Donation will support rehabilitation initiatives for people who are blind or have low vision and name The Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation.

Gordon Gund (left) and his two sons Grant (center) and Zack (right) stand in front of the newly dedicated Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation during a ceremony on December 5th, 2021 at the Carroll Center for the Blind.

NEWTON, Mass. (January 20, 2022) – The Carroll Center for the Blind, a national leader in services for individuals who are blind or have low vision, today announced a record donation from Gordon Gund and the Gund Family in the amount of $1.5 million. This transformational gift will support rehabilitation programs provided in the main building on the Carroll Center’s Newton, MA campus and the renaming of the building to The Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation.

The Carroll Center is the foremost leader in vision rehabilitation and has been serving people with vision impairments for over eight decades. The programs offered in The Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation are key to producing successful outcomes for clients to live independently—whether it be obtaining or retaining employment, school advancement and college transition, community engagement, essential skill development or emotional adjustment to vision loss. The building houses programs like manual & sensory arts instruction, braille instruction, assistive technology and device training, personal management and essential skills instruction, low vision services, vocational training, adjustment counseling, fencing, recreational and social enrichment activities, and more.

Mr. Gund’s gift is the largest outright gift in the Center’s 85-year history and aligns with the Gund family’s ongoing support of the blindness community for the past five decades. Gordon Gund, a prominent American businessman, philanthropist, former sports team owner and family man, was rendered totally blind at age 31 due to a progressive genetic disease called retinitis pigmentosa. In 1971—one year after becoming blind—Gordon and his wife Lulie, along with others, created the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) to find treatments and cures for inherited retinal diseases. As someone with vision loss, Gund has a profound understanding of the critical need for vision rehabilitation services like those offered at the Carroll Center for the Blind.

“The values and the qualities of the services provided by the Carroll Center are extraordinarily helpful to people who are dealing with blindness or visual impairment. I know my wife Lulie would be proud to have her name attached to this vision rehabilitation center,” said Gordon Gund. “I also know she would join me and the rest of our family in wishing the Carroll Center, its board, and its tremendously capable dedicated staff continued success in their efforts to assist the thousands of visually impaired and blind people, who will come through these doors over many years to come, to achieve independence, self-confidence and a fulfilling life.”

The Carroll Center for the Blind officially renamed the main building during an intimate ceremony on December 5, 2021. The Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation will carry the namesake of Gordon’s late wife, Lulie, who was instrumental in supporting him throughout his personal journey with vision loss. Together, they formed a special bond of support and respect that would serve as a catalyst for success in their charitable and business pursuits.

Zack Gund (left), Gordon Gund (center) and Grant Gund (right) pose beside a plaque honoring Llura “Lulie” Gund inside the newly dedicated Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation at the Carroll Center for the Blind.

“The history of this building is great, but the future of this building is even greater,” said Gregory J. Donnelly, President and CEO of the Carroll Center for the Blind. “Gordon’s $1.5 million gift will help us transform and further innovate our services so we can keep doing what we do best—offering education, experiences and opportunities so that our clients can pursue their passions and reach their fullest potential.”

To learn more about contributing to the Carroll Center for the Blind, please contact Dara Dalmata, Chief Development and Communications Officer at dara.dalmata@carroll.org.

About the Carroll Center for the Blind
Established in 1936, The Carroll Center for the Blind empowers those who are blind and visually impaired to achieve independence and to lead a fulfilling life. The nonprofit organization provides services for individuals of all ages including vision rehabilitation services, vocational and transition programs, assistive technology training, educational support, low vision services and essential skills for seniors, and more. For more information, visit www.carroll.org.