About Helen KellerWe invite you to read more about Helen Keller, her life and legacy, and about our annual Spirit of Helen Keller Gala by clicking on the links below.The Life of Helen KellerThe name of Helen Keller is known around the world as a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, yet she was much more than a symbol. She was a woman of luminous intelligence, high ambition and great accomplishment who devoted her life to helping others. During her lifetime, Helen Keller was consistently ranked near the top of "most admired" lists. She died in 1968, leaving a legacy that Helen Keller International is proud to carry on in her name and memory.The Legacy of Helen KellerFounded by Helen Keller in 1915, Helen Keller International is one of the world’s premier international not-for-profit organizations dedicated to preventing blindness and reducing malnutrition. Working worldwide, we combat the root causes and extended consequences of blindness and malnutrition by establishing affordable and sustainable programs that are based on scientific evidence, original research and an unwavering determination to succeed against challenges that can too often be seen as insurmountable.The results of our efforts are dramatic and wide-ranging. They perpetuate the indomitable spirit of Helen Keller, whose words continue to frame our values, and to guide us today:

“The welfare of each is bound up in the welfare of all.”The Spirit of Helen Keller GalaHKI hosted its ninth annual Spirit of Helen Keller Gala on May 20, 2014 at 583 Park Avenue in New York City. The Gala raises awareness and funds for HKI's sight- and life-saving programs in 22 countries around the world; and honors those who have joined with Helen Keller International in furthering its vital mission and work in reducing hunger and preventable blindness in some of the world’s poorest places. Internationally renowned economist, humanitarian and former CEO of Concern Worldwide, Tom Arnold, accepted the Helen Keller Humanitarian Award in recognition of his extraordinary dedication to ending child hunger and improving maternal health in the developing world. The award was presented by Ambassador David Donoghue, Ireland’s permanent representative to the United Nations. This year’s gala also featured Honorary Junior Chair, Oscar-nominated actress Abigail Breslin, who played Helen Keller in the 2010 Broadway revival of The Miracle Worker. Click here to view all of the Spirit of Helen Keller Award, The Helen Keller Humanitarian Award, The Helen Keller Legacy Award, and The Helen Keller Visionary Award recipients, from 1960 through 2014.

Helen Keller's LifeThe name of Helen Adams Keller is known around the world as a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, yet she was much more than a symbol. She was a woman of luminous intelligence, high ambition and great accomplishment. She devoted her life to helping others.

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880. When she was only 19 months old, she contracted a fever that left her blind and deaf. When she was almost seven years old, her parents engaged Anne Mansfield Sullivan to be her tutor. With dedication, patience, courage and love, Miss Sullivan was able to evoke and help develop the child's enormous intelligence.

Helen Keller quickly learned to read and write, and began to speak by the age of 10. When she was 20, she entered Radcliffe College, with Miss Sullivan at her side to spell textbooks – letter by letter – into her hand. Four years later, Radcliffe awarded Helen Keller a Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude.

After graduation, Helen Keller began her life's work of helping blind and deaf-blind people. She appeared before state and national legislatures and international forums, traveled around the world to lecture and to visit areas with a high incidence of blindness, and wrote numerous books and articles. She met every U.S. president from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon Johnson, and played a major role in focusing the world's attention on the problems of the blind and the need for preventive measures.

Miss Keller won numerous honors, including honorary university degrees, the Lions Humanitarian Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and election to the Women's Hall of Fame. During her lifetime, she was consistently ranked near the top of "most admired" lists. She died in 1968, leaving a legacy that Helen Keller International is proud to carry on in her name and memory.

Helen Keller

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Wimbledon 2013 winnerMarion Bartoli of France

Andy Murray of Great Britain

Wimbledon 2014 winner

Petra Kvitova

Novak Djokovic of Serbia