected by blinding retinal diseases, according to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness.
Because of that, the foundation is hosting its second annual VisionWalk in an effort to raise money to fund research and help find a cure.
This year’s event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Oct. 11 at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 7725 N. College Ave., Indianapolis. Registration begins at 9 a.m.
“I am interested in seeing some kind of research develop,” Walk Chairman Paul Giese said. “The walk is one way to bring a community together for fundraising efforts for diseases that result in vision loss. It ties people together who share common interests and experiences.”
Giese said the walk is a national event with each community conducting their own. The effort in Indianapolis last year involved more than 300 local residents who raised almost $48,000.
Because the first year was such a success, Giese plans to make it an annual event. This year he said the foundation’s goal is to raise $60,000.
“The walk is free, although we want to encourage people to donate and show their support,” he said.
There is great hope for a cure, he said. A clinical trial of gene therapy, if caught early has given some young adults with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) — a common type of retinal disease — some vision. There is much more work to be done to move therapies like this out of people who have retinal diseases. Each clinical trial costs millions of dollars, and there are dozens of different retinal diseases that rob people of their sight.
The walk will begin and end just outside the natatorium, next to the playground at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Walkers will continue south to the Monon Trail until it ends where there will be a water table set up, then return back through a balloon arch and the initial staging area.
Participants are encouraged to obtain as much in donations as possible. Donations may turned in at the registration area. Anyone who raises $100 or more will receive a VisionWalk T-shirt.
To register, visit the website at www.visionwalk.org and select the Indianapolis VisionWalk location.
Those who would like to donate directly to the organization may make checks payable to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness and send them to 1580 S. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 606, Libertyville, IL 60048. To donate online, visit the website or call Paul Gieses at 524-9436.
Participation in the fundraising walk is open to anyone interested.
For more information, contact Steve Sroka by calling 847-680-0100 or by e-mailing to ssroka@fightblindness.org.

andrea.hirsch@flyergroup.com