Making our funds work to help

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, which causes thinking and memory to become seriously impaired. It is the most common form of dementia. (Dementia is a syndrome consisting of a number of symptoms that include loss of memory, judgment and reasoning, and changes in mood, behaviour and communication abilities. Related diseases include: Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Lewy body Dementia.)

The disease was first identified by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906. He described the two hallmarks of the disease: “plaques” – numerous tiny dense deposits scattered throughout the brain which become toxic to brain cells at excessive levels and “tangles” which interfere with vital processes eventually “choking” off the living cells. As well, when brain cells degenerate and die, the brain markedly shrinks in some regions.

Image of tangles and plaques

The image below shows, a person with Alzheimer’s disease has less brain tissue (right) than a person who does not have the disease (left). This shrinkage will continue over time, affecting how the brain functions.

Our Vision

To restore the gift of sight to people living with genetic forms of blindness.
Our Mission

To find the causes, treatments and ultimately the cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and related retinal diseases by supporting research and public awareness.
Three Decades of Funding Groundbreaking Vision Research…

The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a Canadian health charity that was founded in 1974 by a small group of families intent on finding a cure for the disease robbing their children of sight. At that time retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration and other retinal dystrophies were thought to be incurable. Undaunted, these families enlisted the support of Canada’s leading medical scientists and set to work collecting money for vision research. From these humble beginnings, The Foundation Fighting Blindness has grown to become Canada’s leading private supporter of retina research, having given more than $16 million to groundbreaking eye research taking place at universities and hospitals across the country. To view our Investment in a Miracle click here.
Pushing the Frontiers of Medical Science to Find Cures…

Over the last 30 years, The Foundation Fighting Blindness has funded dozens of research discoveries to identify the causes of genetic forms of blindness. Today, these discoveries have helped bring scientists to this very exciting time in vision research. Today marks the first time that a treatment exists to prevent vision loss and restore some vision for those with an eye disease called ‘wet’ age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – and the first time human trials exist to reverse blindness in certain patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). To read more about the latest discovery, please click here.
Building a Supportive Community to Fight Blindness…

The FFB is not just an organization, we are a community. Diverse and thriving, we represent hundreds of volunteers, thousands of individuals and families affected by retinal eye diseases, thousands of motorcyclists who fight blindness on our behalf and scores of Canadian scientists seeking cures for blindness.

A cure is in sight. It is just a matter of time.

CPAR was founded in 1984 by Canadian physician Mark Doidge, in response to the extreme famine and poor health conditions faced by Ethiopian refugees in Sudan. CPAR’s work started out as emergency relief in the form of food aid and medical intervention, but it has since evolved into an international development organization, committed to building healthy communities in Africa. With the idea of a healthy planet in mind, the majority of CPAR’s work is focused on integrated health and sustainable development programs in the south-east region of Africa. CPAR’s projects are located in Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi and Tanzania. We develop primary health care, water and sanitation, income generation, peace building, emergency assistance, natural resource management and food security programs to help support vulnerable communities in Africa.