Carl R. Augusto, AFB president, congratulates Karen L. Katen, president of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, on receiving the Helen Keller Achievement Award in Blindness Prevention. | AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR THE BLIND Verizon And Pfizer Honored For Work With Low Vision Kids By Nina and Tim Boxer ATIONAL sportscaster Jay Glazer presented the Helen Keller Achievement Award in Community Service to Jermane Mayberry, the Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman, calling him “a beast.” “During the season,” Glazer explained, “he uses his off day to help provide free vision care to school kids in Philadelphia. He’s a beast on the field and a heck of a guy off the field.” Denny Scott, American Foundation for the Blind chairperson, and Carl Augusto, AFB president/ceo, presented awards to Karen L. Katen, president of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals; Mary Beth Bardin, executive vice president for public affairs and communications at Verizon, and author Erik Weihenmayer. The dinner was held at the Marriott Marquis in New York. “We partner with AFB,” Bardin said, “to reduce the critical shortage of Braille books for low vision school children.” In 2001 Weihenmayer became the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. “In high school,” Weihenmayer related, “they’d give me books in Braille. I’d scratch out certain words so that it would read as dirty words. I’d ask my teacher to read. She looked at the page and I could feel her blush.” |