St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired will hold our annual Visionary Gala on Saturday, April 23rd at 6 p.m. at the Palladium St. Louis, 1400 Park Place. The Society’s premier fundraising event offering live and silent auctions, exceptional raffles, and other items promises to be an exciting event for deserving professionals. Master of Ceremonies will be local television personality Jasmine Huda, and guests will be entertained by special guest, St. Louis performer Erin Bode. Awards will be presented in two categories – the Community Light Award and the James Butler Award. Co-Chairs for the evening are Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Brooks and Ms. Alice Conway. “This will be an unforgettable evening – inspiring awardees, top-notch entertainment and the chance to support an organization that takes people from the disorientation and grief of vision loss, back to an independent and satisfying life,” said Alice Conway. According to Gerald Brooks, Co-Chair, “What a momentous event this will be, presented by a great organization. An organization that for more than one hundred years, has continuously worked to enhance independence, empower individuals, and enrich the lives of people who are visually impaired, regardless of race, creed, or national origin. We are proud and honored to co-chair this event with Alice.”

Community Light Award

This year, the Community Light Award, presented to an individual or group whose accomplishments have made immeasurable impact on the blind and visually impaired population, will be presented to Monica Perlmutter.  Monica was selected for this award because she has been a referral source for the Society since 2006, when she began working in low vision rehabilitation at the Washington University Program in Occupational Therapy Community Practice. In 2015, Monica approached the Society about offering clients a 6-week program she facilitated called “Living Life with Vision Loss.” This wonderful self-management course was offered yearly at the Society for several years and multiple SLSBVI clients were able to participate and benefit from the program. Laura Park-Leach, Society President and CEO said, “We are so proud to present the Community Light Award to Monica. She has offered Leader training to staff at SLSBVI for the “Living Life with Vision Loss” program so that we might be able to offer this course continually. Monica continues to be a community partner in serving the needs of the visually impaired in the St. Louis area.”

James Butler Award 

This year, The James Butler Award, is presented to the Retina Institute. The Award is named after one of Society’s founders and recognizes the person who originally set up an endowment in 1918 and established a trust for which the Society has received funds from since the death of his wife in 1935. The award is presented to an individual who has provided long meritorious service to the Society by actively participating on the Board of Directors and/or committees of the Board and publicly advocating to doctors and other professionals the value and need for vision rehabilitation services offered by the St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired. In addition, the James Butler Award recipient advocates, educates and raises the awareness of the blind and visually impaired, provides significant referral of patients to the Society for services, and is active in developing or ensuring public policies and/or laws are kept that directly benefit those who are blind or visually impaired. According to Laura Park-Leach, President and CEO of St. Louis Society for the Blind and Visually Impaired, “The Retina Institute patients are being treated for retinal conditions such as Diabetic Retinopathy and Aged-Related Macular Degeneration. They are by far the Society’s most frequent referring practice. In fact, referrals average nearly 30% of the agency’s patients annually. We so appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with their doctors to provide patients with specialized low vision medical and rehabilitation care.”

Tickets for the event can be purchased by calling 314-968-9000, or at http://bidpal.net/2022VisionaryGala