Tom Sullivan, a blind award-winning author, producer, actor and singer will perform in Omaha on Thursday, Oct. 12, as part of an effort to raise awareness and funding for the Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children (NFVIC) and a proposed Low Vision House at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The event, titled “Seeing Lessons: An Evening with Tom Sullivan,” will take place at the Joslyn Art Museum. A silent auction and hosted bar begin the evening at 5:30 p.m. with a pre-performance dinner at 6:30 p.m. and Sullivan’s performance at 8 p.m.
Dinner and performance tickets are $75 per person and can be reserved by calling 218-7022. Performance-only tickets are $15 and are available at NFVIC and Omaha area Hy-Vee stores.
“We’re thrilled to have someone of Tom’s caliber at this event,” said Teresa Fischer, president of NFVIC. “He is a wonderful example of someone who has achieved great success, despite limited sight since birth. Tom challenges us to turn every negative into a positive. It should be an awe-inspiring night.”
The NFVIC and the University of Nebraska Foundation are hosting Sullivan’s performance. Proceeds from the event will go to the NFVIC and toward a Low Vision House at UNMC. The NFVIC’s goal is to provide resources to Omaha-area children and their families so that these children can also grow up to live independent, productive lives.
The Low Vision House will provide a specialized environment where people with visual impairments can receive services to help maximize their independence and productivity.
“The Low Vision House will provide a setting where individuals with visual impairments can learn and perfect skills that will enable them to live independently in their own homes and communities,” said Gerald Christensen, M.D., interim director of the Low Vision House Project. “In addition, the house will provide Omaha area low-vision providers a setting in which to provide comprehensive services.”
Sullivan gained national prominence with appearances on The Tonight Show. His memoir, “If You Could See What I Hear, was turned into a major motion picture. Sullivan provided instruction to Ben Affleck when he played a blind superhero in the movie “Daredevil,” and he recently created, wrote, hosted and produced ESPN’s Emmy-nominated special, “Superior Beings.”
In 2004, he was honored with the Will Rogers Lifetime Achievement Memorial Award, joining Carol Burnett, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball and Jimmy Stewart, among others, as recipients of that award.