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A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND OF THE PALM BEACHES, INC., A FLORIDA BASED NONPROFIT (REGISTRATION NO. CH77), MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL FREE 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE OR VISITING AT [www.freshfromflorida.com or https://csapp.800helpfla.com/cspublicapp/giftgiversquery/giftgiversquery.aspx.] REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. THE LIGHTHOUSE FOR THE BLIND OF THE PALM BEACHES, INC. RECEIVES 100% OF EACH CONTRIBUTION.

Become a part of the Lighthouse Legacy SocietyThe Lighthouse Legacy Society recognizes those who have chosen to remember the Lighthouse in their wills so that our services may be perpetuated far into the future for anyone who will someday need our help coping with vision loss.

To learn more, please visit lighthousepalmbeaches.org.

We thank you!Your continued support is very much appreciated and makes our work possible. Together, we can continue to light the way for persons with visual impairments.

You can extend your support by:• Attending or sponsoring events• Giving online through a financial contribution• Making a planned gift• Becoming an agency sponsor

We are grateful for the support of our donors, sponsors and partners. Your generosity allows us to continue our legacy of making a difference to those in our community who are blind or visually impaired. Please visit lighthousepalmbeaches.org for listings of those who have helped us light the way in 2015.

Public Support$1,790,586

76.2%

Contracted Services$552,607

23.5%

Other$7,355

.3%

Revenue: $2,350,548

Expenses: $924,775

Program & Vision Services$806,482

87.2%

AdministrativeExpenses$84,965

9.2%

Fundraising$33,328

3.6%

A Lighthouse staff member teaches a client how to use assistive technology to read canned food labels as part of the organization’s Independent Living Skills Training Program.

Lighthouse staff members provide orientation and mobility instruction to clients so they may travel throughout the community independently and safely.

Lighthouse summer camp students learn about Palm Tran ServicesLighthouse Kid’s Camp children who are either completely blind or visually impaired and ranging from second through twelfth grades visited the Palm Tran office to learn about local sources of transit.

Palm Tran Connection (paratransit), transported the children and Lighthouse staff to the Palm Tran office where they received a tour, presentation and the opportunity to explore a city bus. The children also experienced an audio demonstration of the many different sounds of a bus, which were unfamiliar to most of them. They learned about different modes of transportation, employment opportunities and accessibility. Each child received an ADA photo ID bus pass to use on future bus trips.

The children wanted to “give back” to Palm Tran. They did so by inviting Palm

Tran staff to the Lighthouse to receive a CCTV (magnifying reading machine) from the Lighthouse’s used equipment program. Palm Tran now has the CCTV at their office, enabling visually impaired individuals who come into the Palm Tran office to more easily fill out applications and other paperwork.

Dear Friend,

We are pleased to share with you this Annual Report on the Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches’ activities and finances in 2015. It was a significant year for philanthropic donations. Thanks to the generous support of people like you, we received a record number of financial contributions in 2015.

The Lighthouse exists to serve people who are affected by vision loss or blindness to become more independent. We are fortunate to have so many who help in this effort: a terrific board of directors and excellent staff who have acted as advisors and colleagues over the years, helping to inform and strengthen our work. Thanks to the efforts of these dedicated individuals, we have been the leading non-profit for people who are legally blind serving Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties since 1946.

The Lighthouse is committed to effectiveness. And we thank you, our supporters and donors, for your commitment to our effectiveness and your support of our work.

Marvin A. Tanck, President and CEO

2015 total persons served: 1,342

Assistive Technology – Smart Phone and Computer Instruction

Independent Living Skills Training – Personal and Home Management

Orientation and Mobility Instruction – Travel Training and Cane Skills

Adjustment to Blindness Counseling – Individual Counseling and Support Groups

Children’s Services – Community Integration, Career Exploration

Low Vision Clinic and Services – Magnifiers and Optical Devices Prescribed

Mission Statement:Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches assists persons with visual impairments to develop their capabilities to the fullest and to utilize them in the pursuits of life which are the right and privilege of all.

Lighthouse technology training specialist demonstrates the iMac’s screen reader feature

Children and their supporters at the Fund the Gap Rally in Tallahassee

Children urge lawmakers to “Fund the Gap”Blind and visually impaired children gathered in Tallahassee in 2015 to get the support they need to live better with their visual impairments. They asked for money towards underfunded programs that provide rehabilitation and education services to children between the ages of six and 13.

Current funding for this program is extremely minimal. Though funds exist for programs for children from infancy to age five, and then from 14 to age 22. The age group in the middle needs additional funding for basic needs. The Lighthouse has relied on other funding sources to serve children who fit into the age six to 13 gap.

Lighthouse chosen as “Charity of the Year”The Palm Beach Board of Realtors selected the Lighthouse’s Children’s Services as their “Charity of the Year.” A significant donation was made to support this program. Some of the funds were used to organize social opportunities for the children through a summer picnic and winter holiday party.

Able Trust grant provides equipment for Lighthouse clientsThe Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches received grant funds from the Able Trust to purchase an Apple iMac computer through which clients will receive instruction.

The iMac, which has a Retina 5K Display and built-in Zoom screen magnification and screen reader features, will go a long way in helping clients to learn to use the computer in spite of their visual impairments.

Clients benefit from the magnification, color and contrast enhancements, and the VoiceOver screen reading software. VoiceOver allows clients with severely decreased vision to learn how to interact with a computer by listening instead of looking at the screen and controlling the computer with keyboard commands and touch gestures.

Cover photo: Transition Program participants visit Southeastern Guide Dogs during college week