Australia’s Ambassador to the USA, His Excellency The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO, has become The Fred Hollows Foundation’s inaugural Patron in the United States.

Ambassador Sinodinos will collaborate with The Foundation’s United States office to raise awareness of and support for its goal to end avoidable blindness worldwide.

“I’m proud to be The Fred Hollows Foundation’s very first Patron in America and to support them in the United States as another sign of our strong bilateral ties,” Ambassador Sinodinos said.

“The Foundation is an iconic charity and wonderful example of Australian innovation, with a growing presence in the US. With a vision of a world where no one is needlessly blind or vision impaired, The Foundation is tackling the world’s largest unaddressed health issues – poor vision – with large-scale, transformative interventions designed to restore sight to millions,” he said.

By supporting effective humanitarian causes, like ending avoidable blindness, Sinodinos said, together we are building on the tradition of mateship that binds our two great nations.

The Foundation’s CEO Ian Wishart said he was delighted to welcome Ambassador Sinodinos to the Hollows family.

“We are truly privileged to have Ambassador Sinodinos as The Fred Hollows Foundation’s inaugural Patron,” Wishart said. “There is powerful alignment between what we seek to do: forge bonds of altruism and hope, that Australia and the US can bring to the rest of the world.

The commitment of the late Professor Fred Hollows to finding practical, cheap and scalable solutions for ending avoidable blindness has helped restore sight to more than 2.5 million people since The Foundation’s inception in 1992. Wishart said they are proud that Ambassador Sinodinos backs this vision.”

Head of North America Elena Pak said The Foundation has a strong and growing presence in the US.

“The Foundation has an impressive footprint globally, and yet it is a newcomer in the US,” Pak said. “America has long been a global leader in philanthropy and social impact and together we aim to close an eye care gap for the world’s most marginalised communities, including women and girls.

“Ambassador Sinodinos’ endorsement as our Patron is a huge encouragement for our work and we are honoured to have his support,” she said.

H.E. The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO was previously Australia’s Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and was a Senator for New South Wales in the Australian Parliament from 2011 to 2019. During his parliamentary career, he also held other key roles in and outside Cabinet, including Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Treasurer.

In the fight against COVID-19, The Fred Hollows Foundation has mobilised resources both in Australia and 10 countries to redeploy resources to combat the global pandemic with support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).