BY LAURA DOUGLASS
Insider Staff Writer
Built upon a guiding principle to “help those who help others,” Vision 4 Moore has announced that it will host its final fundraising event next spring.
Fittingly, the rescheduled Eagles tribute concert on Saturday, April 25, will benefit MIRA Foundation USA, an organization co-founded by the late Bob Baillie.
Baillie was a local commercial developer and philanthropist who lost his sight in his 60s, following complications from heart bypass surgery.
“Being blind really puts a kink in your lifestyle,” Baillie said in an interview, commenting on the near impossibility of navigating with a cane — which he found cumbersome and difficult. His friend Dr. Guy Bouvier encouraged him to get a guide dog, and when Baillie received Devon, an intensely trained Bernese Mountain dog from the MIRA Foundation in Montreal, he said his days became fulfilling once again. More than a companion, Devon — and later his second MIRA dog, DJ — also provided a social bridge to the community.
Baillie was so inspired by the difference in his own quality of life that, together with his late wife, Elaine, and Bouvier, the trio co-founded MIRA Foundation USA in 2009. The nonprofit organization provides guide dogs for children ages 11 to 17, the only such organization in the world.
In December 2015, a little more than a year before he passed away, Baillie and Pamela Partis founded Vision 4 Moore as a “vehicle” to assist other Moore County-based nonprofit organizations in raising funding for and awareness of their causes. Six years ago, Vision 4 Moore partnered with Cooper Ford, in Carthage, to present the Cooper Ford Concert Series, which has brought live music and community spirit to the Sandhills.
Behind the scenes, Vision 4 Moore pays for everything and provides everything, signs the contracts, and handles the logistics of the concert series events. In turn, nonprofit partners are asked to provide volunteers, post event fliers and help sell tickets. At the conclusion of each event, the proceeds are split 50/50, with Vision 4 Moore rolling its portion of donations forward to help offset costs for the next scheduled event.
To date, Vision 4 Moore has donated more than $100,000 for local charities.
“Carrying on Bob’s vision has been an absolute privilege,” said Chris Jordan, chairman of Vision 4 Moore. “We are deeply grateful to our sponsors, partners, volunteers and supporters who made each event possible and helped us make a meaningful difference over the past 10 years.”
The final Vision 4 Moore concert will be held Saturday, April 25, with the rescheduled Eagles tribute concert featuring 7 Bridges, on the outdoor stage at Cooper Ford.
“We are deeply honored that Vision 4 Moore has selected MIRA Foundation USA as the partner for their final event,” said Richard Chatham, director of MIRA Foundation USA. “Bob Baillie founded both of our organizations with a heart for service, and it’s fitting that his two visions come together for this milestone celebration. Vision 4 Moore has made an incredible difference in Moore County over the past decade, supporting local nonprofits and bringing the community together.”
Chatham said he was especially grateful to Partis for her dedication and work in making their partnership possible. “This event will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Vision 4 Moore’s legacy while supporting MIRA USA’s mission to provide guide dogs and independence to blind children at no cost to their families.”
Partis said Baillie would be happy with how much Vision 4 Moore has accomplished.
“I certainly hope he’d be pleased and proud, and confident that we made a difference,” she said.
More than a concert, each event was a showcase for the partnering local organization — such as Meals on Wheels, Linden Lodge, the Moore Free and Charitable Clinic, the Sandhills/Moore Coalition for Human Care, Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, Companion Animal Clinic Foundation and the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee, among others.
Partis said Vision 4 Moore has benefited from what she described as a “dream team” of dedicated volunteers, including Jordan and longtime treasurer Mary Ann Brown, sound engineer Dave Godsey, mobile stage director John Iwasiw, lead sponsor Aaron Cooper of Cooper Ford, and Partis’ husband, Tom Fioretti.
“Bob would also be pleased with all the sponsors and support we’ve had from the community,” she said. “It is very fitting to wrap up with MIRA: We have gone full circle.
“It promises to be a memorable evening honoring the organization’s mission and the generous spirit of those who have supported it through the years.”
For more information about Vision 4 Moore and event details, visit www.vision4moore.com.
Contact Laura Douglass at (910) 693-2475 or laura@thepilot.com.
