When most people think about medical research, they picture laboratories, scientists, and clinical trials.
They don't usually picture a Ford Raptor.
And yet, that's exactly what caught the attention of a recent article examining A Race Against Blindness and our new 250 Years, 250 Winners campaign.
The article, titled "High-Stakes Philanthropy: How a Ford Raptor Giveaway Fuels a Blindness Cure," explored a question we hear often:
Why does a nonprofit focused on childhood blindness give away vehicles and cash prizes?
It's a fair question.
The answer starts with a reality that every rare disease family eventually learns: research is expensive, and waiting for someone else to fund it isn't always an option.
Rare Diseases Face a Funding Gap
More than 7,000 diseases are classified as rare.
While rare diseases collectively affect millions of people, each individual condition often impacts a relatively small population. As a result, many promising therapies struggle to secure the funding needed to move from the laboratory into human clinical trials.
Families affected by rare diseases frequently find themselves in an impossible position.
The science may exist.
The researchers may be ready.
The treatment may show promise.
But without funding, progress stalls.
For our family, this became painfully real when our son Luke was diagnosed with Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), a rare genetic condition that causes progressive vision loss.
We were told there was no approved treatment to stop the blindness associated with his form of the disease.
We were also told that developing one would require significant funding.
So we decided to help change that.
Creating a Different Fundraising Model
A Race Against Blindness was founded with a simple belief:
If we want to accelerate research, we need to accelerate fundraising.
Traditional fundraising remains incredibly important. Donations, grants, and corporate partnerships all play a vital role.
But we also wanted to create something that could engage a broader audience and generate meaningful support for vision research.
That's where our fundraising campaigns come in.
Participants have the opportunity to win life-changing prizes while helping fund research aimed at preserving sight for children facing inherited retinal diseases.
The vehicles may capture attention.
But the mission is what drives everything forward.
The Real Prize
The recent article described our current campaign as an example of how nonprofits are finding innovative ways to support scientific advancement.
We appreciated that perspective because, at its core, this campaign isn't about a Ford Raptor.
It's about time.
Time for researchers.
Time for clinical trials.
Time for families waiting for hope.
Every dollar raised helps move us closer to therapies that could protect vision for future generations of children.
That's the real prize.
Why America's 250th Anniversary Inspired This Campaign
Our newest campaign, 250 Years, 250 Winners, was designed to celebrate America's upcoming 250th anniversary while creating our largest winner pool ever.
The campaign includes:
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A Ford F-150 Raptor
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A Ford Explorer ST
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248 additional cash prize winners
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More than $250,000 in total prizes
Most importantly, it helps fund the research and clinical trial efforts that remain at the heart of our mission.
Looking Beyond the Fundraiser
What encouraged us most about the recent coverage wasn't the focus on the prizes.
It was the recognition that innovative fundraising can play a meaningful role in accelerating rare disease research.
Families affected by rare diseases often cannot afford to wait.
Every year matters.
Every clinical milestone matters.
Every funding breakthrough matters.
We're grateful to everyone who participates in our campaigns, shares our story, supports our mission, and helps create momentum for treatments that might otherwise remain out of reach.
Because while a Ford Raptor may start the conversation, the conversation has always been about something much bigger:
Giving children facing blindness a chance to keep their sight.
And that's a cause worth driving toward.
