Lighthouse Guild marked its annual cocktail reception on September 16 at the historic Explorers Club, where host Marc Rosen welcomed 150 guests before Board Chair Jim Dubin introduced the organization’s new President & CEO, Thomas Panek. Blind since his early twenties and guided by his dog, Ten, Panek is known for combining mission and innovation—he became the first person to complete a half-marathon guided by dogs in 2019, and later the first blind runner to complete a solo 5K through Central Park without human or canine assistance. Calling the venue “fitting” for a mission that advances science and broadens our understanding of the world, Panek previewed what’s ahead: exploring new opportunities, accelerating technology, and expanding horizons for community members like Amanie—and many more.
The evening’s headline moment came when Rosen announced The Harry Benson Center for Photography for the Visually Impaired—an unprecedented collaboration with the legendary photographer Harry Benson CBE. Drawing on Lighthouse Guild’s expertise in vision rehabilitation and Benson’s six-decade career (from The Beatles’ first U.S. tour to intimate portraits of leaders and artists), the Center will empower people who are blind or visually impaired to engage with photography as art, expression, and connection. A short film, A Mind’s Eye, earned rousing applause before Benson and his wife, Gigi, stood to a warm ovation.
Notables in attendance included Sharon Bush, Mai Hallingby, Kerry Kennedy, Jackie Weld Drake, Pamela Fiori, Pamela Yates, Maureen Lippe, Kathy Bleznak, and many longtime friends of the Guild—capping a night that looked squarely, and imaginatively, toward what comes next.