Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis Hosts Business Executives from Russian City

April 16, 2011 - PRLog -- St. Louis, Missouri, USA… Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis, a not-for-profit corporation that assists legally blind people maintain dignity and independence by offering Employment, Education and Support Services, recently hosted a delegation of nine  executives from non-for-profit service organizations visiting from Novosibirsk, Russia, a city of 1.4 million people in southwest Siberia.

Brian Houser, Director of Sales & Marketing, and Clint Cruse, Vice President of Manufacturing at the Lighthouse, hosted the delegation’s tour through Lighthouse manufacturing facilities in St. Louis County accompanied by Rudo Angella Gray, Program Coordinator, and Autumn Harris, Manager, Community Programs, from the World Affairs Council of St. Louis, and Irina LaRose, interpreter for the delegation.

All the Russian delegates represented Siberian not-for-profit agencies that serve diverse interests, ranging from youth organizations aimed at protecting children from neglect, to organizations serving the blind and visually impaired. The delegates were participating in the Community Connections Program managed by the Bureau of Europe and Eurasia of the U.S. Agency for Information Development, which promotes public diplomacy through exchanges of ideas to encourage positive business approaches and understanding between professionals in Russia and the U.S.

Mr. Houser said, “This was a very positive learning experience. I am convinced that non-for-profit agencies around the world share similar challenges and opportunities in serving their patrons and achieving their missions, regardless of where they are located. Members of the Russian delegation visiting the Lighthouse are as passionate about operating their agencies and serving their communities as we are, and are equally as committed.”

During the visit, the Russian delegation observed blind workers, employed at the Lighthouse manufacturing plant in the St. Louis suburb of Berkeley, operate several different manufacturing lines; including one packaging bio-based Power Green Cleaner/Degreaser and one packaging aerosol paint. Several of the delegates had interpreter-assisted conversations with legally blind Lighthouse employees.  In addition, the group shared dialogues and question-and-answer sessions through the interpreter. At the end of the visit, the Russian delegation presented the Lighthouse with both a Russian and Novosibirsk City flag, among other souvenirs representing their city and country.  The Lighthouse returned the favor by presenting everyone with a bright blue Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis long-sleeved T-shirt.

The World Affairs Council of St. Louis, founded in 1948, has been hosting the Community Connections Program for more than 15 years and develops such programs around the interests of individuals in different cultural groups with similar backgrounds. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-partisan membership organization that promotes understanding, engagement, relationships, and leadership in world affairs.

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis is a privately chartered, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation established in 1933. The Lighthouse manufactures, assembles, warehouses and sells high-quality products to government and commercial customers including first aid kits, medical kits, catheters, aerosol and liquid paints, aerosol and liquid cleaning products and many others. The Lighthouse also packages medical devices in a Class 8 clean room and offers Ethylene Oxide (EtO) sterilization.

The Lighthouse is committed to providing a supportive environment where employees can count on developing new and productive skills that will assist them in reaching amazing levels of independence. To learn more, please visit the website http://www.lhbindustries.com.

For more information, contact Brian Houser at 314.423.4333. Media contact: Jeff Dunlap at 314.993.6925.

* * *

# # #

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis is a privately chartered, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation established in 1933. The Lighthouse manufactures, assembles, warehouses and sells high-quality products to government and commercial customers including first aid kits, medical kits, catheters, aerosol and liquid paints, aerosol and liquid cleaning products and many others.