Lois Tyson Campbell

For 16 years, volunteer Lois Tyson Campbell has supported Lighthouse Guild’s mission to provide people who are visually impaired with the tools and services they need to live full and independent lives.

According to Volunteer Services Director Cheryl Pemberton-Graves, “Lois does this by going wherever there is a need, and being actively involved in a variety of our programs.”

Volunteering is very personal for Lois, who had a great uncle who was blind. “We lived in a part of the South where there were no local resources he could rely on. Although he was fiercely independent, I saw that there was a need for people like my great uncle to get help—so as a youth, I thought ‘one day, I will do something to assist visually impaired people.’”

And so she has. At the dispensary, she makes clients feel comfortable as they get eye check-ups and glasses. At youth programs, she has mentored students, helped them prepare for the GED, assisted during exercise classes and music programs, and accompanied children and teens on field trips to libraries, parks, and other venues. She has also demonstrated Lighthouse Guild products and lent a hand at special events.

“Growing up near my great uncle I learned that a visual impairment is just one aspect of a person’s life, and this has been reinforced in my work with Lighthouse Guild clients,” Lois said. “Sometimes, they just need a little bit of help to live more independently, and it’s an honor to be part of a community that is there for them.”