Citing its rich history in developing trendsetting programs in low vision care, employment and other areas to benefit people who are blind or visually impaired, The Chicago Lighthouse is being saluted this fall as one of America’s top 50 charities by The Hope Bus, a national non-profit foundation that promotes the work of social service agencies.

The Lighthouse, which is the only Chicago charity being recognized, will be honored this coming Monday, October 5, during a national “50 Charities in 50 Days” bus tour conducted by the foundation.

The tour, which kicked off in New York City on September 21, is crisscrossing the eastern part of the nation, calling attention to the work being done by charities like the Lighthouse to improve the lives of people in their respective communities and to urge greater volunteer and financial support for those efforts.

“With its long tradition of excellence in ably serving the blind community and for the universal respect it has earned, The Chicago Lighthouse easily made our “Top 50 list,” said Helena Nyman, founder of the Richmond, Virginia based Hope Bus.

She noted that a major objective of the national bus tour is to encourage
the Lighthouse and other leading charities to build alliances and share scarce resources in an attempt to strengthen their organizations in a tough economy that is especially challenging for nonprofits.

“We’re thrilled to receive this kind of recognition and to be honored by a visit from Ms. Nyman and her distinguished colleagues,” said Dr. Janet Szlyk, the Lighthouse’s executive director. “Our Lighthouse family is looking forward with great anticipation to their visit and to hearing about their inspirational mission!” Dr. Szlyk noted that her agency has a day-long series of activities planned for The Hope Bus delegation, including the presentation of a clock made by visually impaired workers at the Lighthouse.

Nyman, who herself has had a long history of charitable activism and involvement before establishing The Hope Bus, plans to utilize the latest technological innovations to create a nationwide Hope Community by setting up “Hope Centers” that will offer interactive teaching sessions through webinars, teleseminars, online forums and community outreach programs.

“By highlighting community-based charities, my goal is for residents living in these communities to be inspired to actively support the charities that are doing good in their home towns. With the growth and power of social media networks, I’m confident that the back stories of these charities will ignite a call for action in the hearts and minds of residents to carry on the Hope Bus mission,” she stated.
Sponsors of the Hope Bus tour include AT&T, Pampered Chef, My Final Destination Travel Agency, The Melting Pot, Legacy Estate Planning, Custom Ink, Excellence on Ice, Koyal Wholesale, Baker’s Crust, Kroger’s, Bank of Virginia, Droisys, Richmond’s Visual Arts Center, Gray Wolf Trading, O Zone Ashland (Virginia), La Quinta Hotel in Chicago and inspirational speakers Bob Burg, Dr. Steve Taubman, Terri Levine, Lillian Lambert, Stacy Adams, Gloria Thomas, Sarah Walsh and Uschi Keszler. Many individuals, some of them anonymously, also contributed to the tour.
The Hope Bus is accepting Gas Cards and Grocery Cards for their tour since this represents a Grassroots Movement and still partially financed out of pocket. Donations are tax-deductible and can be sent to: The Hope Bus, 3319 Ashdown Rd., Richmond, VA 23235.
For more information and for a list of all the charities being recognized, visit The Hope Bus website at www.thehopebus.org.