Elizabethtown College's Field Hockey team is raising awareness and funds for blinding retinal diseases by hosting the inaugural "Fight for Sight" game against Wilkes University on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. on Wolf Field.

Leading up to the game, as well as on game day, the Field Hockey team will be selling t-shirts to raise funds for the Foundation for Fighting Blindness, which was established in 1971 to help find treatments and cures for blinding diseases affecting people. T-shirts are available for purchase for $16, with all profits being donated directly to the foundation.  
    
The cause is personal for the team, who is supporting Ava Ruggiero '28, a first-year forward from Conshohocken, Pa. who was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa in May 2022. Retinitis Pigmentosa is a retinal degenerative disease that can eventually lead to vision impairment. 

Etown Field Hockey Head Coach Grace Hardy recognized the opportunity to support Ava shortly after she committed in the spring of 2025 and began planning for an awareness game to show that the Blue Jay family is proud to stand with "Team Ava."  

"As our newest team member, I saw this as a meaningful opportunity to raise awareness for an important cause while celebrating the achievements of our Etown student-athletes." Hardy said. "Since joining our program, Ava has made an immediate and positive impact both on the field and within our team community."

Ava is grateful for her team's efforts in supporting an organization that means so much to her. "I am so incredibly appreciative for everything that my coaches are doing to support an amazing cause," Ava said.  "The Foundation Fighting Blindness means the world to me, and I want to keep helping to raise money for those with inherited retinal disorders like me."

While there are currently no cures for Ruggiero's disease, Ava has been doing well and has had no signs of progression. Along with her family, Ava's focus sine her diagnosis has been centered on fighting for the cause and fundraising for the foundation, which directs funds toward research for preventions, treatments, and cures for individuals with retinal degenerative diseases.

Learn how to support this effort by visiting Ava's donation page on FightingBlindness.org.