Together with our friends at GDB, we welcomed 33 families from all over the San Francisco Bay Area for a beautiful day of spring-themed crafts, guide puppy meet-and-greets, photoshoots with Sunny the Bunny and Glinda the Good Witch, and of course— an accessible beeping egg hunt!
The campus echoed with beeps, barks, and delighted laughter as 70 children searched for the accessible, tactile and audible eggs they placed in their decorated bags and baskets, to be exchanged for plastic eggs filled with goodies. Friendships were made between the dozens of families, and our community grew!
“Meeting other parents and hearing their stories has been so helpful,” says a Little Learner Mom as she watches Dad sit their daughter down next to another Little Learner Baby on the grass. “I love knowing that my child has a community and kids she can grow up with who will understand her and her needs.”
We owe the unwavering success of this event to the dedicated work of the Spring Celebration Event Planning Committee. Much appreciation and gratitude to GDB team members Lynn Dubinsky, Karen Woon, Jane Flower, Chris Clayland, Becky Miller, Morry Angell, Barbara Zamost and Brad Hennig as well as LightHouse team members Pam Chapin, Subira Mayo, Allyson Ferrari, Summer Dittmer, Caitlin O’Malior, Hoby Wedler, Genie Gratto and Lauren Myerscough. This dream team collaborated to plan and organize this beautiful event, down to the very last details!
“Guide Dogs for the Blind is absolutely thrilled and honor to partner with LightHouse, not only for this event but throughout the year,” says GDB CEO, Chris Benninger. “We have also worked together on the delivery of orientation and mobility services—critical services that we could not do without the help of our partner, LightHouse for the Blind.”
In addition to our fabulous event organizers, we would like to give a warm, heartfelt thank you to other supporters who were a pivotal part of making the 2nd Annual Spring Celebration such a special day for our Little Learners community! Thank you to Marissa Gonzalez, President of World Eye Cancer Hope-USA Chapter, Julie Maier of California Deafblind Services, Gina Ouellette (and family!) Superintendent of California School for the Blind, and the San Francisco Optometric Society. We’d also like to shoutout and thank volunteers from Google and from Kaiser Permanente for their continued support and partnership.
“All of your contributions make events like this possible,” LightHouse CEO, Sharon Giovinazzo, thanks our supporters. “Helen Keller said it so well: ‘Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much,’ But of course, a very special thank you has to go to Chris Benninger and all of your staff on this beautiful and wonderful campus. As we come together, let’s celebrate the bonds we share and inclusivity!”
Indeed, it was a beautiful celebration of community, inclusivity, and the joy of springtime! We look forward to doing it all again next year!
Click this link to learn more about the LightHouse Little Learners.
For more information about Guide Dogs for the Blind, click this link.
Photos by Emmalaine Berry Photography
“He was diagnosed with Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome (a rare neurological disorder) at 22 months, which consists of global developmental delays along with various medical complexities. Kristi would work with Max once a week at our home. She even attended an appointment with his pediatric ophthalmologist and advocated for his CVI diagnosis as he was getting ready to transition to the school district. Kristi also educated me and provided various resources to adequately choose the perfect glasses for Max, which has helped tremendously with him keeping them on. Max’s absolute favorite day of the month was playgroup that was put together by LightHouse Little Learners at a local library, which consisted of sensory, color pop, music and inclusiveness at its finest. I will forever be grateful for Kristi—her knowledge, her sweetness, her empowerment to advocate and her presence.”
“It’s hard to have a child with reduced vision and not know if or what they are seeing. Not many things make this situation less difficult, but the LightHouse Little Learners program has definitely helped us tremendously, “ says Little Learner Mom, Latasha. 
Celebrate Spring with LightHouse Little Learners! Families who have a young child experiencing blindness, low vision, or disabilities including visual impairment are invited to join us for a fun afternoon of activities at 
