Raffle to fund research into conditions that cause childhood blindness
Entrants have the chance to win a new Lexus, thousands in cash
Written by |
An illustration of lottery winners features two people with their arms raised in victory, lottery scratch-off tickets, a lottery ball machine, cash, coins, a car, and balloons. (Photo by iStock)
A Race Against Blindness, a nonprofit dedicated to funding research into Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) and other inherited conditions that cause childhood blindness, is running a fundraising raffle where participants will have the chance to win a new car and thousands in cash.
The Second Chance Lexus Overtrail fundraiser began in late June and will run through July 10. One winner will receive a custom-built Lexus LX 700h Overtrail, a high-end car that features third-row seating and “combines luxury, capability, and hybrid performance with thoughtful upgrades from Westcott Designs, making it equally suited for everyday family life and outdoor adventure,” the nonprofit stated in a press release.
The winner will also receive $35,000 in cash — making the total prize value roughly $135,000, according to the nonprofit.
This is the second time that this Lexus LX 700h Overtrail has been available through a fundraiser run by A Race Against Blindness. The winner of the original raffle opted to receive a $100,000 cash-only prize, allowing the vehicle to be raffled off again.
Couple founded nonprofit after son’s diagnosis
BBS is a rare genetic disorder that can cause a range of symptoms, including obesity, cognitive and developmental delays, and vision problems. The latter is due to the degeneration of the retina, the part of the eye responsible for detecting light, which can lead to childhood blindness.
A Race Against Blindness was founded in 2023 by Stephen Johnston, MD, and his wife, Kristina Johnston, after their son was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of inherited diseases that lead to retinal degeneration, due to BBS. Through fundraisers like this, the nonprofit aims to fund research to help develop treatments for BBS and other causes of retinitis pigmentosa.
“Every entry represents someone who believes children deserve the chance to see their future,” Stephen Johnston said. “We’re incredibly grateful for this community and excited to offer one final opportunity to win this remarkable Lexus while helping move vision research forward.”
Since its inception, A Race Against Blindness has donated more than $6.1 million to fund childhood blindness research and clinical trials. Less than a month ago, the nonprofit committed $1 million through a partnership with the Foundation Fighting Blindness to help develop treatments for inherited retinal diseases that will work regardless of an individual’s underlying genetics.
“As parents, we know families cannot wait for a separate therapy to be developed for every one of the thousands of mutations that cause retinitis pigmentosa,” Stephen Johnston said in a nonprofit press release announcing the 1$ million commitment. “Gene-agnostic approaches offer hope to the broadest possible community, including children with Bardet-Biedl syndrome like our son.”
Johnston added that through the recent commitment, “we can put more resources behind the science that reaches the most families the fastest.”
