When Sir Hakimi found out that he could help fight blindness by riding his motorcycle -he couldn't wait to put on his helmet and leathers to participate in the 2005 Ride for Sight.

Sir Hakimi led Canada's largest motorcycle charity parade in which more than 1,000 motorcyclists travelled from the AMC Theatre in Whitby, Ont. to Centennial Park in Trenton, Quinte West to raise money for vision research.

The motorcycle parade is one aspect of Ride of Sight, which has collected more than $12 million in donations for The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB), the only private organization dedicated to finding causes, treatments and cures for blindness.

Hakim Optical has been staunch supporter of The Foundation Fighting Blindness, by helping raise profile of its plight for vision research funding. Clients and staff will notice the Foundation's logo and phone number on the Hakim Optical website and its 15 million flyers annually. The company has also donated prizing for its comedy fundraiser, Comic Vision.

As Sir Hakimi rode through local towns en route from Whitby to Trenton, he waved at residents gathered on the roadside, filling them hope that blindness can be beat! Sir Hakimi took in the scenic ride along country landscapes for just over 2hours and led the parade into Centennial Park in Trenton where 3,000 plus motorcyclists, fundraisers and volunteers welcomed riders for a weekend long celebration to honour their fundraising efforts.

Centennial Park featured many attractions such as motorcycle competitions, manufacturer demo rides, an Indoor and Outdoor Marketplace with great food, refreshing drinks, clothing, souvenirs and more. Eight live bands also rocked the park, including Canadian talent, Trooper, Juno award winner Paul James, Jack de Keyzer and Mason Dixon. Camping, boating, and an awesome fireworks display over the Trent Severn Waterway also provided non-stop entertainment.

Participants in the ride needed only to collect a minimum donation of $75 but many fundraisers, known as "high milers" raised thousands of dollars by collecting donations from friends, families and businesses well in advance of the ride. "Ride for Sight has again raised more money than any motorcycle charity ride in Canada -at least five times more money than any other ride - which gives Ride for Sight fundraisers a great deal of pride," said Sharon Colle, National Executive Director, Foundation Fighting Blindness.

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