It takes a dedicated team to reach our summits

Blind Endeavors started out as a dream and has grown into what it is today because of those that believe in this dream…

Board Members

President / Founder

Steve Baskis

Specialist Steven C. Baskis successfully completed Infantry Training at Fort Benning, Georgia in 2007. Steve deployed with the US Army’s distinguished 4th Infantry Division, a unit that crossed the Normandy Beaches in World War II. 

In 2008, while serving in Baghdad, Iraq, Specialist Baskis suffered severe wounds by an improvised explosive device. May 13th, 2008 marked the day Baskis lost his sight and suffered multiple shrapnel injuries to his head, neck, arms and legs. Steve endured significant blood loss, hearing loss, loss of smell, and nerve damage to his left arm.  Thanks to his courageous and selfless service, Steve was immediately awarded the Purple Heart Medal by the US President. 

Today, nearly a dozen years post his original injuries, Steve is an established author, presenter, athlete, and motivator. In 2013, Steve received the prestigious Louis Braille Award for his outstanding contributions on behalf of the blind and visually impaired community. Moreover, Steve medaled at the National Level of both the Summer and Winter Paralympics. Perhaps his greatest source of pride comes with the establishment of his own non profit organization, Blind Endeavors. 

Blind Endeavors is a non profit organization dedicated to challenging and inspiring people of all abilities to explore new ways of living through movement. The goal is to promote awareness and education in schools and institutions across the nation, conduct research and development related to the adaptive community, and build unique and unconventional programs and teams to pursue bold endeavors around the world. 

It’s impossible to list all of Steve’s myriad of accomplishments. From appearing on The Today Show, to being featured in countless documentaries, and trekking to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Steve is undoubtably a vocal and visible advocate for the blind. He is continually pushing the limits both for himself and for the adaptive world. Never letting his traumatic experiences stop him, Steve is the quintessential human example of perseverance and resiliency. 

Steve guarantees to enlighten and inspire you through his own stories from climbing four of the tallest peaks in the world, to cycling across the nation, kayaking the Colorado River, and so much more. Steve encourages us to not “Dis his ability” He says, “I may have lost my physical ability to see, but I have a new vision, a new perspective to guide me through life and all of its amazing challenges.”

Vice President

Michael Lassig

Michael Lassig is Senior Vice President for AmWINS Group, an international wholesale insurance brokerage based in Charlotte, NC. He specializes in the procurement of excess casualty insurance through Lloyds of London and similar insurance markets for challenging industries throughout the United States. His responsibilities including sales, brand development, coverage negotiation, and next generation training.   His volunteer experience includes leadership on various fundraising initiatives and projects for veteran affiliated non-profits.

Michael resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Laura, and two daughters Keely & Peyton.

Secretary

Shirley Appler

Bio coming soon!

Treasurer

Daniel Wallace

Daniel L. Wallace 1SG US Army (Ret) served over 20 years in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 2005. On December 9, 2003 he was wounded by a suicide car bomb attack in Iraq. The blast left Danny blinded in the right eye and limited sight in his left eye. Since his retirement Danny has volunteered much of his time as a peer mentor for fellow veterans. He has become heavily involved with the Blinded Veterans Association serving as the National Sergeant of Arms and is currently the National Treasurer as well as Chairman for the Operation Peer Support Committee.

Advisory Chair

Joe Amerling

Joe Amerling 1SG (RET) served 20 years active duty U.S. Army from 1975-1995, and 21 years in law enforcement retiring in 2016. Based out of Georgia, Joe started volunteering with Blind Endeavors Foundation in 2016.  He was instrumental in our first annual “Ranger Endeavor” and “Birdies for the Blind Fundraiser”.  Joe was invited to join as the Advisory Board Chairman to assist with future programs.

Board Member / Legal Advisor

Anthony “Tony” Nasharr

Tony is a lawyer with Polsinelli, a national law firm of 850 lawyers across 20 offices. Tony is a partner in the Chicago office of Polsinelli. As one of the founding Board members of Wounded Heroes Foundation (WHF), Tony has been involved in Veteran service organizations since 2004. It is though WHF’s very first Military Adaptive Sports Camp in 2008 that Tony initially met Steve Baskis, as Steve participated in that inaugural Sports Camp program.

The RIC-WHF Military Adaptive Sports Camp is now in its 11th year, having introduced hundreds of service disabled Veterans to adaptive sports opportunities. WHF sponsored Steve’s climb of Mt Kilimanjaro back in 2011. Steve and Tony have maintained contact through the years and when Steve’s dream and mission of starting Blind Endeavors Foundation (BEF) was articulated, Tony was more than willing to assist in bringing that mission into existence with the formation of BEF and obtaining its 501(c)(3) qualification.

It has been Tony’s honor to be a friend, colleague and fellow Board member with Steve in BEF and to see all that Steve and BEF supporters have achieved with the mission of BEF to bring adaptive sports opportunities, experiences and personal growth to blind and vision impaired persons of all ages and backgrounds, whether veteran or civilian. Tony lives in the west suburbs of Chicago with his wife, Maria, and 3 children.

Operations Manager

Victor Henderson

Victor is the “eyes” of the organization. He handles the website, photography, video editing, social media as well as the day to day operations. Serving 10 years split between the Marine Corps and Navy, Victor brings a diverse amount of other experience to the table. When he isn’t geeking out in front of a computer or behind the lens, he also bikes, hikes and climbs.

His interest in adaptive sports began while photographing a 9/11 memorial hike of Half Dome with Paradox Sports in 2013. Having the ability to meet some of these individuals that let nothing get in their way, Victor also had an epiphany of his own and was “Humbled by Half Dome”. He moved from being a freelance photographer to helping Steve turn Blind Endeavors into what it is today.

Staff

Volunteers