Lighthouse of SWFL to celebrate 40 years
For 40 years, the Lighthouse of Southwest Florida has helped visually impaired people cope with their vision issues and learn skills to help them live independent lives.
On Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lighthouse will celebrate its service to the blind and visually impaired community with a reception and open house at its campus in North Fort Myers.
J. Mitchell Haley, director of community relations, said the event will be much more than just a meet-and-greet.
There will be a live band outside, massages will be provided, along with food and refreshments, a tour of the facility, and an opportunity to experience life without sight, if just for a moment, by walking across a busy intersection.
Originally founded in 1974 as the V.I.P. (Visually Impaired Persons) center, the facility was renamed the Lighthouse of SWFL in 2012, and it serves hundreds of sight impaired and legally blind clients in Lee, Hendry and Glades counties.
“The Lighthouse name comes from the large centers in New York and Chicago and the name has spread nationwide to the point where many have branded themselves as lighthouse,” Haley said. “It’s about keeping the same name so if someone is looking for us, they’ll know it’s a Lighthouse.”
Clients learn to use a computer, software that reads the info to them, even iPhones that will speak to them documents they need, Haley said.
“The biggest aspect is that we try to give people their independence back. Many come to us in a deep state of depression because they’re lives as they knew it has ended,” Haley said. “We’ll teach them to walk with the white cane, cooking, cleaning and sew.”
The highlight of the event is the chance for members of the public to experience a blindfolded, supervised walk using a white cane to cross the intersection of U.S. 41 and Pine Island Road, with the help of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
“We’re going to teach people to walk with the white cane that blind people use to navigate with. We’ll blindfold them and take them to the intersection,” Haley said. “People have told me it was either incredible, fascinating or the scariest things they ever did.”
Southeastern Guide Dogs will give a presentation and also blindfold people to give them a feel for what it’s like to have a guide dog.
The event is supported by the Southwest Florida Optometric Association, Myers, Brettholtz and Co., CPA’s, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Cat Country 107.1FM and Nino’s Restaurant and Pizzeria, which will provide catering.
The Lighthouse of SWFL is at 35 W. Mariana Drive in North Fort Myers between U.S. 41 and Business 41, south of Bayshore Road.
For more information or to RSVP, call 997-7797 or email mhaley@lighthouseswfl.org.