Our Story So Far...

After World War II, a civil war ravaged Greece, leaving many blind people in the villages and on the streets of Athens. Being aware of this tragedy, several people of Greek origin in New England founded the American Friends of the Blind in Greece, to find ways for the Greek community in the United States to help improve the situation. Dr. Alexander Cambadhis of Manchester, N.H. and Mr. George Alevizos of Boston, Mass. met with Miss Kyriaki Nicolaidou, a blind person herself, who had been appointed as the first social worker for the blind in Athens to find ways to help them.

Through her efforts, in 1946 the A.F.B.G. brought five blind young men to this country to study methods developed for the education and rehabilitation of the blind. This group was led by a very dynamic person, Mr. Emmanuel Kefakis, who in 1948 was able to locate an estate for sale in Sepolia, a suburb of Athens, and through the efforts of the A.F.B.G. was able to establish there an Agricultural and Technical Center for the Blind, the first of its kind.

As the city of Athens grew in size, this property became very valuable and the Greek government increased the tax base to the extent that the center could no longer be maintained. The government offered to buy this property and in 1974 the sale was completed for $650,000. With these funds, the A.F.B.G. and its sister organization in Greece, The Lighthouse for the Blind, developed a plan whereby the Lighthouse would donate a portion of their land to the A.F.B.G. to build a new rehabilitation center and, when completed, the Lighthouse would operate the center.

In 1976 The Lighthouse for the Blind Rehabilitation Center opened with Mr. Emmanuel Kefakis as its first Director. He was responsible for the many innovations and training programs that are still used at the Center. Since that time, the Center has been a beacon not only for its own Greek students, but also for the international community of blind people who are attracted to the center because of its excellent programs.