(PRESS RELEASE) It was beautiful night to celebrate Lighthouse Guild’s commitment to addressing and preventing vision loss and related health issues. Lighthouse Guild hosted its annual LightYears Gala on Monday, Nov. 20, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City. The event was attended by over 300 guests.
Three individuals were honored for their significant contributions to improving the lives of people who are visually impaired: Brian Gell, vice chairman, New York Tri-State Region (CBRE); Darcy Stacom, chairman and head of New York City Capital Markets, and Pauline Raiff, immediate past chair, Lighthouse Guild.
The 2017 Gala Chair was Eric Maidenberg, chief business officer, UBS Hedge Fund Solutions and a member of Lighthouse Guild’s Board. Also on the program were, Jim Dubin, chairman of the board of Lighthouse Guild; Dr. Alan R. Morse, president and CEO; and Mark Ackermann, executive vice president and COO. Lighthouse Guild’s leadership was joined by a Lighthouse Guild client and the family member of two GuildNet members. Both spoke poignantly about how Lighthouse Guild has helped them navigate vision loss and healthcare issues and provide a safety net so that they could effectively live their lives.
The Gala’s Young Visionary Chairs were Lizzi Bickford, Todd Meadow and Catherine Petree. Among other Young Visionaries attending were Andrew Bellis, Dr. John Mesa, Kathryn Rotella and Bridget Zingale.
Morse pointed out that blindness or low vision affects approximately one in 28 Americans over the age of 40. He said, “In the United States, almost 1 million people are blind and 2.4 million people have low vision.” He added, “Today we are strengthening our commitment to addressing and preventing vision loss.”
(Left to right) Dr. Alan R. Morse, Darcy Stacom, Brian Gell, Pauline Raiff and Jim Dubin.