By Suzi Ford, Sales Representative, EXIT Inspired Real Estate, Middelburg, FL
My affiliation with MOMS for Sight, Inc. and Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), stems from the fact that four generations of my family have been robbed of their vision by a blinding x-linked retinal disease called Choroideremia. Back in the early 70s, you were just told to go home and prepare to go blind. There was no cure. My grandfather went blind, my brother and cousin have less than 10 percent of their vision remaining, and my eldest son inherited it from me.
I wanted to be as involved as possible with the organization that could offer the best education and support to my family. I was inspired and wanted to pay it forward by advocating and helping others with these life altering disorders and diseases, so rare that there was no cure in sight. What drives me? It is one thing to have family members affected, it is quite another when you see your child losing their sight.
So, what did our local FFB moms want to do? We were Moms on a Mission to fight blindness. It took a year and a half, but we founded MOMS for Sight, Inc. This is a local 501c3 non-profit with a mission to find and support research for retinal degenerative diseases by supporting major organizations that share the same mission.
MOMS for Sight, Inc.’s major fundraiser is called Black Ties and Blindfolds. This is our big opportunity just before the annual FFB Vision Walk to raise funds for our teams. Our event was originally scheduled for April 18, 2020 but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we had to reschedule to an online only event in August instead.
The event was a silent auction and presentation with science and personal story updates on what MOMS for Sight and FFB mean to our community members and their extended families who fear the day they awaken to total darkness. With our dedication to the outreach, education, and support of these folks we have given them the ability to live with hope instead of fear. We understand because we are affected as well. They are not alone.
“EXIT’s fundraising effort accounted for a little over ⅓ of the event’s proceeds. We appreciate the opportunity to be a recipient of The Spirit of EXIT,” said Lisa Pleasants, Executive Director of MOMS for Sight, Inc.
A portion of every transaction fee received by EXIT Realty Corp. International is applied to its charitable fund. Through the Spirit of EXIT Dollar-for-Dollar Matching Program, EXIT offices and associates can raise money for local, approved, registered charities and apply to EXIT’s head office to have those funds matched from the company’s pledged pool of funds. Through a silent auction and online donations, Suzi raised $3,732 which EXIT’s head office was proud to match for a total donation of $7,464 to MOMS for Sight, Inc.
