"Set Your Sights on Green" at 2010 Night of Vision
Press Release
Prevention of Blindness Society
of Metropolitan Washington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2010
Contact:
Jennifer Heilman
Director of Communications
Phone: (202) 234-1010
E-mail: jheilman@youreyes.org
"SET YOUR SIGHTS ON GREEN" AT 2010 NIGHT OF VISION® BENEFITING PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS SOCIETY OF METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON®
Charity gala features award to honor Mohamad S. Jaafar, M.D., Children's National Medical Center
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- "Set Your Sights on Green" at the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington's (POB) annual Night of Vision charity gala on March 27, 2010. The general public is invited to attend the going green themed silent auction and gala event at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Mike McGrath, "Yard Warrior" and Garden Editor for D.C.'s own WTOP, as well as host of the nationally syndicated weekly Public Radio show, "You Bet Your Garden," will emcee the event. In addition to eco-friendly silent auction items, POB will also be highlighting its eyeglasses recycling program, and resale shops that operate on donations of gently used and recycled goods.
The Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington's Professional Service Award will be presented to Mohamad S. Jaafar, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Children's National Medical Center. Established in 1987, the Professional Service Award honors the person who best exemplifies the spirit of POB's mission and its commitment to the community.
"Dr. Jaafar was chosen not only for his lifelong public service, but especially for his many efforts to enhance the lives of children with eye problems and their families, both in our community and beyond," said Allen E. Beach, president of POB's Board of Trustees. "His expertise in infantile glaucoma and difficult strabismus conditions is highly regarded in the medical committee."
Jaafar also serves as a professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at George Washington University and past-director of the Pediatric Ophthalmology Fellowship Program. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology, and a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Jaafar is also a member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the International Strabismological Association, the Washington Academy of Ophthalmology, and many other national and international professional societies and associations. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington and the Children's Eye Foundation.
Jaafar has received the Achievement Award of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Honor Award of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Sauber Award for Clinical Excellence, three Golden Apple Awards for Teacher of the Year, and many other commendations, medals and recognition awards. He has been awarded approximately $1 million in grants and is repeatedly listed as Best Pediatric Ophthalmologist in America's Top Doctors, Washingtonian, Consumer's Checkbook, America's Registry of Outstanding Professionals, the National Registry of Who's Who, and others.
Jaafar was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, where he received his Bachelor of Science and medical degrees from the American University of Beirut and where he also completed his internship and ophthalmology residency. He then pursued clinical fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine. He also completed a second residency in ophthalmology at the Washington Hospital Center. In 1983, he established the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Service at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He moved to Washington, D.C. in 1986. He is married to Siwar Jaafar and has two daughters, Sima J. Nasr and Maya L. Jaafar.
POB will also be awarding John O'Neill, M.D., and Alice "Wendy" T. Gasch, M.D., with the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington's Community Service Award for their continued service and dedication to children with eye problems in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. O'Neill and Gasch have been longtime volunteers, providing their services free of charge to POB's children's vision clinic. In partnership with Georgetown University Hospital's KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic/Ronald McDonald House Charities, the vision clinic allows children without health insurance to receive free eye exams and a free pair of eyeglasses to those who need them.
The formal Night of Vision charity gala will include a cocktail reception and silent auction beginning at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner, dancing and award presentations beginning at 8:30 p.m. Tickets to the event start at $300 per person or $3,000 per table, a portion of which is tax-deductible. Reservations are requested by March 19. For more information or to attend the charity gala, please call (202) 234-1010 or visit www.youreyes.org.
Media Inquiries: Contact Jennifer Heilman at jheilman@youreyes.org.
      About the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington:
Founded in 1936, the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington (POB), the largest local prevention of blindness agency in the United States, is dedicated to the improvement and preservation of sight by providing services, education, advocacy and innovation. POB screens more than 7,500 children annually for vision loss and strabismus and 5,000 adults for glaucoma. POB also serves nearly 8,000 low-income and homeless persons at its eyeglasses clinic. POB sponsors the Aging Eye Network, the Macular Degeneration Network and the Stargardt’s Network. For more information on vision problems or about POB programs and services, please call (202) 234-1010, or visit POB on the Web at www.youreyes.org.
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