From The Daily Record in N.J.:The Seeing Eye President and CEO Jim Kutsch, with Seeing Eye dog, Colby, rang the opening bell Tuesday at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the 80th anniversary of The Seeing Eye of Morris Township this month.
The school trains dogs to lead people who are blind and visually impaired.
Founded in Nashville on Jan. 29, 1929, the oldest existing school to train dog guides expects to match its 15,000th dog with a blind person sometime during the anniversary year. The organization moved to Morris County in 1931 and has been in its current location since 1964.
"We are very excited about this opportunity to ring the opening bell," said Kutsch. "Since its beginning, The Seeing Eye has relied on the financial support of many of the corporations represented within the stock exchange. And many executives of those corporations have supported us - and continue to support us - both financially and as members of our board of trustees. Philanthropic organizations like The Seeing Eye would not exist without the support of corporate America."
The visit to Wall Street was the first of numerous celebrations taking place throughout 2009. Among those events will be a reunion of current Seeing Eye dog users, dedication of a historic marker at the school's original Nashville location, and
a number of regional fundraising events across the United States and Canada.Since 1929, Seeing Eye dog users have experienced greatly enhanced mobility and independence, allowing them to retain their active lifestyles despite blindness.
Today, about 1,800 people throughout the United States and Canada are actively working with Seeing Eye dogs. Although other schools exist to train dog guides, the movement was pioneered by the founders of The Seeing Eye: Dorothy Harrison Eustis, Morris Frank, and the first Seeing Eye dog, Buddy.
The Seeing Eye is a trademarked name and can only be used to describe the dogs bred and trained at the school's facilities in Morristown.