Born of the tragedies of World War I, the Permanent Blind Relief War Fund for Soldiers and Sailors of the Allies developed into the largest war relief organization in the world outside of the American Red Cross. George A. Kessler of New York founded the organization after his experience aboard the German torpedoed Lusitania. After escaping this experience with his life despite being drawn under with the sinking ship and exposure to extreme weather, Kessler dedicated his life to relief for the war sufferers. Between its founding in the spring of 1916 and May, 1919, the Fund raised more than $1.5 billion to help sightless soldiers of eight nations- America, Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, Serbia, Rumania, and Portugal. Because of its connections throughout the Allied world, King George of England in December, 1918, selected the Permanent Blind Relief War Fund as the medium through which to send to the sightless soldiers of the Continental Allies a message of gratitude and encouragement in French Braille.