Dear Friends,

We are living in an era of heightened productivity and independence. Many Americans are able to accomplish more than our parents ever dreamed possible because as Americans, we have incredible resources available to us.  In the midst of this abundance of resources, there are a growing number of children, teens, adults and seniors who are not able to participate in all the good things our Central Florida communities have to offer because they are living with blindness or severely limited vision. 12.5 million Americans are considered legally blind and millions more have a vision impairment severe enough to prevent them from reading regular print, driving or recognizing the face of a loved one. Central Florida is home to more than 50,000 visually impaired people and this number is growing.

Duke University recently published the results of a longitudinal study of seniors over the age of 65 which found that nearly half of the participants developed one of three major eye diseases: diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma. As the baby-boom generation continues to become seniors, diabetes continues at epidemic rates, and healthcare becomes more difficult to access, we expect the number of Central Floridians diagnosed with a severe vision impairment to surpass 100,000 in the next decade. How will Central Florida meet the challenge of this public health issue? The effects of severe vision loss can be devastating: loss of independence, loss of employment, loss of security and privacy - the list goes on. For children, vision impairments have a dramatic impact on their ability to succeed in school, go onto higher education and a meaningful career. What special resources are available to these valuable members of our community?

Fortunately, Lighthouse Central Florida, a nationally accredited 501(c) 3 non-profit organization, offers a comprehensive array of rehabilitation services for persons of all ages with blindness or severe vision impairment and their families. Located in Orlando's College Park neighborhood, LCF (formerly called CITE) has been providing professional caring vision rehabilitation services for 30 years. LCF is the only organization providing these services to Central Floridians. As a non -profit, our effectiveness and the number of people we are able to serve depends upon the generosity of communities we serve. LCF's board made the determination to embark upon a much needed building renovation and expansion project in order to be better able to meet the growing needs of our community. Unique circumstances have required us to move rapidly and therefore the project is underway. LCF needs your help to fund this project and enable us to continue to provide the highest quality vision rehabilitation services available to every Central Floridian who desires to make the most of their lives. Thank-you for helping; thank-you for investing in Central Florida's future.

Sincerely,

Lee Nasehi