RECEPTION AND 

SILENT AUCTION 

ON MAY 17

The Cast poses for a Photo at the end of the show.

 If our event on March 28 were reviewed, it would have gotten raves and 5 stars from those attending. The elegance of Playwrights Horizons added to the general mood of celebration. The evening opened with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and the opportunity to meet and chat with some of the performers. The performance began at 7 PM with the singing of the National Anthem. 

The Musical Director, Charles Lindberg, was introduced and then Abe Vigoda took the stage. Since he had recently celebrated his 90th birthday, Julie Diniz sang "Happy Birthday" in a style reminiscent of the late Marilyn Monroe, and then focused on Mr. Vigoda with a very seductive aria from Carmen.

 Raissa Katona Bennett showed the audience why she is a Broadway star and a Cabaret award winner. 

She was followed by Christina Holms who sang an opera aria, a duet and then "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" accompanied by Bill Wurtzel. 

Wurtzel continued with jazz stylings

and shared the stage with Tide

Hanaka on bass. 

Ron Madden followed with 

an aria, a duet,

and "The Impossible Dream."

Charles Lindberg had the chance to show off his skill on the piano with a fun piece he called "Galloping Sabre Dance," and then Joyce Randolph took the stage to officially welcome dignitaries in the audience, and read a piece about the men and women who are serving in the Armed Forces. 

The USO Liberty Bells performed a medley of patriotic songs, and Fr. John closed the evening with a rendition of "Bring Him Home," a tribute to the veterans and led the audience in singing "God Bless America." 

Patrons had a chance to meet privately with the performers and all gathered back in the lobby for prosecco and more hors d'oeuvres. 

Of course, any contributions made to the Xavier Society for the Blind are tax-deductible. But if your company has a corporate sharing or a matching gifts program, we get even more from your gift.

And when you are planning for the future, it only takes a moment to remember the Xavier Society for the Blind in your will.

The web site for the Xavier Society for the Blind was made possible by a generous grant from the Knights of Malta, and we thank them for their support of our work.

The web site is designed to be accessible to screen reading programs, and those who have registered with the XSB have a special section where they can make address changes, order books from the library and download or sign up to receive periodicals. For more information on how to register, or how to get online, contact

clientservices@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org

FACTS ABOUT THE XSB

MORE PICTURES FROM THE SPRING GALA

VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAM

Since 2010, the Xavier Society for the Blind has embarked on a strategic initiative to serve a "forgotten" audience of both recently disabled as well as aging Veterans. "Don't Lose Sight of God!" is the theme behind our efforts. Reaching out to this admittedly niche audience is consistent with our mission to provide specialized encouragement and support, in this case to Veterans with vision impairments.

 After the trauma, first you cry. Then you realize that there can be productive life after blindness or significant vision loss. It is now apparent to all of us that most visually impaired people today can do just about anything sighted people can do, albeit with a lot more effort and, perhaps, some assistance.

An eye-opening statistic: From now to the year 2020, the Veterans Administration estimates there will be over 1 million Veterans with significant visual impairment and legal blindness. Since 9/11, the number of Disabled Veterans in America has swelled from 2.1 to 3 million. 38% of Veterans of the Global War on Terror have filed disability claims. Currently, there are 157,000 Veterans in the United States who are legally blind. Veterans of previous wars are suffering from age-related macular degeneration, a chronic condition causing vision loss.

Eye injuries account for 13% of injuries to Veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the "improvised explosive device" is the enemy's weapon of choice. About 60-70% of severe and moderate traumatic brain injury cases also include some form of visual impairment. VA statistics indicate that there will be a sustained need for services and assistance even 40 years from now.

The Xavier Society is in the forefront of bringing this problem to national attention with its participation in the Department of Defense Wounded Warrior Task Force, and by liaison with the major national Veterans organizations, including the Catholic War Veterans and American Legion. We are developing special programs uniquely tailored to the needs of both the young and older Veteran alike. This is our contribution to the war effort and to the on-going support of those injured on the front lines while defending our freedom.