Eadie, a self-described “Board Mechanic” who specializes in
building non-profit board-CEO partnerships, spent several months working with
Jacko and the Miami Lighthouse. During that time, he became close friends with
this remarkable woman. “It was a great partnership,” Eadie says. “I loved
working with her. It wasn’t always easy because we both have strong
personalities, but we developed a deep mutual respect.” When the project
concluded in 2006, the two continued to stay in touch.
Eadie, the author of 18 books on non-profit leadership, began
to think about channeling his writing in a new direction. In the summer of
2008, he decided to write a book chronicling Jacko’s amazing story. “It was scary to me,” he recalls. “I’m a
person who likes structure. I was convinced we had a book; I just wasn’t sure what kind.
But I knew it was too good a story to package as a management book.” After
discussing the idea with Jacko, Eadie flew to Miami in late December to conduct
the first of several interview sessions with her. He then spent the next year
organizing the information and putting the ideas together while Jacko, his
co-author, reviewed and fact-checked all the material. Working on the book was
a surprisingly emotional experience for Eadie, who often had to stop writing
because he became so moved by Jacko’s words. Finally, in January, 2010, The Blind Visionary was published.
The Blind Visionary
traces Virginia Jacko’s personal journey from her days as a successful executive
at Purdue University through the ordeal of her gradual loss of sight. The
story culminates with her new beginning
as a vocational rehabilitation student who eventually rose to the top position
at Miami Lighthouse. Eadie hopes her example will be an inspiration to readers as
they deal with the difficulties in their own lives. “The lesson in Virginia’s
experience is that whatever your challenge, you can face it,” Eadie explains. “I
hope people will be energized and motivated by Virginia’s story. I also want it
to be a tool to help people realize that, whatever their challenges may be,
they can bring something meaningful to their lives through their actions.”
Over the past 25
years, Eadie had worked with over 500 nonprofit and public organizations of
every shape and size in a wide variety of fields, including association
management, public education, economic development, and public transportation. Although
he had an established reputation as an author in his field of expertise, writing
The Blind Visionary was such a
profound experience for him that he intends to continue writing in this more
personal view. Recently he has created a
new blog, “Entwined Lives,” (www.entwinedlives.com)
which chronicles his and his former students’ experiences during his three
years as a Peace Corps teacher in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “My three years teaching English and ancient history at Tafari
Makonnen School, one of the finest public schools in Addis Ababa, not only
transformed my life, but also resulted in lifelong friendships that I celebrate
in my “Entwined Lives” blog,” he says. “As a writer, I envision these blog
posts as a rich reservoir I can draw on in writing my next book.”
For more information on “The Blind Visionary,” go to www.theblindvisionary.com.
Next: Guest post by Julie Compton
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