Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter
Executive Committee
David Kong, President
Dr. Carol Lithwick, Vice-President
Cindy Lim, Secretary
Jean-Charles Plante, Treasurer
Peter Wade, Communications
Message from David Kong, President of the Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter
The FFB Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter is alive and well and actively involved in many new, exciting projects thanks to the continued passion and commitment of its longstanding members and the insurgence of its newest members.
The local chapter is continuously involved in fulfilling its mandate including raising awareness through educational events, providing support for those affected by macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa and in supporting research initiatives through fundraising activities.
A special night - The Blind Boys of Alabama
Six special gentlemen entertained a crowd of close to 600 people at the Dominion Chalmers United Church in Ottawa on March 30th.
Five-time Grammy award winners, The Blind Boys of Alabama, had an excited crowd out of their seats dancing and clapping to their soulful and upbeat gospel hits almost as soon as they set foot on stage.
The night started with a fantastic reception, where guests dined on delicious cuisine prepared by Savoury Pursuits and had the opportunity to meet some of the Blind Boys before they performed.
Emcee, Adrian Harewood, from CBC Radio One's All in a Day, introduced the Boys to the stage. Before doing so he introduced a very special guest: Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, Honorary Patron of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, who joined in the festivities, and was visibly excited to see the Blind Boys concert.
The show, which benefited the FFB and the University of Ottawa Eye Institute, did not disappoint. "The Blind Boys are back in town!" drummer Rickey McKinney cheerfully exclaimed.
"This show was absolutely amazing," said David Kong, FFB Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter president. "I think it was even better than the one in 2007".
The Blind Boys thrilled the audience with their Grammy winning songs, including numbers from their latest album “Down in New Orleans”.
The FFB would like to sincerely thank their sponsors, Marketwire, CBC Radio One, and The Ottawa Citizen for their support, as well as the enthusiastic crowd.
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Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean,
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The Blind Boys arrive at the VIP reception before the concert. |
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Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean,
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A good turnout for the Blind Boys of Alabama. |
For the sponsorship package, please click here.
Participate in Chapter activities in 2008/09
The FFB-Ottawa Chapter is an active Chapter, which holds public meetings in Ottawa to provide updates on research in the region and on help available to the visually-impaired.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact:
The Foundation Fighting Blindness
Toll free: 1-800-461-3331
or email David Kong at dkong22@rogers.com.
Annual General Meeting 2008 / Ottawa Gatineau Chapter
The Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday January 17, 2008. Find out more about the Annual General Meeting, click here!
White Cane Week 2008
FFB Ottawa-Gattineau chapter member, Peter Wade, shakes hands with David Onley, the Ontario Lieutenant Governor at the White Cane Week Dinner hosted in Ottawa.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness was a proud sponsor of the 2008 White Cane Week which took place in Ottawa from February 3rd – 11th. The weeklong event is organized by Canadian Council of the Blind to raise awareness of blindness and related issues. This year’s theme was “changing what blindness means.” The Foundation was represented by members of its Ottawa-Gattineau chapter who attended the White Cane Week Annual Dinner and Awards Night on February 8th.FFB Ottawa-Gattineau chapter member, Peter Wade, shakes hands with David Onley, the Ontario Lieutenant Governor at the White Cane Week Dinner hosted in Ottawa.
Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter Hosts Dinner to Honour
Dr. H.T. James Mount on April 6, 2005
The Foundation Fighting Blindness (Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter) hosted a special dinner on April 6, 2005 in honour of Dr. H.T. James Mount, a neuroophthalmology clinician, who encouraged and helped found the former Ottawa-Hull Chapter of the former RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa) Foundation in June 1977.
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awareness of retinal diseases in the Ottawa Valley through the media and frequent public meetings, eventually leading to the raising of over $1 million for eye research by the early 1990s.
Dr. Mount has now retired and this event was the Chapter's way of honouring this outstanding professional in the Ottawa-Gatineau community. This highly successful event was held at the Ukrainian Church Hall in Ottawa. Approximately 130 people from far (eg. New York and Florida) and near including many ophthalmologists, other physicians, psychologists, former patients, volunteers and family members attended the event. The evening began with a reception followed by a delightful dinner; the guest speaker was Dr. Brian Leonard of the Ottawa Eye Institute. A formal presentation was made to Dr. Mount at the end of the evening. The catering and live auction was provided by Mr. Dave Smith who continues to be very involved with the local FFB chapter as a member of the Board of Directors. A silent and live auction added to the excitement for the evening and well over $4000 was raised for the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Dr. Mount was also presented with a handcrafted, commemorative plate by noted Ottawa artist, Mimi Cabri (pictured above, left).
Ottawa/Gatineau Hosts Vision Quest Conference on November 6, 2004
On Saturday, November 6 th 2004, a one-day conference was hosted by the Ottawa-Gatineau Chapter of The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a health charity dedicated to finding the causes, treatments and cures for retinal degenerative disease.
The conference was designed specifically to address the needs of those affected by degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, which is the leading cause of blindness in the western world, and macular degeneration. RP affects 1.5 million people worldwide while age-related macular degeneration is estimated to cause vision loss in 800,000 senior Canadians.
Among the speakers were leading-edge scientists including Dr. Valerie Wallace, OHRI, who is exploring the possibilities offered by retinal stem cells, and Dr. Robert Korneluk who is a pioneer in the area of gene therapy.
Guest Speakers at VQ 2004, from L-R, Dr. Brian Leonard, Dr. Valerie Wallace, Dr. Robert Korneluk, David Kong, Dr. Carol Lithwick, Dave Smith and Dr. Marie-Louise Lapointe.
The format of the conference promoted maximum interaction between the vision health professionals and the audience of patients, family members and vision health practitioners. Dr. Carol Lithwick, organizer of the event, commented that "it is critical that people with vision loss and their families have an opportunity to ask questions, to network with each other and to meet with well known researchers and practitioners. We are placing a priority on making this an accessible and welcoming experience for all!"
The consequences of vision loss can be crushing, but many people do achieve great personal and professional success. Donna Green, President of The Foundation Fighting Blindness (National) and a patient with retinitis pigmentosa was one of the speakers at Vision Quest 2004. Among the local heroes offering stories of inspiration were Michael Gottheil, LLB, a lawyer, who despite his visual impairment, recently scaled Mount Kilimanjaro and Jeff Christy, an athlete who recently represented Canada at the Athens Paralympics.
With exhibitors who specialize in low vision products and a host of volunteers, Vision Quest 2004 was a landmark event attended by over 200 persons interested in vision loss caused by the retinitis pigmentosa family of diseases and macular degeneration attended.
"As a matter of fact," said Lithwick, "Vision Quest 2004 is as much about people and how they can help each other as it is about scientific and medical research news. That's why the Inukshuk was chosen as the Vision Quest logo. These images represent our interdependence on each other and our realization of hope that, in the future, A CURE IS IN SIGHT.
The conference was held at the RA Centre, on Riverside Drive in Ottawa.
Monthly Meetings
The Board of Directors for the Ottawa/Gatineau Chapter meet the last Thursday of every month and newcomers are always welcome. For further information on all of our activities, please contact David Kong, (President) at dkong22@rogers.com and/or Carol Lithwick at carol.lithwick@sympatico.ca.