Learning to Live the Lives They Want! By Eric Guillory
On Saturday, December 13, 2014, area blind students and their families gathered at the Center for the annual Saturday Club holiday extravaganza! It was a wonderful time of fun, fellowship, and giving back to the community--complete with a visit from Santa, a gentleman who just happens to be blind and one who demonstrated his enthusiasm for Braille by reading to the children. Attendees partook in hot cocoa and cookies, wrote letters to Santa, constructed edible sleighs, and decoded Braille Christmas-themed riddles. Finally, the kids and volunteers traveled to two local nursing facilities to distribute holiday door hangers and sing carols to those in residence. Everyone reported having an enjoyable time, and, before heading home, each child was given a ceramic holiday mug to commemorate the occasion.
Special thanks go to Sheena Manuel, Outreach Specialist with the Professional Development and Research Institute On Blindness at Louisiana Tech University for spearheading the event, as well as to Pam Allen and Dr. Edward Bell for contributing (both financially and with their talents) to this very successful day. We would also like to thank Laura Bostick, President of the Louisiana Organization of Parents of Blind Children, for her active promotion of and participation in all aspects of the gathering. Last, but certainly not least, this would not have been possible without the enthusiastic participation of Maria Morais, Victoria and Samantha Bell, Joanne Gabias, Stephanie Martin, Paige Morra, Treva Olivero, Justin Salisbury, and Leesa Wallace. These LCB alumni and educators believe in the power of training and role modeling to equip students with the tools they need to live the lives they want.
Positive media coverage is always a welcome instrument to advertise and promote our programs. Please see the link below, which will take you to a story about the day which aired on Monroe's KTVE 10's Saturday evening newscasts.
Students making cocoa