Dean’s Story

A distinguished-looking blind man in his 60s, and a young woman in her 20s walk through the supermarket aisles shopping for groceries together. Milk, eggs … and friendly chatting. A familiar scene for a seemingly unlikely pair, Dean Denniston and Marissa Macro.

Dean began to lose his vision as a child, from retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive group of genetic eye conditions that lead to incurable blindness. When he was in his 20s an ophthalmologist told Dean, “You’re going to lose your sight. I can’t tell you when it’s going to happen. All I can tell you is that at some point it’ll all be gone.”

Undeterred, Dean earned a Doctorate in Divinity at Yale and had a successful career in state government, heading up a number of state offices including position of regional director for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. He married, had a daughter, ran 10Ks, plays jazz and preaches at King’s Chapel – it seems he can do it all.

Yet in the 1970s Dean decided to seek assistance from the Volunteer Program of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind (MAB), now the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. They matched him with a volunteer to read to him at his office, to expedite his work process. The rest is history. Over the years Dean has had countless volunteers assist him with a range of tasks, such as sorting and reading his mail or writing checks. One volunteer and Dean even used to go running together. Though Dean is sharp-minded and able, there are myriad activities in life where sight comes in handy.

Dean says volunteers relieve pressure on family members of blind people to assist them. “I would not want to put that kind of responsibility on or be beholden to a spouse or partner,” Dean says. “I would not want to be that dependant. The thing about being independent is you do what you can for yourself and then ask for help when you need it.”

MAB’s Volunteer Program, founded in 1959, matches sighted volunteers with visually impaired individuals who need assistance with reading, clerical work, grocery shopping and transportation to medical appointments. Just things that are part of everyday living, which so many take for granted. That’s where MAB volunteers come in. When volunteers fill out an application, they indicate which of these tasks they want to help with. Volunteers come from many backgrounds, young and old, to dedicate their time.

“I have always that that I’ve been truly blessed by the relationships I’ve developed through the volunteer program because a lot of the folks who volunteered for me are still in my life as friends,” Dean says. “One volunteer started with me when she was 28 and she’s 45 now. I went to her wedding, her husband’s funeral. She comes now every December and we write all our Christmas cards together. A 17-year-relationship.”

Marisso Macro came to MAB interested in volunteering after an experience as a nurse. “One day at work I had a patient who was blind and had fallen at home and her volunteer found her,” she says. “I asked my patient specifically what organization she attained a volunteer through and that’s how I found MAB. I went home that day and contacted the volunteer coordinator.” MAB matched Marissa with Dean, whose primary need at the time was assistance with grocery shopping. “I love grocery shopping so I was happy to help spend his money!”

She laughs. “Over the past year and a half we have done all kinds of errands including getting dog food for his dog guide, buying cleaning supplies, trips to the post office, trips to doctors appointments and of course our weekly grocery trips.”

“The thing that I find most amazing is that were so many people who make time to volunteer, and they show up. Just the fact that they make the commitment, that they do it and that they enjoy it,” Dean says.

“At this point it doesn’t feel like volunteering anymore,” Marissa says. “Seeing Dean each week is part of my life and a part of my routine. It’s like taking a friend to the grocery store and catching up about the past week’s events in each of our lives. Dean has a lot of wisdom to offer to a 25-year-old like myself. I think we both just enjoy each other’s company and we get along very well.”

Despite the clear impact of the Volunteer Program, in the last ten years funding for the program has been cut significantly due to financial cutbacks and changing priorities at institutions such as the United Way. In order to maintain the volunteer services and eliminate the waiting list of blind and visually impaired individuals in need of volunteers, MAB launched an endowment fund for the program’s 50th anniversary last year. With the help of donations and fundraising, MAB aims to endow the program in perpetuity.

Though Dean has been lucky enough to find his volunteer matches, dozens of other blind and visually impaired individuals in Massachusetts are waiting to receive a volunteer match. MAB’s Volunteer Program, which currently provides a critical support network to more than 300 blind and visually impaired individuals each year, can only grow with the support of contributions and the help of more volunteers.

To find out if there is a blind or visually impaired person near you in need of a volunteer, apply to become a volunteer today.