Dear Friends,
Happy New Year to you! It’s hard to believe another year of exciting accomplishments has raced by!
2023 marked 50 years of service to individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired. We’re proud to have served approximately 2,500 people each year, totaling 125,000+ individuals, by offering lifechanging services that maximize independence. We look forward to continuing our important work for the blind and visually impaired community in Broward County for the next half century and beyond!
In order to make this vision a reality, as you may know, we sold our current building in Fort Lauderdale and plan to move into our new and improved, larger facility in Sunrise. We’re thrilled that our newer facility offers much more space and is centrally located in Broward County. Our new headquarters will allow us to serve more individuals who are blind and visually impaired and accommodate robust programming, additional learning and more opportunities for client socialization.
We expect that we will be fully functional and operational at our new location, 5901 Del Lago Circle in Sunrise, by March 1st.
In other big news, an amazing 50th Anniversary Dining in the Dark Celebration took place in November. We had a packed house with more than 250 guests, many generous sponsors, great live and silent auction prizes and more! We are extremely grateful to our presenting sponsor, The Josephine S. Leiser Foundation, which has supported the Lighthouse for many years. They truly have a heart for the blind and visually impaired.
Another great partner is American Heritage School. While American Heritage supports the Lighthouse in many ways, hosting the HEROES benefit concert is certainly the highlight. The 2023 event featured Journey and Bon Jovi tribute bands – a rockin’ time was had by all!
2023 was great for our Lighthouse kids, who participated in our STEAM event, our ever-popular spring Eggstravaganza, a literary gathering offering books and resources to encourage our youth to improve their literary skills, and a fun back-to-school party!
Plus, our 2023 Snow Party will take place in 2024 this year! We had to postpone the Snow Party due to rainy weather. In January, our young clients and their siblings will have the opportunity to play in a huge pile of snow, jump in a bounce house, decorate cookies, run around an obstacle course, and more! We hope you’ll join us.
It has been a banner year here at the Lighthouse. We’re very thankful to continue to provide resources and training to empower our clients this coming year. Doing this important work brings us great joy.
Sincerely,
Ellyn Drotzer, MSW, LCSW
President and CEO
Important Building Closure Dates & Updates
- LHOB Closed for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Monday January 15, 2024.
- Lighthouse Book Club will start again on January 26th.
- LHOB Closed for President’s Day, Monday February 19, 2024.
- In-person operations will begin at 5901 Building: on Monday February 26, 2024. (5901 Del Lago Circle, Sunrise, FL 33313.)
- Flamingo Gardens Event February 14th 11:00-2:00 at Flamingo Gardens (3750 S Flamingo Rd, Davie, FL 33330)
LHOB Social Groups and Activities: For all events you must RSVP in advance as space is limited.
Fitness Class: Every Friday 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
This class will include stretching, strengthening, balance exercises, cardio and relaxation. Most exercises will be done seated but there will be some standing exercises included.
Arts & Crafts Friday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Find your creativity and join us for some painting!
- January 12th Paint flowerpot
- February 9th Paint canvas “Love”
- March 8th Paint canvas bag
Book Club will meet 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. For more information, please contact our Social Activities Director Heather Guthrie at 954-463-4217 ext. 138 or Hguthrie@lhob.org.
Book club Books/Dates:
- Jan 26, 2024: Desert Star by Michael Connelly, 9.41, Bestseller/Suspense, DB111394
- March 22, 2024: Horse by Geraldine Brooks, 14.9 Historical Fiction/Bestseller, DB108556
- April 26, 2023: Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders by David Grann, NF/US Hist., 9.6, DB87767
Trivia Group: January 5th February 2nd and March 1st from 10am-12pm. When raucous laughter is heard in the halls of the Lighthouse, you can be sure it’s coming from the trivia group. Questions on a variety of subjects are read by a volunteer, and anyone who thinks they have the answer is free to call it out. Please RSVP at 954-463-4217 ext. 0.
BINGO: Friday, January 19th 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Flower Arranging: Friday, February 16th 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Board Games/cards: Friday, March 15th 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Uno, Checkers, Chess, Monopoly)
Descriptive movies: Join us for a movie, popcorn, and treats. The movies will be shown in the Boardroom and will start at 10:00a.m. Please RSVP at 954-463-4217 ext. 0.
Thursday January 11th
River Wild
2023 | Maturity Rating:PG-13
A group of whitewater rafters becomes stranded in raging rapids when they're targeted by a saboteur intent on keeping shocking secrets buried.
Thursday February 8th
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Rated TV-14
When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school existence turned upside down.
Thursday March 14th
Harriet
2019 | Maturity Rating:PG-13
In this biopic, Harriet Tubman makes a harrowing escape from slavery and then risks her life to lead others to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Flamingo Gardens Trip:
Join us at Flamingo Gardens Feb 14th from 11:00-2:00. Please arrive by 11:00 as the special tour will start then. Lunch will be provided complete with drink and cookie (salad, ham sub, or turkey sub). There will be no substitutions for lunch. Current and Past clients are invited. You can bring one adult guest. RSVP to the front desk at 954-463-4217 ext. 110. Space is limited.
Support for Past and Present LHOB Clients:
Every Wednesday from 1:00-2:00. This support group is to help participants who want to connect with other individuals who are visually impaired. Instructors will discuss strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. Members of this group can connect; share their experiences, coping strategies, and their strength and hope.
Join the call: https://www.uberconference.com/room/lhobsupport
Optional dial-in number: 954-451-0380
No PIN needed.
International Access Numbers: https://www.uberconference.com/international
For more information, contact Angela Gerald 954-463-4217 or agerald@LHOB.org.
*Dates, time, and location of social activities are subject to change please visit our website at www.lhob.org/publications or call our activities line at 954-463-4217 ext. 8 for Up-To-Date information on social activities and meetings. *