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Annual Report
2007 Report to the Community
Message from the Foundation President
Thank you to our supporters for helping to achieve our mission: to create and enhance opportunities for people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, and blind with other disabilities. We couldn’t succeed in our mission without the support of our community. As the president of the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation,
I am proud to be part of such a generous group of people dedicated to creating opportunities for blind and Deaf-Blind people to succeed.
Our goal is to gather enough community support to cover all training program and support service costs through philanthropic giving. Not only will that help to grow vital programs and services, it will allow all of our earned revenues to go directly into increasing Lighthouse employment opportunities for people with visual disabilities. I am very pleased to report that contributions increased by more than 33% from 2006 to 2007, thereby helping to expand jobs, training, and services for people with visual disabilities.
The Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation’s sole purpose is to gather and steward community support to further the Lighthouse mission through raising funds annually for our programs and services as well as establishing an endowment to support Lighthouse opportunities in perpetuity.
Lighthouse leadership has committed to expanding the trustees to the foundation board, actively reaching out to the community to garner financial support, and hosting special events and opportunities for the greater community to participate in the Lighthouse mission. 2008 events will center on raising the profile of blind and Deaf-Blind people’s abilities, including special tours with blindness simulations and our Redefining Vision Dinner and Auction which included a showcase of items made by members of the blind and Deaf-Blind communities.
The criteria we will look for in new Foundation Trustees will include:
- passion for the Lighthouse mission,
- excellent network of friends and contacts within our community,
- a commitment of time spent carrying the message of our mission to the community,
- and the ability to ask for help and assistance in obtaining our mission and goals.
As we develop the foundation board, we will partner with the community to further develop philanthropic opportunities to serve the blind and Deaf-Blind communities.
In 2007, philanthropic contributions funded a range of crucial programs
and services, including orientation and mobility training for blind and Deaf-Blind adults, the Computer Training Program for blind adults, the Technology Training Center for Deaf-Blind individuals, American Sign Language interpreting services, our Annual Retreat at Seabeck for members of national and international Deaf-Blind communities, and equal access to braille materials for blind adults.
By making an investment in the Lighthouse, donors partnered with the Seattle Lighthouse to grow significant training opportunities for blind and Deaf-Blind members of our community and allowed earned income revenues to go back into operations – directly resulting in new Lighthouse jobs for blind and Deaf-Blind individuals.
Community support is integral to funding our programs and creating new opportunities for people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, and blind with other disabilities. In the years ahead, we expect philanthropy to play an increasing role in furthering our mission, creating new jobs, and serving the community. To all of you who have made an investment in the Lighthouse mission, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Tom Kuebler
President
The Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind Foundation
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