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Miami Lighthouse Women of Vision Honor
Jean Ellen Shehan
and Gloria Martin
More than 50 of Miami’s most prominent female
philanthropists gathered at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually
Impaired June 24 at the second annual Women of Vision luncheon. The
inspiring event included the presentation of the 2008 Woman of Vision
Award to Jean Ellen Du Pont Shehan; the completion of Gloria Martin’s $1.1
million gift to Miami Lighthouse; news from CEO Virginia A. Jacko about
new initiatives at Miami Lighthouse; a touching testimonial from Helen
Mopsick, whose 6-month-old son Colton participates in the Miami Lighthouse
Blind Babies program; and original music performed by the Miami Lighthouse
musicians. Norma Jean Abraham, Shelley Beckwith Rutherford, Jan Salvesen
Morrison and Norma Quintero hosted the event.
Miami Lighthouse CEO Receives AXA Advisors 2008 Business
Woman of the Year Award
April 8, 2008 – Virginia A. Jacko,
President and CEO of Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired,
has received the AXA Advisors 2008 Business Woman of the Year Award in the
Public Service/Non-Profit Award category. The Award was presented April
4th at a luncheon hosted by AXA and the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Jacko was a successful executive when
she began to lose her sight to retinitis pigmentosa and came to Miami
Lighthouse for vision rehabilitation. Now totally blind, as CEO she is
leading Miami Lighthouse into a new era of growth and expanded client
services. The institution recently received its first four-star ranking,
the highest level from Charity Navigator, the independent evaluator of
not-for-profits.
“I feel so blessed to know my passion," CEO
Jacko exclaimed. "As Helen Keller said, 'Through blindness, I found
myself, my work and my God.'"
"Despite her blindness, she has a vision
for the future of vision enhancement and rehabilitation in our community
that will improve the lives of thousands of impaired people." said
Chairman William R. Roy, Ph.D.
She was nominated for the award by Miami
Lighthouse Honorary Board Member Don Marx and Pat Morgan of Smooth Sailing
Executive and Life Coaching. The AXA Advisors Awards, which are sponsored
by AXA Financial Protection, were established to honor outstanding
professional businesswomen in Miami-Dade County.
Miami Lighthouse Hosts “Music Under the Stars: A Taste
of Brickell” Event
On
April 30, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind hosted Music Under the Stars:
A Taste of Brickell. This inaugural event, held at the Lighthouse,
benefited its Children’s Vision Care Program, a mobile outreach program
that provides free eye care services to school children in need.
Friends and donors were treated to culinary
delights prepared by Brickell area restaurants including Morton’s the
Steakhouse, Blu Pizza é Cucina, Perricone’s Marketplace, Gordon Biersch,
Rosinella, Baja Fresh and Provence Grill. Musical entertainment was
provided by Latin Tenor Warren Tesh, international violinist Randolph
Margitza, and the talented Miami Lighthouse musicians.
To
top the night off, legendary music producer Henry Stone presented CEO
Virginia Jacko with the first royalty check from sales of “Instrumental
Magic,” the first album produced by Stone since completing vision
rehabilitation at Miami Lighthouse, and featuring saxophonist Jeff Zavac,
a current client at the Lighthouse.
The event was sponsored by Ambutech,
Eschenbach Optik, Florida Reading & Vision Technology, Mobile Specialty
Vehicles, Southern Wine & Spirits, and AMC Liaisons/Rain Vodka.
Miami Lighthouse Hosts First Annual “Dog A Thon”
On March 30th, friends gathered at the new
Shops at Midtown Miami to take part in the first annual Dog A Thon
benefiting Miami Lighthouse. Event sponsors included PetSmart, Ameriprise
Financial, The Shops at Midtown Miami, Romero Britto, Dunkin Donuts, and
Multivision Video & Film.
2008 McCrea Volunteer Recognition Luncheon
On March 10th, Miami Lighthouse Volunteers
of the Year, Shutts & Bowen LLP and the Lou Nostro Family, were honored at
the 2008 McCrea Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.
Miami Lighthouse
Receives 2008 Healthy Vision Award From The National Eye Institute
Miami Lighthouse for
the Blind and Visually Impaired is one of fifty institutions in the U.S.
to receive the 2008 Healthy Vision Community Award from the National Eye
Institute (NEI). The award recognizes the achievements of Miami Lighthouse
in the field of providing essential vision care to school-age children,
and includes a check for $10,000 that will support ongoing efforts to
ensure that children in Miami-Dade County receive complete vision care.
NEI, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is a government
agency established by Congress in 1968 to protect and prolong the vision
of the American people.
The award, which
will support the efforts of the Heiken Children’s Vision Program at Miami
Lighthouse, is earmarked for research and public outreach that helps
prevent and treat visual impairment in children. Miami Lighthouse will
make presentations to Miami-Dade County School staff, parents,
parent-teacher associations (PTA) and community referral agencies to raise
awareness of the Children’s Vision Program. New program literature in
English, Spanish and Creole will inform teachers and parents about the
importance of early vision care to education, and encourage participation
in the Children’s Vision Program.
“We are delighted to
be working with NEI,” said Miami Lighthouse CEO Virginia A. Jacko. “The
aims of the Healthy Vision initiative are a perfect fit with the goals of
Miami Lighthouse and its Children’s Vision Program, as we expand our
mission to include eye health and education.”
Miami Lighthouse
acquired the Heiken Children’s Vision Program in July 2007. Through a
cooperative agreement with Miami-Dade County Schools, the mobile
optometric unit has provided free vision care and eyeglasses to thousands
of economically disadvantaged schoolchildren who failed state-mandated
vision screenings. According to CEO Virginia Jacko, a second optometric
unit is being mobilized to expand free eye care service to more
financially disadvantaged children in both Dade and Monroe Counties.
The Heiken Advisory
Committee was established by the Miami Lighthouse President and CEO to
maintain relationships with community groups such as Miami-Dade County
Public Schools, Health Connect Teams, foundations that have supported the
Heiken Program, the optometric community and pediatric ophthalmologists.
These stakeholders have provided expertise and support to ensure its
continuing success.
The Dade County
Optometric Association established the Heiken Children’s Vision Fund in
1992. “The merging of nonprofits to make better use of resources is an
emerging trend,” said Dr. Steven Marcus, President of the Health
Foundation of South Florida. “By consolidating Heiken with Miami
Lighthouse, a larger agency with similar interests, all of the resources
for overhead can go directly to client service.”
The Miami Lighthouse
Children’s Vision Program is funded by The Children’s Trust, The Batchelor
Foundation, Health Foundation of South Florida, Public Health Trust,
Florida Optometric Association Charities, Blank Family Foundation, Dr.
John T. Macdonald Foundation, Peacock Foundation, Junior League of Miami,
Shepard Broad Foundation, Anthony R. Abraham Foundation, Dade Community
Foundation, Kennedy Family Foundation, Geiger Charity Foundation, D.
Richard Mead Charitable Foundation, and others. The eyeglasses, free to
the students, are provided by Florida’s Vision Quest, Inc.
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