Lighthouse of SWFL Impact Report FINAL

Lighthouse of Southwest Florida’s mission is to enable people of all ages living with a visual impairment or blindness to remain independent, active and productive in our society. lighthouseswfl.org

Message from the CEO 35 W. Mariana Ave., N. Ft. Myers, FL 33903 Unpredictable, challenging, adventurous, productive, rewarding… These are a few words that come to mind when I think back over the past few years. I am privileged to have witnessed so many amazing accomplishments at Lighthouse of SWFL despite what could have been overwhelming circumstances. Despite uncertainties triggered by a global pandemic and a devastating hurricane, our partners, donors, and staff demonstrated amazing resiliency through their Dotty St. Amand renewed commitment of time, talent, and treasure to Lighthouse of SWFL and our community-at-large. Our clients embraced new ways of participating in our Chief Executive Officer programs, and our amazing staff seamlessly adapted to provide services in innovative ways. While virtual platforms are now part of our daily life, I am grateful that we have re- opened to on-site services. The extraordinary generosity of our donors and community, coupled with the ongoing support of our board, is a testament to the exceptional vision rehabilitation and support services we provide for people of all ages living with low vision and blindness. I am proud to say that Lighthouse of SWFL has weathered the challenges of the past few years with grace and tenacity to remain a stable nonprofit agency even more committed to assuring that we achieve our mission for those we serve. I appreciate your time in reviewing our Impact Report covering our most recent fiscal year that ended September 30, 2022. I trust you will find our report to be uplifting and insightful. With my heartfelt appreciation,

About Lighthouse of SWFL Lighthouse of Southwest Florida is a vision rehabilitation center, serving Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties. Our professional staff compassionately helps people of all ages, with blindness and major vision loss, to achieve goals for independence. Vision rehabilitation and support services are provided by certified staff in collaboration with community partners. We are funded, in part, by the State of Florida Department of Education/Division of Blind Services, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners Partnering for Results, Florida Agencies Serving the Blind, Florida Department of Transportation, and United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties. BABIES & FAMILIES Holistic programs focused on helping families navigate the waters of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of a young child with vision loss. LIGHTHOUSE KIDS This program focuses on school-aged children to support their developing independence, learning, and experiences. TRANSITION Helping to prepare young adults for life’s next step. ADULTS Our adult program is designed to improve the lives of our clients and to assist them in gaining and/or maintaining their independence. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jill Turner, President Kathy Bridge-Liles Joshua Dorcey Dorcey Law Firm, PLC Retired (Children’s Advocacy Center) Lee Health Board , Dist. 5 Jordan Jacobson The Board of Directors provides Gwynetta Gittens, Vice President Kathy Y. Carter Dorcey Law Firm, PLC mission-driven leadership and Gwyneducation, LLC Community Volunteer governance to achieve our strategic Armando Llechu Lee Health goals and serves as ambassadors Patricia O’Donnell, Treasurer/Secretary Michael Ciccarello for community engagement. O’Donnell Landscapes, Inc. Colliers International

Moments that Matter We jumped and bounced, leaped and swung at Skyzone in June 2022. Summer Camp 2022 was a blast! Clients and staff participated in Art Fest 2022 in downtown Ft. Myers.

Children's Holiday Party 2022 United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties used three of our clients' amazing paintings to adorn United Way's thank you cards in 2022. Dave Steele, an award-winning inspirational author of more than 750 poems and songs about his journey with vision loss, visited during his road trip across Florida in May 2022. More than 30 Florida Gulf Coast University Occupational Therapy (OT) students joined us in July 2022 to learn about the vision rehabilitation services provided for babies, children, teens and adults while receiving hands-on instruction on properly using a white cane to navigate their environment, and how adaptive technology and low vision devices can be beneficial to people with vision impairment.

Moments that Matter White Cane Day 2021 held at FGCU! Lighthouse of SWFL was honored to be invited to attend the Southwest Florida Optometric Association (SWFOA) annual retreat at South Seas in August 2022. Clients creating new An eggs-cellent time was had by all at our masterpieces in our Beeping Easter Egg Hunt in April 2022! art studio. Thank you to the Lions Club and Girl Scouts for providing the beeping eggs and volunteering at our event!

Thank you to the African Coalition of Southwest Florida for volunteering to paint the hallways near our Assistive Technology Lab, and cleaning and organizing our teaching kitchen in September 2022! ACOSWFL Volunteers from Crosspoint Church in Cape Coral washed windows and scrubbed our fleet of vehicles in May 2022. Thank you to Crosspoint for your continued volunteerism at Lighthouse of SWFL! Edison's Lab Restaurant in Fort Myers hosted four of our Transition students who learned about what it takes to run a successful restaurant, plan special events and catering. Students also made their own sugar cookies from scratch. Thanks to Ocean Breeze Heating & Cooling, United Way and Lighthouse of Southwest Florida were the beneficiaries of the Ultimate Red Sox Spring Training Experience raffle!

Hurricane Ian Strikes Hurricane Ian officially made landfall near the island of Cayo Costa the afternoon of Wednesday, September 28th as a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds near 150 mph. By that evening, devastation left in Ian's wake was unmistakable with more than two million households in Florida without power, and some communities along Florida's west coast in tattered ruins from wind and life-threatening storm surge. On Thursday September 29th, search and recovery efforts began in earnest throughout our area, with the hardest hit areas of Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island, Matlacha and Sanibel receiving the most attention. By Friday September 30th, our community was already taking significant steps toward recovery and healing. Lighthouse of SWFL staff and board were all found to be safe, though some had significant damage to their homes. Program staff called and texted clients to inquire about their well-being and to find out what they needed. Our focus after the hurricane passed was crisis intervention and assisting our clients with securing the most immediate basic needs. The Leadership Team assessed damage at our office in N. Ft. Myers and took measures to mitigate further damage. The interior had minor water spots on ceiling tiles where wind blew rain inside. Outside, the aluminum overhang covering the southwest corner of our building crumpled and collapsed. Staff worked together to remove it, installed a tarp and began cleaning debris from the grounds. Some minor damage was also discovered to one of our FDOT fleet vehicles.

SWFL Recovers from Ian 14 25 1. Lighthouse of SWFL staff members Felix Gonzalez and Dotty St. Amand opened a box to find 100 pairs of donated socks from Two Blind Brothers. 2. Ft. Myers Lions Club members gathered and delivered hundreds of cases of water and food! 3. Mike Duffy of B Squared Liquidation donated hundreds of pounds of new clothes for those in our community in need. Accepting the donation with Mike from Lighthouse of SWFL are staff members Roselyn Hoffman and Lightning (left) and Anne Hatton and Angelo (right). 4. Thanks to our Board and community, basic living supplies were collected and delivered to those most in need. 5. FGCU 3 OT students volunteered to wash our fleet of vehicles and move hurricane debris to the curb for pickup.

By the Numbers Audited revenue and expenses for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022. Total Revenue: $1,162,852.00 Total Expenses: $1,263,528.00 “Without your continuous dedication, support, and selflessness, the leaps, and bounds he's endured, as well as the mountains he has yet to conquer, would be next to impossible.” -Grateful mom of a blind student (Children’s Program) “Lighthouse of SWFL is a tremendous place. I have met all the goals that I set for myself in my service plan.” -Adult Client (Independent Living) “The peer support groups prevented me from falling into a deep depression.” -Adjusting to Blindness Support Group member Often overlooked in the services we provide is our transportation program, funded by Florida's Department of Transportation. Our fleet of vehicles is a unique and targeted part of the services provided, specifically for low vision and blind clients who cannot drive or have other transportation barriers. Our transportation program is essential in getting our clients to their appointments and classes with our certified instructors, who work with clients to develop individualized service plans and set goals for independence. In Lee County alone, for calendar year 2022, 611 client trips were made in Lighthouse of SWFL fleet vehicles!

Donors & Supporters Thank you to the Southwest Florida Optometric Association (SWFOA) for the $1,000 gift to sponsor our billboard and to Carter-Pritchett Outdoor Advertising for their in- kind donation of billboard space! A special thank you to the North Fort Myers Noon Lions Club for inviting Lighthouse of SWFL to speak about our mission, services and upcoming events. We are also thankful for your donation of $100 to support our services. Thank you to the VFW and N. Fort Myers Post 10127 for donating a SUMMER CAMP 2022 new American flag Thank you to the Metro- and metal hardware McGregor Kiwanis for a $500 to Lighthouse of donation toward summer SWFL in June 2022. camp supplies and to our local Wawa for donating water for Unfortunately, in our summer campers! September 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed our flag pole.

Donors & Supporters The following individuals and organizations donated generously to Lighthouse of Southwest Florida's Annual Appeal during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022. Amazon Smile Ilona and Chris Menzel Norman G. Henlin Barbara Kuncl North Ft Myers Noon Beatrice Levasseur Jack and Karen Green Beth A. Prather Jack Smith Lions Foundation Carolyn Baker-McCord James & Lois Flood Old Fort Myers Southern Dames Cecie Colesanti Jane A. Inden Revocable Trust Patricia and Al O'Donnell Cheryl Sheer Jennifer L. Baker LLC Phyllis Abram Cindy Bottleson Jill Turner Pine Lakes Women's Club Continental Women's Club Joan Halpern Rachelle Dover Youmans Corinne Bierke Joann Portnoy Rebecca Wainright Barton Deanne and Salvatore Butnidaro John R. Reilly Estate Richard Bloy Sr. Dennis and Joann Dzien Joseph T. Lapczenski Ritch and Patricia Bethea Diana and Hal Baker Kelly Shamlene Rosalie Decker Diane Schmoker Linda and Dr. Jeffrey Brown Roshani M. Gunewardene Donald and Rita Huneke Lois Mencik Sanibel-Captiva Lions Charities Doreen Pepper Louis Shew Scott and Sally Hutchinson Dotty St. Amand Majkem Elgaar Sherry Nicolaus Trust Earl J. Boortz Maki Eye Associates, PA Shirley Egleston Eileen Lesler Margaret Herbig Shirley M. Nemeth First Congregational Church Mark Liebetreu Stephen and Rebecca Johnson Florida Agencies Serving the Blind Marlene and Elliot Larose Susan Pushman Martha Hallquist Theresa Matyja (State of Vision License Plates*) Mary Lou Griffith Thomas G. Ogrodnik Michael and Caren Yve Haiken Trademark Metals Recycling LLC Frederick J. Beiner Michael Walker Tyler Patak Guiding Light Community Church Milza Agramonte Unity of Fort Myers Henry and AnnMarie Weeks National Society of Valerie Hutter Estate Ian Phillips Southern Dames *Funds raised through sales of the \"State of Vision\" specialty Florida license plate are distributed to the Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind to fund activities, programs, and projects within Florida through local nonprofit organizations providing vision rehabilitation services to blind and visually impaired children and adults. Lighthouse of SWFL is one of the agencies that receives this support to benefit our organization and those we serve. Thank you to the residents of Lee, Hendry and Glades counties whose vehicles are sporting the State of Vision plates!

Donors & Supporters Grants received for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022 Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation $15,000 for Assistive Technology Accessibility for children and adults. Episcopal Church Women of St. Michael's $7,000 for vision rehabilitation for babies and children with low vision and blindness. Velma Strattan Green Family Fund $3,000 for vision rehabilitation and programming for teens and young adults. CAMEO (Cooperative Associates Marketing Elderly Options) $3,000 for low vision and diabetic instruction to those with vision loss and their caregivers. Cape Coral Kiwanis Foundation, Inc. $2,000 for vision rehabilitation and programming for babies and children with low vision and blindness. Lee County Bar Association Foundation Lighthouse of SWFL CEO Dotty St. Amand (left) $500 for vision rehabilitation and accepts a $3,000 grant from CAMEO in June 2022. programming for babies and children with low vision and blindness. Lighthouse of Southwest Florida is proud to have earned the Gold Transparency Seal for 2022 from Candid (formerly Guidestar and Foundation Center). For current and potential donors, this means Lighthouse of SWFL is providing accurate and in-depth information about the many ways we are responsibly advancing our mission with the donations we solicit and receive.

Donors & Supporters Thank you to all of our 2023 Dining in the Dark sponsors! CASABLANCA SPONSOR CITIZEN KANE SPONSORS WIZARD OF OZ SPONSORS Bob Schlager & CRS Technology Consultants Independent Investment Advisors Golisano Children's Hospital of SWFL O'Donnell Landscapes, Inc. Lee County Sheriff's Office Southwest Florida Optometric Association Private Client Insurance Services, LLC (SWFOA) Wawa Foundation PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR GLAMOUR DECOR SPONSOR Florida Weekly Palm Printing

Donors & Supporters Thank you to the following businesses and individuals who donated items, volunteered and supported our 2023 Dining in the Dark sensory awareness event: Silent & Live Auction Donors Lake Blue Resort Relax the Back at Coconut Point Larry's Pawn SalusCare & Cielo Restaurant Lee Association of Colony Golf & Country Club the Challenge Ropes Course DeRomo's Gourmet Market & Restaurant Remarkable Citizens (LARC) Sanibel Moorings Resort Dotty St. Amand Lee Spa at Coconut Point Smoke’n Pit BBQ Florida Repertory Theatre Natalie's Skin Solutions Spherion Staffing & Recruiting Frank and Bev Cordisco O'Donnell Landscaping, Inc. Sue Schofield Heritage Palms Golf & Country Club Oriental Trading Top Golf Ft. Myers Josephine Santana Palmetto Pine Country Club Total Wine & More Kari Cordisco Prestige Auto Wawa Foundation Kensington Golf and Country Club Key West Express We wish to extend special thanks to the following individuals who also helped make Dining in the Dark a success! Troy Beck Bryan Huling Lilie Munoz Eric Raddatz Jay Severson Thank you to United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties for their continued support of Lighthouse of SWFL and our programs. In the most recent fund distribution, United Way funding of $86,150 supports instruction for Independent Living for adults, as well as staffing and supplies for our Blind Babies & Children's Program. Excerpts from the 2023 Fund Distribution Team Report highlights Lighthouse of SWFL's \"emphasis on improving quality of life for those with a visual impairment\" and the team noted its appreciation for \"the tools and measures shared to help clients adapt to low vision.\" The Fund Distribution Team also \"loved the art room and children's space and was very impressed with the excellent assistive technology.\"

Lighthouse of SWFL is a local United Way partner agency serving individuals with blindness and low vision in Lee, Hendry and Glades counties. The mission of Lighthouse of SWFL is to enable people of all ages living with low vision or blindness to remain independent, active and productive in society. Lighthouse of SWFL, a nationally-accredited agency, is partially funded by civic, corporate and individual donors, as well as: This Impact Report, with financial information for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022, was compiled, written, designed and published by Lighthouse of Southwest Florida for our donors, funders, clients and the Southwest Florida community at-large. Errors should be reported to Lighthouse of Southwest Florida's Director of Development & Communications by calling (239) 997-7797 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Follow us on Facebook! lighthouseswfl.org facebook.com/Lighthouseofswfl/