[NABS-L] Flight for Sight Grants Announced

[David Andrews]

Press Release_ Flight for Sight Grant Winners Announced.pdf
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Contact Information:
Mike Walsh Founder and ExecutiveDirector (608) 
609-8919 Mike at FlightforSight.net
Release Date:
June 8, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flight for Sight Announces First Round of Grant Recipients
NEW YORK, NY – A new nonprofit providing travel 
grants to individuals who are blind or have low 
vision has awarded its inaugural round of three $10,000
grants.
Flight for Sight received over a hundred 
applications from across the US and from Canada, 
the UK, Australia, Belgium, Tanzania, and Turkey during its first
applicationperiod, which ran from March 1 through May 1, 2023.
On Monday, June 5, theFlight for Sight board 
voted to name Brian Fischler, Anthony Reyers, and 
duo Marybai Huking and Eliana Mason as the first cohort
of travelers.
Brian Fischler, an experienced podcaster, will 
launch Flight for Sight’s podcast. He will be 
sitting down with a blind/visually impaired person in cities
across the U.S. to discuss the experience of 
living in and traveling to those cities. Brian 
will also document his experience bringing his guide dog, Wesley,
through airports, train stations, and to Major 
League Baseball stadiums in each city.
Anthony Reyers is the DJ half of Xijaro and 
Pitch, a producer/DJ trance music duo. He will 
create episodes that will serve as resources for blind/visually
impairedmusicians and sighted audiences alike while touring Europe and Asia.
Marybai Huking and Eliana Mason are goalball 
Paralympic medalists. They will travel to Europe 
to help blind sports organizations become more involved ingoalball
and promote the value and importance of 
teamsports for improving health, confidence, and 
mental well-being inthe blind community.
“I am very excited to see what this group of 
people will create,” said MikeWalsh, Founder and 
Executive Director of Flight for Sight. “Getting this projectoff
the ground has been a dream of mine. It has been 
lot of work, but it has been incredibly 
rewarding. We look forward to continuing to build a community
of blind and low vision people who enjoy 
traveling and educating others about blindness.”
The grant recipients will travel between June and 
October 2023. They will createsocial media 
content along the way and produce various final pieces that
will serve as inspiring and educational resources 
for blind, low vision, and sighted folks alike.
Find Flight for Sight online:
FlightforSight.net

facebook.com/FlightforSight

instagram.com/FlightforSight

About Flight for Sight:
Flight for Sight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit 
organization, founded by Mike Walsh in 2021, with 
the mission of giving individuals who are blind or have low
vision the opportunity to explore the world, 
engage with others, and educate people about 
their lifestyles and experiences. Mike was diagnosed with Usher
syndrome in 1997. By 2014, his vision had 
deteriorated to the point where he could no 
longer drive and used a cane to get around. He launched a social
media campaign to crowdsource ideas for places he 
should see before his vision became any worse. 
During his travels, he conducted interviews with other
people experiencing vision loss and created a 
blog. He established Flight for Sight to give 
other people the chance to take a meaningful trip and produce
educational content to advance the understanding of blindness.
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