Jan. 16 Event Will Honor Allegiance Retail Services President & COO Michael Stolarz
(Queens, NY) The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national nonprofit that drives sight-saving research, will host its 3rd Annual ‘Una Visión Para El Futuro’ (A Vision for the Future) on Thursday, Jan. 16, at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Park. The event will honor the accomplishments and community involvement of Allegiance Retail Services President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Stolarz, as supermarket industry leaders come together to raise critical awareness and research funds for vision-robbing retinal degenerative diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Chairing the event for the third year is Jason Ferreira, of New Hyde Park, NY, a Foundation Fighting Blindness board member and Foodtown vice president and general manager who knows the impact of vision loss. His 3-year-old son JJ has a rare genetic disease called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), which is characterized by severe loss of vision at birth. Determined to help advance research toward treatments and a cure, Jason, a first generation Dominican American, and his wife Jennifer have been passionate Foundation advocates since JJ’s diagnosis in 2010, raising hundreds of thousands for innovative work that could save their son’s sight.
“We’re thrilled to recognize the support and leadership of Michael Stolarz,” says Ferreira. “Progress in gene therapy and stem cell-based clinical trials gives us hope for a brighter future for JJ and the millions of other families in America affected by blinding retinal diseases. Leaders coming together for this important cause is a true testament to the giving spirit of our industry.”
Visionary Award Honoree Michael Stolarz, of New Jersey, has served as President and COO of Allegiance Retail Services since 2011. With more than 40 years of experience in the supermarket industry, Stolarz has held senior executive positions at Twin County Grocers, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company and most recently, Grocery Haulers, Inc. In addition to supporting A Vision for the Future for the last two years, Mr. Stolarz’s community involvement includes supporting organizations such as the Deborah Heart and Lung Center, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and St. Joseph’s Food Academy Foundation. He has also been honored with the Cystic Fibrosis Breath of Life Award and was named Industry Leader Man of the Year by the New Jersey Food Council.
Over the last two years, A Vision for the Future has raised nearly $700,000 toward the Foundation’s sight-saving research, and leaders hope to close in on the $1 million mark this year. The evening’s Visionary Sponsors include Acosta Grocery; Advantage; Bozzuto’s Inc.; C&S Produce; CBA Industries, Inc.; Earthbound Farms; Jennifer & Jason Ferreira; Florida’s Natural; JOH; Joshen Paper & Packaging; Kraft Foods; Pepsico; Porky Products; and Procacci Brothers.
What: A Vision for the Future, Benefitting the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Where: Terrace on the Park, 52-11 111th St., Flushing Meadows Park, NY 11368
When: Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014, 6:30 p.m. Cocktails, 7:30 p.m. Dinner & Program
Individual tickets are available for $500 and sponsorship packages begin at $1,000. For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Events Manager Ro-Ann Rabanillo at RRabanillo@FightBlindness.org or (646) 632-7514. To RSVP as a member of the media or to coordinate an interview with an event spokesperson, contact Jessica Blasco at 410-423-0619 or JBlasco@FightBlindness.org.
About Foundation Fighting Blindness
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national non-profit organization driving the research that will lead to preventions, treatments and cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases that affect more than 10 million Americans. Since 1971, the Foundation has raised nearly $550 million as the leading non-governmental funder of inherited retinal research. Breakthrough Foundation-funded studies using gene therapy have restored significant vision in children and young adults who were previously blind, paving the way for additional clinical trials to treat a variety of retinal degenerative diseases. With a coveted four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the Foundation also has nearly 50 chapters that provide support, information and resources to affected individuals and their families in communities across the country.
