Contact: Mary Ellen Sanders at (818) 992-0631

Hollywood Cures Blindness approaches its goal as the Vision Awards celebrates 33 years of honoring top luminaries in film, music, television, technology, animation and medical research benefits for the cure for blindness.All this happens June 24th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel beginning at 5:00 p.m.

First International Vision Award is to be presented to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who will attend the event.Honoring outstanding films to be described in TheatreVision’s Description for the Blind include films Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Good Night, and Good Luck, King Kong, Last Holiday, Munich, Walk the Line, and Wedding Crashers, and television shows winning for contributions to family viewing include Commander in Chief, Entourage, Four Kings, Lost, The O.C., One Tree Hill and Threshold. Director of Vision goes to George Clooney while Peter Falk receives the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Three Miracle medical Reversal of Blindness Awards go to the medical researchers and surgeons involved with ABC’s Miracle Worker show which aired the touching story of a sister giving her own adult stem cells to her blind brother, blind for twenty-two years.He has regained all of his sight and sees his wife and children for the first time!And he finds the world around him overcome.

Adult stem cells are the focus of this award showing that this procedure works.Genentech’s Dr. Napoleone Ferrara will be honored with the Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award for his research on a new drug for age-related macular degeneration which promises to stop the eye disease that affects millions.Lastly, in the medical division of awards is Daniel, the six year old who has been approved to receive the first ever cell implant in a human.Daniel has Batten’s Disease and is a victim of retinitis pigmentosa.It is hoped that the cell implant will stop the diseases, one ravaging his eyesight and the connecting syndrome that threatens his very life.His family will be on hand to cheer the feisty fighter on, and RP International announces the RP Batten’s Disease Cell Transplant Institute with honors to the family.

Silent auction and live auction items are needed as are donations to help RP International continue the effort started thirty-three years ago and who led the way with the first cell transplant successfully performed in 1984 in New Orleans but discontinued when funds were withdrawn from the institute.The patient who regained her sight, says Helen Harris and Dr. Gholam Peyman, received her sight back from a cell transplant from her own eyes, yet the program languished until the past few years.Now there is great hope for restoration of blindness in eye diseased patients who have lost very significant sight.Eighty million people have eyesight so limited that they cannot read ordinary print and the numbers are growing rapidly.

“No Child Left Behind” and “My Sight Goes On,” the anthems of the Vision Awards will be performed by the Children’s International Peace Choir on hand to salute Daniel’s journey towards a miracle.Other honorees on hand include Jules Stein recipient Dr. Robert Sinskey, and the Estelle Doheney Living Tribute Scientific Award will be presented to Dr. Edward Holland.

RP International and the Vision Awards have been leading the fight for restoration of eyesight for over thirty-three years and now the Hollywood Cures Blindness appears to be achievable.For ticket and further information call (818) 992-0485 or see VisionAwards.com and RPInternational.org