Blind Philanthropist Says Cure For Blindness Is In Sight

This post was originally produced for Forbes.

Gordon Gund has devoted much of his life to fighting blindness, helping to raise $550 million for the cause. Gund believes that a cure for blindness is within sight.

Gund himself, the former owner of the San Jose Sharks and the Cleveland Cavaliers, lost his vision to retinitis pigmentosa at age 30. Gund co-founded the Foundation Fighting Blindness in 1971.

On Monday, December 9, 2013, at 1:00 PM Eastern, Gund will join me for a live video interview to discuss the fight to end blindness. Together we will explore just what it will take to beat blindness and what opportunities the battle creates for impact investors and social entrepreneurs.

Tune in here and listen while you work.

Gund’s Wikipedia bio:

Gordon Gund attended Harvard University, where he majored in physical sciences and sociology and played ice hockey.[2] He served in the United States Navy, becoming department head on two destroyers.[2] He then started a banking career, specializing in corporate finance.[2] He gradually began going blind in the 1960s due to retinitis pigmentosa. By 1970, Gund was totally blind.[2] In 1971, Gund co-founded the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation (now known as The Foundation Fighting Blindness) which supports research to find cures and treatments for retinal degenerative diseases.[1] The blindness did not prevent him from being active in business and philanthropy. Gund is the former President of the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts. He has honorary doctorates from Gothenburg University in Sweden, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Whittier College and the University of Vermont. He serves as director of the Kellogg Company of Battle Creek, Michigan, and of Corning Incorporated in Corning, New York. Gund remains active as chairman of the board of directors of The Foundation Fighting Blindness.

This interview is part of a series that will examine what can be accomplished in the fight to solve the world’s biggest challenges within the next thirty years. The solution to every big problem also presents opportunity; entrepreneurs will use these opportunities to change the world. From this series of interviews, a book will emerge, working title: Thirty Years to Peace.

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