Why I support Vision Foundation
My name is David Gold, and I was a member of Vision Foundation’s Centenary Appeal Board, which focused on employment for blind and partially sighted people. I’d like to share my story of working alongside Vision Foundation and why I support the charity, in the hope that you will consider supporting them too.
My maternal grandparents were wonderful people who had to stand in and take care of my sister and myself for a variety of reasons. They weren’t wealthy people and yet they had this incredible sense of generosity. My grandfather lost his sight in his 60s and yet still continued to try and work. But one day, on a journey into Waterloo station, he believed the train was fully on the platform but it wasn’t. He fell out of the train and was badly injured. Thankfully that could not happen these days. However, London is still not nearly as safe and accessible as it should be for blind and visually impaired people, particularly around the world of work. My grandmother also started to lose her sight, so Vision Foundation was definitely the right place for me to be able to do something for them and in their name.
My gift to Vision Foundation will directly support projects that are knocking down the barriers facing blind and partially sighted people in securing and retaining paid work. It seems incredible to me that this wonderful group of talented people are denied the opportunity to work by unaware and ill equipped employers. But with Vision Foundation’s help, visually impaired young adults taking their first steps into the workplace are supported by a mentor, those re-entering employment following sudden sight loss receive essential training in assistive technology, and employers receive guidance in how to support their visually impaired applicants and colleagues. 
Vision Foundation’s aim is to prevent avoidable sight loss, and to ensure that those who are blind or partially sighted can live equal and fulfilled lives like anyone else. It is an ambitious and determined charity, and over 100 years since it began, it shows no signs of slowing down. But Vision Foundation can’t do it alone. In recent years the charities that are a lifeline for people with sight loss have faced terrible financial strain. Funding has been cut, projects and services discontinued, leaving many people feeling isolated, hopeless, fearful, and with nowhere else to turn. The funding that Vision Foundation provides is more important now than ever. And that’s where you come in.
By leaving a gift to Vision Foundation in your Will, you will ensure that the projects and services that blind and partially sighted people rely upon will be around now and in the future. No matter the size of your gift, it will make a difference and you will have the profound joy of knowing that what you care deeply about will be in existence for years to come.
Leaving a lasting legacy
A gift in your Will – whatever the size – is a wonderful way to always be there for the blind and partially sighted children and adults who need your help.
Leaving a gift in your Will can be empowering and inspiring, and is often the most significant gift you can give to charity. Gifts in Wills enable Vision Foundation to continue to fund crucial projects and services that support blind and partially sighted people for now and future generations.
We want to continue to empower, inform and include those living with sight loss in our communities and create a fairer society for everyone. You can help us achieve this by leaving Vision Foundation a gift in your Will.
Our Gifts in Wills guide contains all the information you need about the importance of gifts in Wills and how to include Vision Foundation in yours, writing your Will for free and some inspiring legacy stories. You can download a PDF version of the guide for free below.
