Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning may have retired from the game, but he continues to lead others to success.
Manning and Thomas Panek, president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, hosted an event Thursday at Milk Bar Nomad in New York to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Panek’s Guide Dog, ten, named after Manning’s retired jersey number with The Giants and his pairing.
Guiding the eyes for the blind is a non-profit organization that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss. Several generous donors provided the group’s services free of charge.
Because training and caring for a guide dog can cost up to $50,000 per year, Guide Eyes has more than 2,000 volunteers who help raise, train and place dogs with individuals for relieve their burdens.
“You remember your first season, right, Eli, what was he like?” Said Panek. “You weren’t entirely sure, although maybe you had a lot of confidence, but you also have to build that confidence over time.
“For people who are losing their vision and want to stay active and mobile, maybe they ran once, they gave it up, but it gives them back that confidence, that you too could play pro.”
Panek says Ten keeps him active by running three to five miles together daily. The two are even preparing for the Boston Marathon in April.
Racing isn’t the only thing the two enjoy, though. According to Panek, Ten also learned another skill.
“I don’t know what happened, but someone taught him football,” he joked. “He’s been catching the ball ever since.”
The two-time Super Bowl champion has worked with Guided Eyes for the Blind for more than two decades and was named to the organization’s board of directors in 2020.
“It’s been just awesome, just to see the progression from meeting ten when he was a puppy to a year later, hearing about his progression from running five miles and preparing to run marathons” , Manning said.
Dogs begin training at eight weeks, and volunteer puppy raisers teach basic obedience and house manners so they are ready to help people with vision loss.
“It’s just an incredible story, and I credit all the people at Guiding Eyes for the great work they’re doing, changing people’s lives and giving them so much independence,” he continued.
“And this is just one example of the many people and dogs who make a big difference to many people.”
