Our Mission
We fund research for better treatments or prevention of conditions associated with aniridia and albinism by:
- creating a research strategy that prioritizes projects
- establishing relationships with the leading researchers in the field
- identifying treatments or preventions with the greatest impact on quality of life
- actively fundraising to fund research
We provide support to families affected by aniridia or albinism by:
- offering immediate family support for newly diagnosed families
- empowering affected families with a platform to receive information and fundraise for their cause
- providing access to information on aniridia and albinism in an open, free environment.
Our Values
Empowerment: We value the abilities and aspirations of those living with aniridia and other rare diseases, and support these individuals in creating their own sense of purpose.
Empathy: We strive to recognize and understand the perspectives, feelings and experiences others, to include those in our patient community, our supporters, and partners.
Transparency: We promote trust by providing information on what we do, how we operate and return on investment.
Inclusion: We strive to create an environment where all our volunteers and stakeholders feel welcomed, respected and supported, and we seek and appreciate different perspectives.
Collaboration: We cannot carry out our mission without giving and receiving support through mutually beneficial partnerships with other organizations, clinicians and researchers.
Meet our Team: Matt and Susan Wolfe, Susie and Grayson Chinn
Board of Directors
Susan Wolfe, President
Susan Wolfe (she/her) has served on the leadership team of VFT since 2015 and was recently named its President. Susan is committed to navigating and promoting research to better understand and more effectively treat ocular complications common in aniridia to help improve outcomes for people with low vision. She found the family support from VFT instrumental when her son was diagnosed with aniridia in 2011 and is thankful to be able to help serve others now in a similar manner through her position on the board of VFT. Susan was part of the team that recently formed Aniridia North America and currently serves as the Board Treasurer. Susan is a graduate of the University of Dayton. She has worked in public relations for agencies and large corporations throughout her career.
Susan and her husband Matt, also on the VFT Board, live in Illinois with their family. Lately you can almost always find them on the sidelines watching their two boys participate in any number of sports activities.
Grayson Chinn, Vice President and Secretary
Grayson Chinn (he/him) joined the VFT Board in January 2021, and is the first Board member with aniridia. He was born and raised in Virginia. He was diagnosed with sporadic aniridia at 2-months old and started using eyedrops to treat glaucoma at age 6. While having low vision, he enjoyed sports, to include basketball, tennis and swimming throughout elementary and high school. Grayson graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 and subsequently completed graduate school at The George Washington University. He has worked for the federal government since 2006. Grayson also maintains an interest in youth mentoring and holds an MA in Youth Development Leadership from Clemson University.
Grayson and his wife Suzanne have a daughter Ellie, who was born in 2016 and also has aniridia. Suzanne serves as a VFT volunteer, helping to coordinate the organization’s family support efforts. They enjoy spending time with family and friends around their home near Washington, DC.
Matt Wolfe, Treasurer
Matthew Wolfe (he/him) joined VFT’s Board of Directors as Treasurer in March of 2021. VFT provided tremendous information and support to Matthew when his son was diagnosed with aniridia shortly after birth. Matthew has great passion for the VFT mission and the research funded by the Foundation for the benefit of the low vision community.
Matthew has more than 30 years of commercial banking experience and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing from Indiana University and an MBA in Finance from DePaul University. Matthew previously served as Treasurer for the Chicago Athletic Association. In his free time, Matthew and his wife Susan (also on the Board) enjoy attending many sporting events for their two young sons.
Chéleah Googe
Chéleah Googe, Ph.D. (she/her), joined the VFT Board in August 2023. She is an educator, facilitator, and equity advocate and is currently the Director of Leadership & Equity for Breck School in Golden Valley, MN. A Virginia native, Chéleah earned her bachelor’s degree in Education Policy from the University of Richmond, her master’s in Counselor Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her doctorate in Education from Old Dominion University. Chéleah values advocating for students to have access to what they need to thrive in their educational settings. She is excited to join the VFT board and continue that advocacy for folks in the low-vision community. In her spare time, she loves being an auntie, traveling, and spending time with her partner and friends.
Emeritus Board
Susan Ballis, MD
Wendy Baum, CPA, JD
Volunteer Leads
Debby Casher – Family Outreach
Susie Chinn – Family Support and Fundraising
We’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to us with your questions, to get involved, or to connect with one of our family support liaisons at info@visionfortomorrow.org
Please note our new address:
The Vision for Tomorrow Foundation
106 W. Calendar Avenue
Suite 177
LaGrange, Illinois 60525
Our mission is to create a fun event to raise awareness about low vision, while generating funds for eye-related research. The Vision For Tomorrow Junior Board is comprised of high school students from Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Illinois.