Jay & Lulu

The summer before Lulu started 10^th grade, her friends kept mentioning a new student, Jay, who was expected to join their high school in the fall. She kept hearing words like cool, funny – yet when he showed up on the first day of school, Lulu’s first thought was: This is him? What’s the hype?  

Maybe it was Jay’s  cheesy puns, but let’s just say that Lulu wasn’t impressed.  

But fate – and a Saturday morning bus route to Lighthouse Guild – changed everything. 

Although Jay and Lulu didn’t get to interact much at school, they had one important thing in common: the Lighthouse Guild Teen Program, a supportive space where teens with vision impairment explore activities, grow skills, and form lasting friendships.  

Every week, Lulu would be the first person on the bus, settling into her seat with excitement as she looked forward to escaping life’s chaos for a few hours. Jay, on the other hand, was always the last pickup. Without fail, he’d look for her and find her – no matter where she sat – always hoping he could sit with her.  

At first, Lulu found this annoying. She was a bit shy, and protective of her alone time. But Jay had a way of making her laugh. He’d playfully tease her until she cracked a smile, and he hung on every word she said with genuine care and warmth.  

“He was so respectful, so sweet, and so kind to everyone,” Lulu remembers. “I started to see him differently.” 

For Lulu, Saturdays weren’t just a place to hang out with Jay; they were also a refuge where she could block out the stress of life and explore her skills and interests. She particularly loved the drama classes, which offered her an opportunity to step out of her comfort zone and express herself. 

“I didn’t even know acting was attainable for a visually impaired person. Those classes helped me make so many new friends, because we were all exploring this new world together,” Lulu said. 

 And of course, when Jay was in her group, he always had everyone laughing. 

“I had so much fun there,” Lulu says. “I loved meeting new people, making new friends. Saturdays were just…. perfect.” 

After high school, when they were no longer meeting up on Saturdays, life pulled Lulu and Jay in different directions. Lulu traveled, worked as a vet tech, and returned to school, forging her own path forward. 

Jay, meanwhile, never stopped wondering where Lulu was. 

Six years later, fate intervened again. 

Lulu entered her friend’s apartment building, heard a distinct voice, and immediately knew Jay was across the lobby. She wanted to say hello, but she hesitated – and the moment was gone. After that night, she made a point to reach out to Jay to reconnect. Soon after, Jay asked if he could take her on a date, and Lulu said yes.  

Their first date sealed the deal. They spent hours talking, laughing, and sharing their interests in the same sports. Lulu felt like she was right back on the bus heading to Lighthouse Guild.  

“I felt so comfortable,” Lulu says. “Everything just felt so right.” 

Today, Jay and Lulu are inseparable, and they compete together in adaptive athletics all year round.  

This spring, Jay and Lulu will be replacing their old bus seat with bike seats, as they prepare to ride together on Team Lighthouse Guild in the TD 5 Boro Bike Tour. 

And Jay? He’s now a fitness instructor for the same Saturday Teen Program where he and Lulu first connected all those years ago.  

As they embark on new adventures together, Lulu and Jay are not only celebrating their own personal journey of friendship and love – they are also honoring the incredible impact of Lighthouse Guild and its Teen Program, which brought their tandem hearts together and continues to inspire so many young lives.