Sights for Hope Team Awards Recognize Service and Response to Critical Need

By Sights for Hope Team |
Ten adults standing and smiling in a banquet room, with nine of them holding framed awards recognizing years of service and volunteer excellence.

Sights for Hope recognized the dedication of its team members – both in years of service and in meeting critical needs – with its 2026 team awards.

During its annual Team Appreciation Luncheon, Sights for Hope presented service milestone awards of at least five years to nine of its 27 employees, three volunteers, and a member of its Board of Directors.

One of Sights for Hope’s volunteer excellence award recipients, Donna Flanagan, was among a group of volunteers who stepped in during temporary shortages in Lehigh Valley prevention services staff. Through March, volunteer service hours performing pre-kindergarten vision screenings were more than four times higher than at the same point last year.

“The longevity of so many of our professional staff members and our volunteers’ response to a timely need shows an immense commitment to our mission and the people we serve,” said Dennis Zehner, Executive Director and CEO of Sights for Hope. “Our team members have different roles, but their collective energy accomplishes wonderful things that none of us could do alone. Because of them, people in our communities are maximizing their potential, however they see the world.”

A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s CEO in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s CEO in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.
A Sights for Hope team member receiving an award during the Team Appreciation Luncheon, presented by the organization’s Board Treasurer in recognition of their service and contributions.

The service award honorees included the following.

  • Five-Year Staff Awards: Kareem Harvey, Angela Hill, Les Schoenberger, and Erica Vibert.
  • Five-Year Volunteer Awards: Francis Herman and Mary Visentainer.
  • Five-Year Board Member Award: Gary Dvorshak.
  • Ten-Year Staff Awards: Cheryl Miller, Jennifer Pandolfo, Brian Schell, and Kim Williams.
  • Ten-Year Volunteer Award: Kristen Jenkins.
  • 15-Year Staff Award: Rita Lang.

The volunteer excellence award winners were the following.

  • Annie Sullivan Volunteer Spirit Award: Carol Barrett.
  • Helping Hands Volunteer Award: Donna Dimenichi.
  • Knight in Shining Armor Award: Donna Flanagan.
  • Annie’s Angel Volunteer Impact Award: Mark Hausman.

Sights for Hope volunteers, including members of its Board of Directors, have contributed more than 1,015 hours of service during the 2025-2026 year through March.

Sights for Hope is a nonprofit organization that empowers people to maximize their potential however they see the world. Its programs and services build capabilities and confidence in people who are blind or have visual impairments, equip children to read in kindergarten, and enrich people’s lives with habits that protect their eyesight. Sights for Hope has proudly served Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley since 1928 and Monroe County since 2003. It is an independent member of the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB) and the multi-national VisionServe Alliance.

Image: Ten adults standing and smiling in a banquet room, with nine of them holding framed awards recognizing years of service and volunteer excellence.