By: Seth Johnson

Slated to take place on Saturday, Sept. 6, the 2025 Through the Looking Glass Gala presented by Eye Surgeons of Indiana will raise money to support early learning programming and interventions at Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) through the event’s Fund-A-Need. As this year’s Education Match Sponsor, the Terry Lee Foundation will match donations to the Fund-A-Need up to $7,500, as Terry Lee carries on the legacy of his late mother Claira “Ernie” Lee, who worked as a Residential Mentor (also known as “dorm parent”) at ISBVI from 1977 to 1991.

“She got very close to the kids, was always buying them toys, and would tell me about them,” Terry Lee remembers of his mother’s time at ISBVI. “She just really loved children, so I think the role suited her well and gave her fulfillment.”

Through his mother’s work at ISBVI, Terry Lee says the students and their resilience taught him an important life lesson.

“As you go through life, everybody has obstacles to overcome,” Terry Lee says. “At the time when you’re having those obstacles, you think it’s a major issue. But when you think about what these children have been able to accomplish, it’s a lesson in life that for every problem there’s a solution — you just have to find it.”

After attending the Through the Looking Glass Gala last year as a first-time sponsor, Terry Lee says he now has a greater appreciation for the event.

“It’s very professional,” Terry Lee says. “It’s well done. It’s well organized, and they always have a great venue.”

In reflecting on why he’s passionate about supporting IBCF and the 2025 Through the Looking Glass Gala, Terry Lee says it all comes back to the impact ISBVI had on him and his late mother.

“It was a passion of my Mom’s, and it’s a passion of mine,” Terry Lee says. “I’m involved in a lot of charities, and without a doubt, this is one I’m most passionate about.”

Follow this link and purchase tickets to the 2025 Through the Looking Glass Gala today.