MANSFIELD – Sunday evening, Morgan Cook, 14, Laylah Gonzales, 9, and their families gathered at Niss Aviation before taking off in a 1974 Cessna to view the beautiful lights of Kingwood Center, Snow Trails, downtown Mansfield, and other large holiday displays from the sky.
While seeing Christmas lights with family is a cherished childhood memory for many, for Cook and Gonzales these memories take on a heightened meaning as both girls are visually impaired and at risk of continued vision loss.
“Morgan’s body is fighting to be blind, and we’re fighting to try to save her vision, embrace the vision that she has, and try to make memories,” said Cook’s mother, Catherine.
Filling children’s minds with colorful memories in case their worlds one day go dark is the mission of The Visual Bucket List Foundation (VBLF) who, in partnership with volunteer pilot, Darren Hamilton, provided the experience to both families.
As Hamilton prepared the plane, Gonzales presented Christine and Steven Myers, co-founders of The Visual Bucket List Foundation, with a piece of artwork she created — a colorful crossword with terms relating to vision.
Recently named Small Non-Profit of the Year by Richland Chamber & Economic Development, The Visual Bucket List was formed in 2016 by Steven and Christine Myers, whose daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with Usher’s Syndrome Type 2A, an extremely rare condition that can lead to gradual hearing and vision loss.
The Myers created a “visual bucket list” soon after their daughter’s diagnosis, determined to fill her mind with incredible sights and visual experiences to last a lifetime.
Realizing the value of the memories they were creating for their daughter, the Myers started The Visual Bucket List Foundation in an effort to pay it forward to other children who could also lose their vision.
For the past five years, Hamilton has been taking families for 30- to 45-minute rides through winter skies in support of the Visual Bucket List Foundation’s mission.
“I love flying, so to share flying with kids, that’s a great experience,” Hamilton said.
Cook and Gonzales took turns taking to the air with their families. Gonzales, admitted to being a bit nervous before the flight, but said seeing all of the lights is an experience she “won’t ever forget.”
Gonzales’ mother, Dustina, was sending text messages from the air while her dad stood outside their home and watched the plane fly overhead.
Cook arrived ready for take-off, explaining that she was excited and delightedly squealed when she heard about the opportunity.
“I’m not nervous at all — my mom is,” she explained, asking only “how fast can we go,” before hopping into the co- pilot seat.
Excitedly she shared that she not only flew in the plane, but actually took a turn flying the plane.
“Morgan was a blast to take up there,” Hamilton commented. “We’d love for more kids to have this opportunity. It’s a unique memory that sticks.”
Myers said the foundation only organizes the flights. The cost is entirely covered by Hamilton.
In addition to Christmastime night flights, the Visual Bucket List has provided numerous individualized experiences for children with a visual impairment diagnosis, ranging from a real Dinosaur Dig in South Dakota to a day with the Blue Angels in Florida.
Each experience is individualized based on the child’s personal visual bucket list and capabilities.
Cook, for instance, recently received a fully customized She-Shed in her backyard, allowing her to make visual memories with her family even as COVID-19 made travel impossible.
Gonzales will be the Visual Bucket List Foundation’s newest wish recipient when they send her and her family on a surprise experience personally tailored to her bucket list and abilities in spring of 2022.
The organization looks forward to raising funds for this exciting adventure at their Galentine’s Day Designer Purse Bingo event which will be held Feb. 5 at Mid-Ohio Conference Center.
Editor’s Note: This article has been corrected to reflect that Niss Aviation provided this flight.
