Lighthouse Central Florida celebrates 50 years empowering people with vision disabilities
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Lighthouse Central Florida is celebrating 50 years of serving the Central Florida community.
The nonprofit says 59,000 individuals in Florida are living with a vision disability. Lighthouse Central Florida works to empower people to live independent, fulfilling lives by offering valuable programs and jobs.
Thursday morning is the “Raising Our Sights” annual fundraising breakfast at the Winter Park Events Center.
“Live in the present and make your life the best you absolutely can,” Kyle Coon said.
He has done just that. This author and two-time Paralympian is an inspiration to these folks with Lighthouse Central Florida and Lighthouse Works.
It’s a nonprofit serving people of all ages in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties who are blind or visually impaired.
“I was the first totally blind person to go under 11 hours for an official Iron Man 140.6-mile triathlon,” he said.
In fact, Kyle’s professional career started at Lighthouse.
Lighthouse Works is creating jobs for people who are blind or visually impaired so they can take care of themselves and their families. Kyle lost his sight a month before he turned seven years old.
“The treatment damaged my eyes so much and the cancer just kept coming back stronger, so eventually the only way to completely get rid of the cancer was to remove my eyes completely,” he said. “I mean, cancer taught me a thing or two. What’s the point in living if you’re not going to live it to the fullest?”
“I’m totally blind and I’m a double amputee,” said Ned Moye.
Moye has been at Lighthouse for 19 years as a student, volunteer, and employee. He still remembers what his Lighthouse counselor told him.
“She said to me, ‘Ned, your eyes does not define you. It’s your heart that defines you,’ and when she said that I wiped my tears away and I went on and did a whole lot in Lighthouse and this place has truly changed my life,” Moye said.
Kyle Coon will be the keynote speaker at Thursday morning’s annual breakfast. It’s an opportunity for folks to learn what the mission does and to get involved and help the community.
“Your life is a gift. So treat it like the present that it is,” Kyle Coon said.
The breakfast runs from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday at the Winter Park Events Center. WESH 2’s Gail Paschall-Brown will serve as emcee.
Click these links for more about Lighthouse Central Florida and Lighthouse Works.