VISIONS celebrates 88 years of service in aiding the blind

On Thursday, March 13th, VISIONS, which assists people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired to lead independent and active lives, held their 21st Annual Bronx Advisory Board Dinner at the F&J Pine Restaurant to recognize those who have supported the organization over the years. Gary Axelbank, of BronxTalk, emceed the event and introduced the various sponsors of the organization, including Monroe College, the Fordham Road BID, the Yankees Organization, and MetroOptics Eyewear, among others. This years honorees, who were selected for making a difference in the lives of thousands across the city were community leader Muriel Axelbank, Johanna Espinosa of Monroe College, Carol Laurenzano of the New York Yankees, Ralph Scottino of the Bronx Rotary Club, and Michael Ungaro, founder of Metro Optics Eyewear.

VISIONS is distinct among other not-for-profit organizations in that 87% of all donations goes to programs to assist the blind. This is a significant contribution, especially when the unemployment rate for blind residents in NYC is over 70%. VISIONS’ “Pathways to Employment” program helps to combat the high unemployment rate by training individuals in basic skills and finding employers to hire the trainees.

To find out more about or how you can support the organization’s mission, visit their website at: http://www.visionsvcb.org/visions. To view more photos from the event, visit the Bronx On The Go Official Facebook page.