About Helen Keller
En FrançaisWe invite you to read more about Helen Keller, her life and legacy, and about our annual Spirit of Helen Keller Gala by clicking on the links below.
The name of Helen Keller is known around the world as a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, yet she was much more than a symbol. She was a woman of luminous intelligence, high ambition and great accomplishment who devoted her life to helping others. During her lifetime, Helen Keller was consistently ranked near the top of "most admired" lists. She died in 1968, leaving a legacy that Helen Keller International is proud to carry on in her name and memory.
Founded by Helen Keller in 1915, Helen Keller International is one of the world’s premier international not-for-profit organizations dedicated to preventing blindness and reducing malnutrition. Working worldwide, we combat the root causes and extended consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing affordable and sustainable programs that are based on scientific evidence, original research and an unwavering determination to succeed against challenges that can too often be seen as insurmountable.
The results of our efforts are dramatic and wide-ranging. They perpetuate the indomitable spirit of Helen Keller, whose words continue to frame our values, and to guide us today:
“The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all.”
The Spirit of Helen Keller Gala
HKI hosted its sixth annual Spirit of Helen Keller Gala on May 24, 2011 at The Pierre Hotel in New York. The event raised over $840,000 to benefit HKI's sight-and life-saving programs in 22 countries around the world. Nearly 300 guests joined us to celebrate our work and to recognize two outstanding institutions that have lent their voice and might to the fight against needless blindness and malnutrition:
- The 2011 Helen Keller Legacy Award was presented to the Reader's Digest Partners for Sight Foundation for their work providing new technology and new opportunities for hundreds of thousands of blind and visually impaired people across the United Sates.
- The 2011 Helen Keller Visionary Award was presented to Reinold Geiger, Chairman, L'OCCITANE, for the company's work to promote the health of children, teens and adults who are visually impaired.
Click here to view all of the Spirit of Helen Keller Award, The Helen Keller Humanitarian Award, The Helen Keller Legacy Award, and The Helen Keller Visionary Award recipients, from 1960 through 2009.
