Organization: Helen Keller Foundation for
Mission: To provide, promote, and fund a facility for eye research, education and related services for the benefit of the scientific and medical community and the general public.
Activities: An integral part of the Foundation's mission and primary education component is to perpetuate and advance the legacy of Helen Keller. The Character Education Program provides a unique opportunity to influence the moral development of students by focusing on the character and achievements of Helen Keller.
The Foundation believes that vision research will advance in direct proportion to the public's awareness of research efforts to end blindness. The Helen Keller Prize is a powerful symbol for vision researchers worldwide who labor to preserve the precious gift of sight. Helen Keller Laureates are selected by an international panel of vision researchers. The Prize is awarded at the annual convention of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), an international conclave that attracts more than 13,000 scientists and physicians. The Prize stipend supports the recipient's vision research. The Foundation considers this program to be one of its most important efforts to end blindness.
The Foundation targets three vision research areas: the child's eye, the injured eye, and the aging eye. In connection with this emphasis, the Foundation sponors the activities of the United States Eye Injury Registry (USEIR) and the World Eye Injury Registry. The Foundation also awards grants to various medical universities in an effort to advance clinical research.
Religious classification: None