Welcome to RP International -
"Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of sight" TM
WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES...
- HUMAN SERVICES
- EDUCATION
- RESEARCH
- CHILDREN
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"We've found the cure... Please help fund it!" TM
Donate $25 to enter the FREEDOM FROM BLINDNESS CAMPAIGN to win a Lasik Eye Surgery
valued at $6k. (Scroll down for details.)
Former President George H.W. Bush's PSA for RPI and TheaterVision™.
Broadcast media can click here to download this PSA.
The History of RP International.
18th Annual “The Eyes of Christmas”
Television Special for the Visually Impaired Kicks-off with “It’s A Wonderful Life,” Audio Described by
Former US President George H.W. Bush on Christmas Eve and is Followed by Special Holiday Programming Hosted by
Vin Scully and Hollywood Celebrities on Christmas Morning
LOS ANGELES -- (December 1, 2012) – Helen Harris’ RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa) International (www.rpinternational.org) — the longest-standing non-profit organization leading the way for medical and technological advancements for the visually impaired — initiates a Holiday Season fundraising campaign. Funds raised by this year’s 18th Annual “The Eyes of Christmas” television special will go directly towards the charity’s efforts to support the visually impaired.
“The Eyes of Christmas" television special is the brainchild of blind activist and RP International (RPI) founder Helen Harris. The event features TheatreVision™ airings of Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life,” which includes an optional simulcast audio track description on the SAP channel for the visually impaired, narrated by former President George Herbert Walker Bush. NBC will air the special on December the 1st and December 24th at 8:00 p.m.
“The Eyes of Christmas” culminates in a special 30-minute program on Christmas Day at 6:00 a.m. ET on ION Television. Participating stars that will be sharing Holiday messages and support for RPI include Vin Scully Celine Dion, Garth Brooks, Reba McIntyre, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Bob Costas and Natalie Cole. Hollywood studios supporting the show and featuring special film trailers include Universal, Disney, Sony, Fox, and Warner Bros. Harris invites sighted viewers to tune in to take the "traveling eye test." This simple visual test is designed to help people spot possible signs of eye disorders to seek early diagnosis and treatment, possibly averting vision loss.
In addition, RPI is pleased to announce the release of Harris’ autobiography, How To Survive Losing Vision (AuthorHouse). As a homemaker in her 30s, Harris and two out of her three sons were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. For the next 40 years, she embarked on a mission to find a cure for blindness. The book offers her personal experiences, support and tips for anyone managing and overcoming progressive blindness due to retinal disease. It can be purchased on Amazon.com and at www.AuthorHouse.com for a suggested retail price of $16.95 (paperback) and $25.95 (hardcover). The book is also available as an e-book and a Kindle version, which is text-to-speech enabled. The audio book version—read by actors William Atherton (“Ghostbusters,” “Die Hard,” “The Last Samurai”) and Golden Globe winner Camryn Manheim ("The Practice," "The Ghost Whisperer")—will be availably by early 2012.
The song, “The Eyes of Christmas” can also be purchased by calling RP International at (818) 992-0631.
PRWeb Release and interactive media pages.
PLEASE VISIT THE EYES OF CHRISTMAS.ORG RIGHT NOW TO DONATE
AND TO SEE AND HEAR MANY OF THE VIDEOS FROM THE HOLIDAY BROADCAST.
RP International
Spreads Holiday Hope with
Helen Harris’ Autobiography:
How To Survive Losing Vision TM
— Book about low vision offers support, tips and hope for the visually impaired —
LOS ANGELES -- (November 1, 2011) – Helen Harris’ RP (Retinitis Pigmentosa) International (www.rpinternational.org) — the longest-standing non-profit organization leading the way for medical and technological advancements for the visually impaired — is pleased to announce the release of Harris’ autobiography, How To Survive Losing Vision (authorHouse). As a homemaker in her 30s, Harris and two out of her three sons were diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. For the next 40 years, she embarked on a mission to find a cure for blindness. The book offers her personal experiences, support and tips for anyone managing and overcoming progressive blindness due to retinal disease. The book is available for purchase at www.authorhouse.com for a suggested retail price of $16.95 (paperback) and $25.95 (hardcover).
Harris says, “This book will make a difference in the life of anyone struggling with sight loss or low vision. I wrote this book because I wished that someone had been able to give me this information and support when I was losing my own vision. It’s my own way of piercing the darkness and letting the visually impaired know that they are not alone.”
Harris founded RP International to raise awareness and funds for medical advancements for the visually impaired. She commissioned the first medical book written exclusively about Retinitis Pigmentosa, and she has been responsible for enlisting contributions, approximating $325 million for research and treatment for RP and other degenerative eye diseases.
She adds, “Within just the past several years alone, great strides have been made in retinal transplantation. What was impossible to even imagine five years ago will almost certainly become a reality within the next decade. New technologies and medical techniques have brought us to the threshold of hope—to the day when Retinitis Pigmentosa or Macular Degeneration will no longer carry with it a lifetime of darkness.”
For more information, please visit www.rpinternational.org.
Celebrities and Professional Athletes Support the Cause
Retinitis Pigmentosa International (RPI)—a non-profit organization serving the visually impaired for 40 years—presents the TheatreVision Premiere of DreamWorks’ Oscar-nominated feature film “How To Train Your Dragon” for 200 young blind Olympians. TheatreVision’s audio description technique was first conceived in 1990 by RPI founder Helen Harris, a blind woman who was inspired to change the face of motion pictures so that visually impaired viewers could hear the on-screen action described by top talent and directors. William Atherton (“Die Hard,” “Ghostbusters”) lends his voice for the TheatreVision version of this film. The children will be treated to a Subway sponsored meal upon arriving at the Agrama Harmony Gold Preview House Theater, the venue which makes this event possible each year due to a gracious donation by Frank Agrama. The TheatreVision presentation is the crowning event for the Blind Olympics, the premier sporting event for athletes from across the Western United States who are blind and visually impaired.
By Bob Strauss, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/30/2010 09:19:04 PM PST
The Van Nuys School for the Blind, which was in danger of shutting down after Friday because of a funding shortage, will stay open for at least another month.
Although the 38-year-old school, which provides mobility and other crucial classes for seeing-impaired people, had not reached its year-end fundraising goal of $75,000 as of Thursday, it had received enough donations to pay the $2,000 rent on its Sherman Way facility through the end of January.
"I wish it was $75,000 and we could keep all of our programs in there, but we've got to keep going," said Helen Harris, president of the school and head of the nonprofit RP International, which is coordinating the fundraising drive. "We're going to have to cut the mobility classes - probably in half, rather than altogether - next month."
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RP International Federal I.D. #95-3707483 |
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