Camille Caffarelli
Executive Director, Horizons for the Blind

Caffarelli was forced to juggle being a young mother and sole breadwinner for the family after her husband, Bill Myers, died in 1975. At that time her three boys, Keith, Kevin and Scott were 9, 8 and 4 years old.

Before moving to Carpentersville and then to Crystal Lake in 1999, Horizons started in Camille's basement in Rogers Park.

Horizons for the Blind has grown to a 30+ employee organization, serving individuals and companies. Camille got her first break when the Chicago Botanical Garden hired her to design a trail for the blind and visually impaired in Glencoe. Offers to lecture at the Art Institute of Chicago and to assist the Shedd Aquarium and Museum of Science and Industry in becoming more accessible to blind visitors soon followed.

Today, thousands of Braille, large-print bills, credit card statements, manuals and recipes as well as audio materials are created each month at the Crystal Lake and Homosassa offices.

"It's a question of people working together to be the very best they can be," Caffarelli said. "It's a team effort. Everyone is treated equally."

Board of Directors

Chairperson
Camille Caffarelli
Chief Executive Officer, Horizons for the Blind

Secretary
Maryann Bartkowski, Social Security Administration

Treasurer
Jeff T. Thorsen, Midwest Bank & Trust Company

Members:
Helen M. Anderson, Market Financial Group, Ltd.
Kevin Costello, Zubowski, Rodgers, Floor & McArdle
John Fredrickson, Fredrickson Family Limited Partnership
Steve Karaba, Amcore Bank, N.A.
Keith Myers, Pacific Rail Services, Inc.
Mary Ellen Thorson, Retired
Karen Hutchings