Gaining freedom, friendships one mile at a time in Monroe County

EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Since 2004, the Pocono Mountains Community Fundraiser has raised more than $3,000,000 for dozens of non-profits, as Monroe County’s largest single-event fundraiser.

This year, three deserving organizations were selected to receive funding and will be honored at a big event.

These days, 87-year-old Howard Dickinson III relies on a special cane and lenses to get around. In 2017 he developed glaucoma, causing him to lose his driver’s license and sense of freedom.

“So when that happened it was like the end of the world here in the Poconos, so what would I do?” Howard said.

But Howard, who served in the army during the Cuban Missle Crisis, is back on the road again thanks to Sights for Hope, which provides transportation to those with visual impairments.

Throughout the week, drivers, like Kareem Harvey, take clients to their medical appointments and to run errands.

They can also help with tasks like reading labels in the grocery store or scheduling doctor visits.

“It’s rewarding for me to help someone else out, it’s more than money, and over time, I got to know the clients pretty well. I refer to them as my cousin, my brother from another mother. You know, we’re all family,” Harvey said.

The organization also offers a low-vision store where clients can purchase specialty items like safe knives, talking watches, and phones with big buttons.

After Helen Keller challenged the Lions Club to become Knights for the Blind, Sights for Hope formed locally in 1928, and serves about 700 people today across Monroe County and the Lehigh Valley.

“A lot of times people come to us at a very low point in life, they feel like there’s nothing left and they’re not sure how to live, and here at Sights for Hope, we give them hope that they can go back to the things that bring them joy,” said Sights for Hope Associate Director and Director of Services Jennifer Pandolfo.

Howard agrees he went from feeling isolated to independent. He also enjoys the educational resources and opportunities to socialize with others who struggle to see.

“When you’re an old man, you can’t go anywhere or do anything the way you want to. That’s the pain of being in a rocking chair, you got no future, but my future is here with my friends. I help them, they help me. It’s a mentoring of each other,” Howard explained.

Gaining freedom and friendships, one mile at a time.

It’s being held Tuesday, September 10 at Mount Airy Casino Resort, and 28/22 News Evening Anchor Candice Kelly is honored, once again, to emcee the big event when we’ll learn just how much each organization is receiving.

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