Meet the Founder

Cheri Anderson, Founder of BlindFocus.org has been referred to by some as a "blind visionary." The label suits her. She lost most of her sight when she was a young teenager. However, her vision of a world yet to be realized is in clear focus. She believes that love is the foundation of all good in the world; it lifts the poor and empty, and gives them the freedom to become rich and fulfilled. But she didn't always know that. She had to learn it.

"I used to wonder why I had to be one that was born into an impoverished family, why I had to be one that lost my sight at a young age. Unfounded shame about my family's economic circumstances set in early for me. As a girl I would pretend I lived in the two-story house that stood tall just blocks away. My father was a farmer-turned-carpenter who would work two and three jobs while my mother did whatever honest work she could find to make ends meet. It was a rough way to grow up . . . or so I thought," Anderson says.

In spite of the challenges she faced, Cheri has gone on to live a successful life. She's enjoyed a prosperous career in business, and considers herself lucky to be surrounded with people she loves.

"I reflect with gratitude on my upbringing and realize that I received a gift that so many children in this world have not been given. God sent me to two people who acted as my advocates, loved me unconditionally, and taught me Christian values. In fact, they sacrificed everything for my sake. These two remarkable individuals are my parents, my heroes.

"When the horrific sights of Romanian orphans hit the airwaves in 1990 I was changed and haunted. I've carried the children's plight in my heart ever since. I often wonder, what if I had been born in Romania and abandoned just like so many thousands of orphans? Who would I have become? Would I have ended up like the other blind children, tied up in ropes and left in corners on the floor? Would I have the feelings or even the comprehension of the word hope? Or would I have been left in an institution alone or put on the streets to die?"