A Season of Gratitude and Opportunity: Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday with Penny Forward

A Message from Penny Forward Founder and CEO, Chris Peterson

Hello Penny Forward members and supporters,

I hope your Thanksgiving was filled with love, connection, and all the good food your table could hold! My own Thanksgiving was a little different this year. A minor medical procedure the following day meant I skipped the turkey and trimmings, trading them for quiet reflection. What I found, as I thought about what I’m most grateful for, is that my gratitude circles back to our incredible blind and low vision community and the enormous impact we’re capable of making when given the tools and opportunities to thrive. That’s why Penny Forward exists.

Gratitude for Progress and Potential

As a blind person, I have much to be thankful for: evolving laws, changing attitudes, and advancing technologies that have helped me access education, build a rewarding career in software development, and raise two amazing kids in a home filled with love (and a chain-link fence instead of pickets, but we make it work).

Growing up, I had role models—blind adults who showed me what was possible and how blindness wasn’t a barrier but a different way of navigating the world. Organizations like Christian Record Services, with their summer camps for blind kids, and the Courage Kenny Handiham Program, which helped me earn my amateur radio license, strengthened my confidence and self-image. These experiences and the people behind them shaped me, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.

My career at companies like IBM, Lenovo, and Thrivent further confirmed what I had always believed: our community is filled with brilliant, capable, and driven people. But as I reflect on the barriers that still exist, I know there’s so much more to do.

Why Talent Isn’t Enough

Here’s the hard truth: despite the incredible potential in the blind and low vision community, our unemployment rate remains two to three times higher than that of sighted people, and we earn 23–30% less. This isn’t about a lack of skill or drive—it’s about a lack of opportunity and a society that still struggles to see our value.

Many in our community who aren’t formally employed dedicate their time to caring for children or aging parents. Others run small businesses, offering exceptional products and services at bargain prices simply because they lack the resources to scale. Imagine the impact we could make if we had access to training, support, and investment.

The reality is that many of us are forced to make tough decisions. Staying on public assistance to afford healthcare, choosing caregiving over low-paying jobs with unaffordable childcare costs, or simply being denied opportunities because of misconceptions about what we can achieve—it’s an exhausting cycle. And yet, we persist.

A Vision for Empowerment

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, and your inbox will be full of appeals from nonprofits doing important work. At Penny Forward, we’re asking for your support too, but our approach is different. We’re not here to “fix” blind and low vision people or tug at your heartstrings with tales of overcoming. Instead, we’re here to harness the strength, talent, and determination already thriving in our community.

By supporting Penny Forward, you’re investing in a movement that equips blind and low vision people to use their talents, skills, and resources to make a greater impact—not just in their own lives but in the lives of their families, communities, and beyond.

What Your Support Makes Possible

Penny Forward provides accessible financial education and counseling tailored to the unique needs of our community. Here’s how your donation helps:

1. Empowering Education: Through self-paced courses, live workshops, and personalized counseling, we teach members how to budget, save, invest, and plan for the future.
2. Challenging Stereotypes: We showcase the achievements of blind and low vision people, proving to society—and to ourselves—that we’re more than capable of success.
3. Building Community: We create spaces where members can connect, share, and grow together, strengthening our collective impact.

The Goal for 2025

To sustain and grow our programs in 2025, we need to raise $150,000. Thanks to generous supporters, we’ve already secured $100,000—but we need your help to reach the finish line. Giving Tuesday is a critical moment for us to rally our community, raise funds, and increase our reach.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Donate: Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to our goal.
2. Spread the Word: Share our mission with your networks by forwarding our emails and sharing our social media posts.
3. Be a Champion: Encourage your friends and family to support Penny Forward, emphasizing the real impact their donations will make.

Why It Matters

Reflecting on my journey, I’m reminded of all the people and organizations that believed in me and gave me opportunities to succeed. That’s what Penny Forward does for the blind and low vision community—we provide the tools and confidence to turn potential into progress. But we can’t do it alone.

When you donate to Penny Forward, you’re not just giving money. You’re fueling a movement to change the way society views and values blind and low vision people. You’re creating a world where talent and determination matter more than preconceived notions.

Let’s Make This Giving Tuesday Count

This Giving Tuesday, let’s come together to empower our community. Together, we can shatter stereotypes, open doors, and create opportunities for blind and low vision people to thrive in every area of life. With your help, we can turn gratitude into action and make 2025 our most impactful year yet.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we’re building a brighter future—one that celebrates the strength, talent, and contributions of blind and low vision people everywhere.

With gratitude and determination,
Chris Peterson, AFC®
Founder and CEO, Penny Forward