Vol. 10 No. 3 — Summer 2009

Message from the President

Kirk Adams, President and CEO - The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

Happy summer to you all! For those of us living in the rainy Northwest, sunny summer days are so precious. The long days and warm weather offer a host of opportunities to gather with our families and community to celebrate the season.  This summer, our own Lighthouse community has many reasons to gather and celebrate our progress.  

In August, our Deaf-Blind Retreat celebrates its 31st anniversary of offering an accessible community retreat to Deaf-Blind people across the United States. Ninety Deaf-Blind people from throughout the US and beyond will come together for an extraordinary week of learning, recreation, and community-building that shows “Deaf-Blind Can Do.”  Through the years, the Deaf-Blind community has come together at the retreat to support and learn from one another. The passion of the Deaf-Blind community, volunteer interpreters and guides, and generous donors has kept this wonderful experience going strong for over three decades. Thanks to all of you for making this wonderful experience possible.  

While programs and services like the retreat are going strong, employment opportunities are also growing. I am delighted to announce that the Inland Northwest Lighthouse (INL) is celebrating its one-year anniversary this summer. Our first satellite operation, the INL has helped to expand job opportunities to blind people across Washington State. We hired the first blind employee at INL in June 2008. Today we employ 30 blind individuals in Spokane and plan to add more jobs in the years to come. INL employees celebrated this milestone with a summer trip to the Spokane Indians baseball game. Congratulations to all Inland Northwest Lighthouse employees on their amazing growth and hard work over the last year!  

Over the past year, our employment numbers have grown across the board at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. with over 220 people who are blind, Deaf-Blind, and blind with other disabilities working at the Lighthouse today and 380 employees working for the organization altogether. We will celebrate the accomplishments and good work of our employees with a summer barbecue in our fragrant garden.

Ethel L. Dupar’s Fragrant Garden is at the peak of its glory during the summer months. Designed especially for blind and Deaf-Blind people, this hands-on garden is filled with sweet-smelling aromatics and tactile plants. It’s the perfect place to gather with friends and colleagues to celebrate a job well done. With all the excellent work our Lighthouse team has accomplished, we have a lot to celebrate.

We could not achieve these milestones without the support of the community to fund mission-related programs and services. Generous donors like Darlene and Larry Kosoff have made a commitment to ensuring that there will always be services, training, and job opportunities for people who are blind. Community members like Darlene and Larry make our mission possible. You can read more about their story here. To the exceptional employees, volunteers, and supporters who make our mission possible, have a wonderful summer!

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