Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth is pleased to announce that Gaye Anne Hannak joined our team on June 11^th as the Executive Administrative Assistant to Platt L. Allen, III, President/CEO and Human Resources and Benefits Representative. Hannak brings over ten years of administrative and human resources experience with her and is a graduate of State University of New York at New Paltz. Hannak is the proud mom of two, Anton is a senior at the University of Oklahoma and Kyra is a sophomore at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

“I am happy to have Gaye join our team. I have been blessed with two excellent assistants over the past ten years and look forward to celebrating Gaye’s contributions to our organizations for many years to come,” comments Lighthouse President/CEO Platt L. Allen, III.

National Industries for the Blind (NIB) held their annual National Symposium last month to recognize employees of the year nominations and provide an opportunity for representatives of associated nonprofit agencies to gather in Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress and their staff. This allowed agencies to build relationships with them and discuss issues affecting the employment of people who are blind.

This year we were proud to send 5 Lighthouse employees to the symposium: Platt Allen, President/CEO; Hugh Neilson, Head of Sales & Marketing; Kevin Higgins, Certified Independent Living Instructor; Rebecca Smith, Communications Coordinator; and Ira Smith, Lighthouse Employee of the Year Nominee.

While our team was there, they had the opportunity to meet with Senator Ted Cruz, staff from Senator John Cornyn, staff from Rep. Joe Barton, & staff from Rep. Roger Williams to discuss the WIOA VR Rule.

Ira, Hugh, Kevin, Platt, & Rebecca

Kevin & Rebecca speaking with Senator Ted Cruz

Kevin & Rebecca speaking with Senator Ted Cruz

Kevin Higgins, Senator Ted Cruz, and Rebecca Smith

Kevin & Rebecca speaking with Senator Ted Cruz

Meeting with staff from Senator John Cornyn's Office

Meeting with staff from Senator John Cornyn's Office

Employee of the Year Nominee, Ira Smith

Hugh comes to us after 28 years of top producing sales and business development from the commercial side of manufacturing and distribution.  The products and services he sold ranged from hand sanitizers and skin creams, to chemicals, paper and packaging products.

Hugh grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and received his business degree from Texas Christian University.  He has lived in Ft. Worth for many years and has an 18 year old son, Griffin and a 16 year old daughter, Maci.

“ I am extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to be with The Lighthouse for the Blind.  It’s not only because of the wonderful folks I work with, but also our mission to impact so many lives of individuals here in our community.”

Bill Neff has been volunteering at Lighthouse Fort Worth for the last three years and we couldn’t be more grateful to have him!

For the last three years, Bill has brought his 40 years of experience in the nursing field to use by teaching our diabetic clients who are visually impaired or blind how to live healthier lives. He, alongside Kevin Higgins, have held Diabetes Management classes to Lighthouse clients at no charge.

We know that we can always count on Bill when we need him!

“He always greets our clients with a smile and warm handshake. He’s always willing to give advice on how to improve quality of life, including proper diet and exercise, and give a peace of mind on health for those who are not only diabetic, but blind as well.” – Kevin Higgins, Certified Independent Living Specialist.

We are saddened to announce to passing of another great man, Ted Collins Jr.   Ted unexpectedly passed away on January 28th at the age of 79.

We would like to send our deepest sympathies to his family and thank them for continuing Ted’s support of the Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth.

The love for Ted Collins Jr. has proven to be strong as many of his friends and colleagues have been honoring his request to donate to us in lieu of flowers.

You can read more about Ted’s life and legacy here and leave your condolences online at www.npwelch.com.

It is with deep regret to announce that we have lost a dear friend and valued colleague.

Rick Watkins passed away peacefully Friday, January 19 2018, after losing his battle with cancer. Each of us not only grieves at the passing of a tremendous individual, but also for the loss his family suffers.

Rick was a loved employee and had a true passion for the Lighthouse mission. He will be missed greatly. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family.

“Rick kept the Lighthouse running, literally.  He was our go to repair man, figure it out man, set it up man, and keep it moving man.  He had a real heart for the mission and said that he received much more from the Lighthouse than he ever gave.  I disagree.  This coming June would have been Rick’s 20^th year of service.  When Rick’s diagnosis was deemed terminal, he came to me with but one request.  He wanted to be able to continue working. It was my joy to grant that request.  Rest in Peace, friend.” – Platt L. Allen, III

Support The Lighthouse Promise Today!

The Lighthouse Promise: Companionship for Life to the Blind!

Descriptive Text

Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth is proud to announce Billy Goad as our new Business Development Representative for our drug testing devices.

Billy graduated from Texas A&M University in 2007 and has lived in Dallas most of his life. His sales career began 10 years ago with telecommunications and medical devices.

During his free time you can find Billy cheering on the Aggies or down in Hill Country on his family’s ranch.

“I am excited about joining the Lighthouse team, and look forward to doing my part to help out the blind community in Tarrant County.” -Billy Goad

In April we had to say goodbye to a very loved employee as Donna Miller set off to the wonderful world of retirement. For 8 years, Donna performed an amazing job as Executive Administrative Assistant to our CEO, Platt L. Allen, III.

We’ll all miss her tremendously, but she left us in great hands when she selected Rheana Maloney as her replacement!

Rheana is originally from the Springtown area in Parker County, but recently moved back to the Fort Worth area after spending several years in East Texas, doing work in juvenile and CPS courts and eventually becoming a clerk for the 124th District court in Gregg County.

Rheana is a magna cum laude graduate from the University of Texas at Tyler. She holds an HR and business management degree, as well as a paralegal degree. Rheana and her husband, Lance, have two children: CarMendi (11 years old) and Cutter (6 years old). They are active members of Keystone Church in Keller.

Rheana is dedicated to the mission behind the lighthouse and looks forward to shining that beacon of light to all Lighthouse employees.

“I feel privileged to be here.” -Rheana Maloney

Congratulations to Andrew Bernet on being selected to be featured in NIB’s upcoming Employee-Focused “A Day in the Life” video!

National Industries for the Blind, NIB, recently selected Andrew for his inspiring story to help explain the value of the work NIB is doing to provide meaningful employment for people who are blind.

Read below for Andrew’s story…

At 22 years old, Andrew was attending college at the University of Arkansas when he lost vision overnight due to diabetic retinopathy. He soon returned home to Texas and continued classes at NCTC to finish his core classes. During this time he was not aware of any rehabilitation services, but this did not stop him from making it through his first semester after becoming visually impaired.

Drew began to teach himself how to travel with an identity cane and even persuaded his professors to allow him to dictate his papers onto a cassette tape since he had not discovered screen readers. The following semester Drew discovered vocational rehabilitation services and decided to take a semester off so that he could put all his focus on these services including, orientation & mobility training. While receiving his training he decided to enroll at Stephen F. Austin University, where he received a Bachelor’s of Science in Rehabilitation Services with a focus in Orientation & Mobility.

Drew is now a Certified Orientation & Mobility Instructor at Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth.

Drew has not allowed his vision loss to stop him from living a full life! He lives independently in an apartment in Fort Worth, TX with his guide dog, Jonas. Jonas is his constant companion that hates being separated from Drew.

Aside from working full time, Drew is completing his masters in Adaptive Physical Education at Texas Women’s University in Denton, TX. On days he has class, Drew uses the bus & Uber to get to his casework for the Lighthouse before traveling approx. 60 miles to class. He takes an Uber ride to the train station in Fort Worth, a train to Dallas, a train to Carrollton, a train to Denton, & finally a bus to TWU. After class he has to take a bus from TWU to the train station in Denton, a train to Carrollton, a train to Dallas, a train to Arlington, & from there he has to either take an Uber or taxi home. This takes over 2.5 hours each way!

Drew stays active by organizing and coaching Goalball for the Lighthouse Banditos and is the captain of his Beep Ball team, the Lonestar Roadrunners. He also makes regular weekend trips to visit his lovely girlfriend, who lives 4 hours away.

And on top of this, Drew attends conferences and seminars all over the country and has begun presenting as well.

 “Laughter is my inspiration!” – Andrew Bernet

We are so excited that NIB selected Andrew for their upcoming feature! Make sure to check back, we will share the video once NIB has posted it.

Lisa Fellers is an accomplished fundraising executive with an extensive background managing communications and development departments in the non-profit, educational, and healthcare industries. As the new head of development, Lisa brings a tremendous energy and passion to the Lighthouse and is a welcomed addition to our team of dedicated professionals. Her primary responsibility is raising funds to employ and empower the blind community. She has actively built a professional network of businesses and community stakeholders and will utilize these contacts to establish a strong donor base in support of our mission.

Lisa earned two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington in PR/Journalism and Spanish as well as a master’s degree from Southwestern Seminary. Lisa most recently served as director of development for The WARM Place and previously as director of alumni relations for the University of Dallas. She held the position of director of communications for the North Texas Commission, Texas Wesleyan University and Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Lisa worked for the state as the regional public health promotion manager and directed the public relations program for The Salvation Army of Tarrant County.

Lisa is an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, bilingual in Spanish, a professional singer performing oldies music at local venues, and active in her church.

“I will be a walking billboard for the Lighthouse…it’s such an amazing organization!”

The Lighthouse for the Blind of Fort Worth is proud to announce Rick Bruner as our new Business Development Representative for boxes and tubes.

Rick’s career in business development and sales extends over 20 year, where he has focused on shipping and packaging product sales. He has received awards for top producer and has won many accolades & awards for productivity.

A lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Rick has 3 daughters with his wife, Susan, and 2 grandsons. Rick enjoys spending his free time outdoors and especially enjoys gardening and golfing. He is also active on several volunteer committees that include: Meals on Wheels & the Colonial Youth Golf Clinic. Rick attends Trinity Bible Church in Willow Park.

Rick is excited to be a part of the Lighthouse team and enjoys the camaraderie with his co-workers, as well as the new business relationships he is developing in the field.