Marli’s Retirement Fundraiser
Hailey And Marli
Hailey and Marli
In March 2019, when I was just 17 years old, I met Marli, my first guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and my life changed forever.
I was born legally blind, and at 14, I was diagnosed with a progressive eye disease. Growing up with vision loss, I often struggled with the confidence to use my white cane. Marli gave me more than independence; she helped me find confidence and community in my disability.
Over the past seven years, Marli has been by my side through some of life’s biggest milestones. She went off to college with me, graduated alongside me, helped me move to a new city, and guided me as I began my career.
Together, we’ve navigated countless buses, carpools, and paratransit rides, experiencing firsthand the transportation barriers that people with disabilities face every day. Those experiences inspired me to help launch an accessible carpooling platform through my workplace, making commuting easier for individuals with transportation-limiting disabilities like blindness. What began as personal challenges became a passion for advocating for others and helping break down barriers to employment. And through it all, Marli was right beside me.
Along the way, I’ve shared our adventures on social media, growing a community of over 120,000 followers across platforms. What started as a way to share moments of Marli’s life with her puppy raisers and trainers has become an opportunity to educate others about blindness, visual impairment, guide dogs, and life with vision loss.
Now, as Marli prepares for her well-deserved retirement, I’m returning to Guiding Eyes to meet my second guide dog, who will follow in her pawprints.
To honor Marli’s 7 incredible years of service and thank Guiding Eyes for bringing us together, I’m raising $5,000 to help make these life-changing partnerships possible for others.
Guiding Eyes gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life: my eyes, my independence, and my best friend. I hope this fundraiser can help someone else experience that same extraordinary gift.
Thank you for being my eyes, Marli.
I was born legally blind, and at 14, I was diagnosed with a progressive eye disease. Growing up with vision loss, I often struggled with the confidence to use my white cane. Marli gave me more than independence; she helped me find confidence and community in my disability.
Over the past seven years, Marli has been by my side through some of life’s biggest milestones. She went off to college with me, graduated alongside me, helped me move to a new city, and guided me as I began my career.
Together, we’ve navigated countless buses, carpools, and paratransit rides, experiencing firsthand the transportation barriers that people with disabilities face every day. Those experiences inspired me to help launch an accessible carpooling platform through my workplace, making commuting easier for individuals with transportation-limiting disabilities like blindness. What began as personal challenges became a passion for advocating for others and helping break down barriers to employment. And through it all, Marli was right beside me.
Along the way, I’ve shared our adventures on social media, growing a community of over 120,000 followers across platforms. What started as a way to share moments of Marli’s life with her puppy raisers and trainers has become an opportunity to educate others about blindness, visual impairment, guide dogs, and life with vision loss.
Now, as Marli prepares for her well-deserved retirement, I’m returning to Guiding Eyes to meet my second guide dog, who will follow in her pawprints.
To honor Marli’s 7 incredible years of service and thank Guiding Eyes for bringing us together, I’m raising $5,000 to help make these life-changing partnerships possible for others.
Guiding Eyes gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life: my eyes, my independence, and my best friend. I hope this fundraiser can help someone else experience that same extraordinary gift.
Thank you for being my eyes, Marli.
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