This year has been a wild year for the Lighthouse, but we are fortunate to have taken the global pandemic in stride and continue to be eternally grateful to all of the wonderful employees and supporters who have allowed us to continue working during this time. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Lighthouse this year; we are honored to serve and empower the Blind and Vision Impaired Community. Cheers to saying good-bye to 2020 and forward to 2021!
Here is a recap of our 2020 accomplishments!
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2020 was the 10th Annual Art in the Dark and due to the COVID mandates, this year’s event was completely virtual. Facing new challenges and designing a virtual event that had never been done before the Lighthouse team pulled together an event with online bidding, a live broadcast celebration event, and a main program that highlighted the Blind Children’s Program. It was so successful that the live auction will remain a component to the 2021 event!
The 10th Annual Art in the Dark earned $30,560 in proceeds - all benefitting the Blind Children and Youth program at the Lighthouse. Thank you all to a very successful year despite the Covid-19 restrictions, we are so grateful to our amazing supporters.
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The 12th Annual Weston Wright Lighthing the Way Walk Run was also completely virtual this year due to COVID-19. The event was hosted on a smartphone app, which allowed participants from all over the globe to partake in the event!
This years Walk Run had 120 registered participants from across the US and even in Germany, who raised 50% of last year's proceeds from runners alone! This year we designed a new event logo and provided all virtual participants with medals and t-shirts. The best part was that the run commenced over Weston Wright's 16th birthday!
Next year we will continue the virtual aspect of the event in addition to hosting the in-person event as well. Our goal is to have participants from all 50 states next year - let's make it happen!
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The San Antonio Lighthouse hosted our first virtual self-care conference for the visually impaired and their caregivers, titled “Laugh, Live, Learn!.” From improv to fall prevention, mindfulness to fitness, guide dogs to exotic animals we had a little something for everyone.
We had 86 participants from the visually impaired community and their caregivers. Our attendees had a great time and we are so happy to be able to provide them with some laughs, great content and to help them stay connected to their friends, families, and the Lighthouse during 2020.
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2020 provided many twists and turns for everyone….and the Lighthouse was no different. One of the biggest changes came when Mike Gilliam, CEO, announced his pending retirement in 2021. After more than 15 years at the helm, Mike announced early this year that he will be retiring next summer.
Much like the last year, Mike’s time at the Lighthouse has been filled with challenges and rewards. When he first took over as CEO in May of 2005, he was met with a faltering organization that was more than $18 million in debt and had collection agencies calling weekly. He was forced to let half of his direct reports go and laid off 20 individuals who were blind. This was a tough, but critical decision since the mission of the Lighthouse is to empower blind and vision impaired, and one way we do that is through employment. But through patience, diligence, inspiration from the blind team members, and a little bit of luck, Mike led the Lighthouse to pay off all debt by 2011 and guarantee its existence for another 78 years (since it was founded in 1933).
Now, 15 years later, under Mike’s direction, the Lighthouse is not only debt free, but has become a leader in the community that is recognized locally, state-wide, and on a national platform. The Lighthouse has received many prestigious awards, some of which include Best Place to Work in San Antonio and in Texas, Top 50 Non Profits in the US, Board Members of the Year, Spirit of Giving, Most Ethical Large Business in SA, National Best Place to Work for People Over 50, and Fastest Growing Lighthouse in the Nation, just to name a few. And in his last full year at the Lighthouse, leading through a world-wide pandemic, the Lighthouse was able to support more than 60 San Antonio area nonprofits who were struggling and in need, while keeping its operations open every single day.
Mike says his two most meaningful accomplishments at the Lighthouse were paying off the $18 million in debt, but also seeing our programs and services grow from serving 600 blind individuals in 2005 to over 7,000 today. The impact the Lighthouse has had on the blind and vision impaired community is undeniable. Mike’s expectation for greatness has not only led the Lighthouse to be the leading one-stop-shop for all blind/visually impaired needs in South Texas, but across the state as well. His passion remains for San Antonio to be nationally recognized as the “Best Place For Blind People To Live” in the U.S.
As his time here nears the end, Mike says what he will miss the most is all of the blind team members, who have taught him how to put life into true perspective and never take anything for granted. In his downtime, he is looking forward to reading the Lighthouse Newsletter and living vicariously through it. Mike will forever be known as the leader who changed the trajectory of the Lighthouse and solidified its place as one of the premier “blindness” organizations in the country. He will be greatly missed…and so will his costumes!
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2020 highlights from the
Lighthouse Departments!
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The San Antonio Lighthouse is very fortunate to have the opportunity to serve and empower the blind and vision impaired. Despite the global pandemic, our programs and departments have exceeded goals and expectations for this year. We are so grateful to all those who support and work with us - whether it be our partners, customers or employees, you are what makes the Lighthouse great. Here are some 2020 highlights from the Lighthouse programs and departments.
Base Supply Center & Sales
Our product mix has changed dramatically due to covid. PPE, masks gloves, and hand sanitizer became the primary sales. Our 15 military stores have been providing emergency assistance to the bases 5-7 days a week.
Adults and Seniors Program
The Lighthouse became a beacon of hope and service to our seniors during quarantine. It was essential for the staff to improvise and pivot to meet the needs of our seniors. The Lighthouse made over 500 food deliveries and 300 emergency relief kits to the visually impaired consumers. The team also made wellness calls every 3 months, to offer counseling or other needed services, modified previous services to virtual or over the phone training, and offered zoom training to help them stay connected to health care providers, friends, and family.
Manufacturing
The first six months yielded record sales and record profits, which supports our mission by creating jobs and funding all of our programs. Covid pushed us to unprecedented boundaries, barriers, cleaning services to protect our employees. During the challenges of COVID, taking care of our team was priority. We gave all team members an extra 2 weeks PTO and all people employed over six months an extra $2/hr. The pandemic did not slow down our essential workers, which resulted in a very good year!
Children and Youth Program
Just like much of the rest of the world, the Children and Youth Program went virtual, hosting social events, activities, and gathered families to visit and share stories. With virtual capabilities, we were able to host 42 camps this summer, which not only welcomed kids from across the country, but also around the world! The support of leadership, grantors and community partners made all of this possible. We were able expand the program during pandemic, continue Transition to Work program through remote means, and kept our kids engaged and safe. Will continue until virus gone.
Orientation and Mobility
White Cane training didn’t miss a beat by adding trainings through zoom. The O&M staff also partnered with local nonprofits to provide blindness sensitivity and awareness training to educate the staff, caregivers and professionals on how to interact with those who are blind or visually impaired. O&M support group will be available during the holidays to connect with others.
The Lighthouse Served:
239 Children
6,020 Blind Individuals
217 Veterans
More than 21,437 services provided in 2020.
The Lighthouse was able to Provide:
219 well-paying jobs for blind/visually impaired individuals
522 white cane trainings
642 Diabetes Education Sessions
797 Patients received low vision exams and occupational therapy
838 counseling sessions provided
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Thank you for supporting our mission to empower the blind and vision impaired. |
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Your gift will support the Lighthouse rehabilitation services, youth programs, senior services, blind employment and assistive technology. |
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