Oak Hill lost our dear friend and colleague Steve Famiglietti in November of 2022. Steve was a member of our Oak Hill family for over twenty years, pioneering new, innovative services within the Eleanor Brooks Blindness Support Center. Under Steve’s leadership, the Eleanor Brooks Center helped scores of blind and low-vision individuals in Connecticut live full, joyful lives. We remember Steve as ever the patient teacher and trusted advocate for those in need. An avid storm chaser and lover of cuckoo clocks, we also remember Steve’s courage and undeniable zest for life.
On June 26th, 2024, members of the Oak Hill Community, Steve’s friends and family, and so many of the individuals he touched came together to celebrate his wonderful life and impact. Our friends at the National Federation of the Blind CT, Maryanne Melley and Mary Silverberg dedicated a beautiful bench in Steve’s honor. It will provide comfort and respite to visitors to Oak Hill’s campus for years to come.
To honor Steve and the incalculable impact he made on Oak Hill, we are proud to announce the establishment of the The Steve Famiglietti Memorial Fund. This fund will expand opportunities for blind and low-vision individuals in Connecticut to receive the enrichment and assistive technology services they need to reach the highest degree of independence. Thanks to the incredible generosity of the E. Matilda Ziegler Foundation, Steve’s impact will live on. Representatives from the foundation Cynthia Ziegler Brighton, Marcia Cleary, and Stephen Deltatto attended to dedicate a very generous gift in Steve’s memory. Please join us in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to the E. Matilda Zeigler Foundation for their commitment to building a more equitable world for blind and low-vision individuals!
To learn more about our blind service offerings at Oak Hill, or to make a gift in Steve’s memory, please contact Lucy McMillan, Chief Development Officer, at lmcmillan@gileadcs.org.
Reprinted with permission from the NEAT Center at Oak Hill, Summer 2024 Newsletter.