The award was presented during the Retina Foundation’s Visionary Luncheon on Wednesday, May 15 at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, where guests learned about the progress the organization has made towards finding solutions to vision problems.
The overall mission of CFT’s Caruth Fund is to encourage organizations to tackle complex social issues related to health, education and public safety systems through innovation and collaboration. The Retina Foundation is recognizing Communities Foundation of Texas and its Caruth Fund with the award for its $2.5 million investment to support groundbreaking research initiatives that have propelled the field of vision science forward.
An initial grant from CFT’s Caruth Fund launched the Clinical Center of Innovation for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) at the Retina Foundation, focused on transforming and accelerating the path to diagnosing and treating AMD. Ultimately, a collaboration with Southern Methodist University and BALANCED Media | Technology resulted in a video game, Eye in the Sky: Defender, which uses retinal scans to diagnose and track patient treatment for AMD.
“We are honored to receive the Hunt Family Visionary Award, which holds special significance this year as our community mourns the recent loss of Herbert Hunt,” said Wayne White, president and chief executive officer at Communities Foundation of Texas. “The Retina Foundation is pioneering new solutions that will make a significant difference in the quality of life for patients with eye diseases. We’re proud that our funding has enabled the Retina Foundation to accelerate the development of new diagnostic tools and treatments to make them available to patients faster.”
Co-chairs for the event, Jennifer and Bill Voss, have set a $1 million fundraising goal and are the presenting sponsors for the luncheon through their $100,000 gift. Donations enable the Retina Foundation to provide care at no charge for patients with life-altering retinal diseases and disorders.
“Jennifer and I have accepted the challenge to raise $1 million for the 2024 Visionary Luncheon, and we are more than halfway there,” said Voss. “The more support we can give the Retina Foundation, the more quickly we can uncover tangible solutions to AMD, inherited retina diseases and pediatric disorders.”
Tom Luce, founder and chairman emeritus of Texas 2036 and chief executive officer of biotech initiatives at Lyda Hill Philanthropies, is serving as the honorary chair for the Visionary Luncheon. He added, “We need to reach our goal to continue the wonderful work of the Retina Foundation. We need more organizations that provide free care to make sure everybody gets the care they need, when they need it, where they need it and how they need it. The Retina Foundation is a wonderful example of that.”
Luce and Voss will speak at the Visionary Luncheon, as will Laurie Dotter, incoming board chair for the Retina Foundation; Dr. Karl Csaky, chief executive and medical officer for the Retina Foundation; Lyda Hill, founder of Lyda Hill Philanthropies; and Jeanne Klein and Diane Boddy, patients at the Retina Foundation who are participating in the first sibling study for AMD.
“We are grateful to have the support of many esteemed community leaders for our Visionary Luncheon,” said Dr. Csaky. “We believe everyone deserves good vision, and through generous funding and collaborations with organizations like Communities Foundation of Texas and leaders like Tom Luce and Bill and Jennifer Voss, we are able to deliver on our mission to prevent vision loss and restore sight through innovative research and treatment.”
