"I chose to create a charity to help the blind and visually impaired because it hit close to home. My mother is legally blind. Unfortunately, she has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, the dry kind. There is no cure, and not only does it effect her ability to see, but her mental state suffers as a result. I recommend anyone who wants to give it a try, to go a full day blindfolded. You quickly realize how scary being blind is, how critically important eyesight is to our everyday functioning, and how important it is to help those suffering. A sad fact in life is that most people don't realize how bad help is needed until they're the ones that need it. Helping my mother as she tries to live life without her eyesight has opened my eyes to the shortcomings in resources and aides for the blind and visually impaired. She needs expensive eyewear, medical devices and other products that she can't always afford living month to month on social security. She needs delivery services and transportation services to take her to doctors appointments and bring her prescriptions. She needs products and inventions that haven't even been developed yet. But she's not alone. In the U.S., there are more than 12 million people suffering from vision impairment and over a million people are legally blind. There are donations of eyewear and other aids that need to be collected and redistributed to those in need who can't afford to buy them new. And there needs to be actual human beings they can talk to for help and resources that can be easily accessed when needed. There are so many needs we can address. Nobody can tell you what the blind need more than somebody who is suffering from blindness, so that's why I asked my mother, Elaine, to step into an important role in the development of the charity and of future projects for the betterment of the blind and visually impaired. With our success, births an organization that will help countless people for years to come. But sadly, we can't do it alone. Many people need our help, and we're wanting to change the world for the better, and that takes money. We need your help to get this charity up and running. If you'd like to help a wonderful cause, we currently accept PayPal donations (see below). Any donation is greatly appreciated and goes towards improving the lives of the blind and visually impaired. Thank you and God Bless!" 

-John F. Carter
Executive Director, HelpingTheBlind.org