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, the president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, held an event on Thursday at Milk Bar Nomad in New York City 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 Eyes for the Blind is a nonprofit organization that provides guide dogs to individuals with vision loss. Several generous donors have made the group’s services free of charge.
Because training and caring for a guide dog can cost up to $50,000 annually, Guiding Eyes has over 2,000 volunteers who help breed, train, and place dogs with individuals to ease their burdens.
“You remember your first season, right, Eli, what that felt like?” Panek said. “You weren't quite certain, although maybe you had a lot of confidence, but you’ve got to build that confidence over time, too.
“For people who lose their vision and want to stay active and mobile, maybe they ran once upon a time, they've given it up, but this gives them that confidence back, that you, too, could play pro.”
Panek says Ten keeps him active by running three to five miles together daily. The two are even gearing up for the Boston Marathon in April.
Running isn’t the only thing that the two enjoy, though. According to Panek, Ten has picked up another skill, as well.
“I don't know what happened, but somebody taught him football,” he joked. “Ever since then, he's been catching the ball.”
The two-time Super Bowl champion has worked with Guiding Eyes for the Blind for over two decades and was named to the organization’s board of directors in 2020.
“It's been just awesome, just to see the progression of meeting Ten when he was a puppy to a year later, hearing about his progression of out there running five miles and getting ready to run marathons,” Manning said.
The dogs begin training at eight weeks old, and volunteer puppy raisers teach basic obedience and house manners so they are ready to assist individuals with vision loss.
“It’s just an unbelievable story, and I credit all the people at Guiding Eyes for the great work they do, changing people's lives and giving them so much independence,” he continued.
“And this is just one example of the many people and dogs that are out there making a big difference for a lot of people.”
