About Hearts for Sight

Alexis grew up in Silicon Valley and holds an Economics B.A. from University of California, Berkeley. During his time there, he was diagnosed as having Stargardt’s Syndrome. Known also as Juvenile-/Early-Onset Macular Degeneration, the rare genetic condition gradually destroys central vision, leaving peripheral vision relatively intact.

Alexis has been actively involved with low-vision/blindness and disability issues since 2002 and has made a life-long study of somatics and wellness. He is trained as a Peer Support Specialist and promotes mindfulness, radical acceptance, and individual empowerment. Alexis is Certified in Personal Training (CPT) and Functional Nutrition (FNS) from the National Association of Sports Medicine. In his spare time Alexis volunteers as a docent at the lovely and restorative Gardens of the World.

Jessie Wolinsky is a former preschool teacher by day while being a social justice advocate at heart. Currently, Jessie is a full-time student at California State University Channel Islands studying to become a teacher for the blind. Diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at 7 years old, Jessie dedicated her life to passionately helping raise money and awareness for blind and visually impaired communities. Jessie volunteered for the Foundation Fighting Blindness when she was 14 years old and as a teen, she created a fundraising group called “Jessie’s Sight Savers.” Since then, Jessie has been fortunate enough to raise over $100,000 for blindness research, has spoken at several events in Southern California on topic related to blind and IV awareness, and has developed a social support group for young adults with visual impairments. Jessie shares that “coming to terms with losing my sight has been a constant struggle for me, but I’ve found peace of mind by embracing my condition and inspiring others to do the same. I’ve learned that you can’t always control what happens to you in life, but you can control how you feel about it.” Jessie is a prime example of someone who chooses to let their circumstances empower them rather than hinder their potential.

Richard Rueda has worked in the field of Human and Social Services specializing in Blindness and Low Vision since 1992. He has worked with the Intercommunity Blind Center in Whittier, the Junior Blind of America in Los Angeles, the Department of Rehabilitation as the statewide Transition Coordinator (2001 – 2010), and served as Director of Community Services at the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco. In the autumn of 2011, Richard joined Junior Blind serving as their Director of Transition Services for northern and central California.

In 2016, Richard established CareersPLUS, a career education teen and young adult and transition program with Society for the Blind in Sacramento California. He continues to work with various agencies in consulting on Transition best practices in serving blind and low vision youth, including the Earl Baum Center in Santa Rosa, Vista Center for the Blind based in Palo Alto and Center of Visual Enhancement (COVE) in Merced. He also contributes and collaborates with the APH Connect Center and CareerConnect projects supporting the continued expansion and development of these rich critical resources at the national level.

Nebiyu Dingetu joined the Hearts for Sight board in August 2020. After his initial involvement with helping HFS create a fundraising video, Nebiyu was excited by the idea of using his passion for storytelling to serve the blind and visually impaired community. He graduated from California State Northridge with a BA in Cinema and Television Arts, and he works closely with Hearts for Sight to create video content that highlights all the meaningful work the organization is doing.

Nebiyu strongly believes in the importance of proper care for the body, mind, and spirit, especially when dealing with the stress that comes from living with a disability. He is legally blind and based on his personal experiences, is very familiar with the challenges people who are blind or have low vision face when tending to their health and wellness needs. He plans to keep working with Hearts for Sight to eliminate those barriers.