Message from Glenn Hoagland, President and CEO of The Seeing Eye

Many thanks to all the CFC donors who support The Seeing Eye!
What has impressed me most about The Seeing Eye is our clarity of purpose. Every person at The Seeing Eye, directly or indirectly, helps fulfill our mission: To enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye® dogs.
Whether it is a college student or a retiree, someone in the workforce or a stay-at-home parent, our graduates come from all walks of life. They take many different paths to get here, but when they leave they do so with the confidence and mobility to travel safely anywhere in the world.
By supporting The Seeing Eye, you make this possible. Here are just two stories of the thousands of partnerships we have created at The Seeing Eye. And thanks to your continuing generosity, The Seeing Eye is creating new stories of amazing partnerships every day.
Rosemary M. & Kato
Rosemary M. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, came to The Seeing Eye to be matched with her third Seeing Eye dog, a black Labrador retriever named Kato.
"I like to think that the secret of The Seeing Eye is in the magic of the match," Rosemary said. "Kato is the perfect combination of my first two guides. He has the confidence and diligence of Jordan, the affection of Star, and is as loyal as both."
Rosemary is a contract specialist for a federal agency and works on a military base. "My building holds about 800 people, and Kato was able to locate my cubicle after only a few trips with little direction from me. I’m not sure who will be more excited to go back into the office once Covid-related restrictions are lifted," she said.

David S. & Speedwell
Lieutenant David S. was blinded by shrapnel while commanding a tank in Vietnam. He came to The Seeing Eye to be matched with his first Seeing Eye dog in 1969; more than 40 years later, he returned to be matched with his sixth, a golden retriever named Speedwell.
David, who was awarded the Silver Star for his heroism that day, earned a law degree from the University of Denver, then became an attorney and later a judge. He retired as a Superior Court judge for the County of San Diego in 2016.
“I had a great career. I was very fortunate,” David said. “Life gives you opportunities, but you have to be ready to take advantage of them.”
Now that he’s retired, David said, he can focus on his golf game. “I never miss the ball, and I can drive it pretty good,” he said. “Just point me in the right direction.”