Kirk Pengilly leads pack for JulEYE’s first ever EYECon Walk in its newly launched campaign

For the first time in its ten year history, The Eye Surgeons’ Foundation will be hosting the EYECon Night Walk at the culmination of JulEYE on 29 July to raise vital funds for medical research. JulEYE ambassador and INXS band member Kirk Pengilly will lead out the Sydney EYECon Night Walk.

The Eye Surgeons’ Foundation is the official charity of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) and The Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia (ORIA), and each year dedicates the month of JulEYE to raising awareness of eye health and vital funds for ground-breaking medical eye research.

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Says Lisa Cheng, CEO, The Eye Surgeons’ Foundation: “Visual impairment is not just a problem for the ageing. Losing your sight to eye disease such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other rare diseases is a life sentence, and one that affects more than 435,000 Australians. We need to find answers and the only way to achieve this is through medical eye research.

“This year we have worked with Parachute Digital to develop a digital fundraising campaign for the EYECon Night Walk with morey media providing overarching PR support for JulEYE. Modified versions of the TV and radio CSA’s featuring Kirk Pengilly have been created and are currently running across the Seven Network, WIN, Prime 7, ABC as well as the Macquarie Radio Network in metropolitan and regional markets.

“Shopper Media Group have agreed to feature ads promoting EYECon in metropolitan markets, and JulEYE in the regional markets in their new SmartLite digital advertising panels in over 100 shopping centres across the country. The company’s research division, Shopper Data Group also undertook key research and found Australians believe blindness is the most difficult health condition to live with even over that of cancer and loss of mobility. This confirmed the importance of the JulEYE campaign, and we cannot thank the individual media outlets enough for their philanthropic support in getting our fundraising message out to Australians.”

The first ever EYECon Night Walk will start at Barangaroo Reserve at 6pm on July 29. The 5km walk will take in some of Sydney’s most famous EYECons – Anzac Bridge, Sydney Harbour, Circular Quay and Overseas Passenger Terminal – from different vantage points. The walk will be led by JulEYE ambassador and INXS band member Kirk Pengilly, who was in his 20s and touring with INXS when he almost lost his sight to severe glaucoma and shares his story in the TV and radio CSAs.

Those who don’t live in Sydney are encouraged to register for the EYECon Night Walk in their town and download custom EYECon walking maps for Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, so they can host their own fundraising event with family and friends.

During the month of July, The Eye Surgeons’ Foundation invites everyone to appreciate the sight they have. Register for JulEYE for $35, celebrate your vision, and help raise vital funds to help end blindness. Then join the foundation for the EYECon Night Walk in Sydney on 29 July 2017 and raise much-needed funds for visionary medical research.

To find out more about JulEYE, sign up for the EYEcon Night Walk or fundraise for much-needed medical research to help end preventable blindness, visit Juleye.com.au.

Production Company: Brightworks

Editor: Jilvan Mohammadi