A Virtual Event
Saturday, April 24, 2021
The Visionary Gala is Society’s signature fundraising event and will be held virtually this year! This is a free event and will be highlighted by the presentations of the Leslie Dana Gold Medal and the Community Light Award.
The Board of Directors is honored to announce that Mr. Michael Kass, M.D., and Ms. Mae Gordon, Ph.D., will be the 65th recipients of the distinguished Leslie Dana Gold Medal. The Leslie Dana Gold Medal, an internationally renowned honor, has been awarded by Society for the Blind & Visually Impaired since 1925 to many of the world’s most highly respected scholars and clinicians for commendable service in eyesight research, ophthalmology, vision sciences and related social services.
Dr. Michael Kass is the Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine. He has had a long interest in glaucoma and the aqueous humor. He has been actively involved in clinical trials in glaucoma for more than 30 years and has received numerous grants from the National Eye Institute and others in the industry.
Dr. Mae Gordon’s expertise is study design, analysis and conduct of randomized trials and observational studies. Together she and Dr. Kass designed the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study.
Society has chosen to honor an organization which plays an integral part in helping individuals who are blind and visually impaired in the community with the Community Light Award. This year’s recipient is Lighthouse for the Blind St. Louis and is being presented for their commitment to improving quality of life for those who are blind or visually impaired through direct employment, and support of rehabilitative and medical services.
The Visionary Gala is being chaired by Mr. & Mrs. Michael McKinnis who are Gold Level Sponsors. The Presenting Sponsor is Lighthouse for the Blind St. Louis. St. Louis Mission Cataract Foundation has joined the event as a Gold Level Sponsor and Bethesda Health Group as a Silver Level Sponsor.
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Mr. & Mrs. Michael McKinnis St. Louis Mission Cataract Foundation
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This year’s event will also feature an auction! Follow this link https://www.32auctions.com/2021VisionaryGala to see all of our fantastic auction items. Keep coming back for upates!
Watch our website (www.slsbvi.org) and Facebook page for updates and special videos about our clients and their successes beginning April 19, 2021.
We hope you will join us on April 24 on our Facebook page. Contact development@slsbvi.org for more information.