Virtual SEE THE LIGHT Lunch
October 29^th 2020

Sponsored by

Miami Lighthouse’s annual signature event, our “SEE THE LIGHT” Luncheon, is one of our most important fundraising opportunities during the year. In past years, we’ve welcomed over 250 guests from our philanthropic family to a luncheon with music, entertainment and heartfelt remarks from program participants.

In keeping with the times of social distancing we are going virtual, so instead of 250 guests in a ballroom, we can now have unlimited attendees. Visit this web page on October 29^th we will have a 30 minute program at 12:00pm featuring an exclusive performance by Latin superstar Willy Chirino and Chirino Sisters. We will also feature students in our Lighthouse Learning Center for Children™, Miami Lighthouse client Marin Baumer and a few more surprises!

 

 

My name is Virginia Jacko and I am humbled to be President & CEO of our venerable institution, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired. My involvement began in 2000 after being diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease that would lead to blindness. My daughter who at the time was teaching at FIU and researching digital readability for the visually impaired, encouraged me to relocate to Miami and become a client. Over the next five years, I moved from Client to Volunteer; was invited to serve on the Board; and when the CEO left in 2005, I became Miami Lighthouse’s first Blind President and CEO.

In the fifteen years since, Miami Lighthouse has blossomed into a world renowned resource while our programs and services have grown fiftyfold; the campus has grown almost five times and we’ve gone from 45 employees to over 100. Our Heiken Children’s Vision Program is preventing blindness using five mobile eye clinics visiting schools throughout the State providing dilated eye exams and glasses when prescribed at no cost to the family. Our Miami Lighthouse Learning Center opened in 2016 with 15 pre-K students and now we have a pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade for 60 early learners; but, we are out of classroom space.

We will keep on growing to meet the needs of our program participants from Blind Babies to Seniors and will continue to address the unmet need within our community. To do this I am appealing to you to help us make this happen.

Today, we are asking for your support of our Light the Way campaign, a one-for-one matching challenge to raise $9 million to expand our Miami Lighthouse Learning Center for Children™. An anonymous donor has created a Capstone Matching Challenge to help us reach our goal.  Your gift will now in essence be tripled!

Please join us. Support us. Grow with us. We can’t do it without you. You may make a donation by clicking the DONATE NOW button below or donating on November 19^th by visiting https://www.givemiamiday.org/miamilighthouse.