Thank You for Bringing Us Hope!
As we approach the end of 2020, I am moved by the many ways Society for the Blind has been supported during a most difficult year. Working together – staff, volunteers, donors and friends – we have accomplished so much.
To begin, I want to acknowledge Society’s 35 staff members who have shown remarkable innovation and resilience. From pivoting in 48 hours to get our classes up and running online last March, to creating new support groups for our seniors and launching telemedicine services in the summer for our low vision clinic patients, the team here at Society for the Blind has been outstanding.
Despite working remotely, we were able to launch a new cloud-based operating system for Access News, our Telephone Reader Service, vastly improving its functionality. Demand for Access News has increased over the past months as more people are at home and need a way to stay informed and connected. I want to acknowledge our faithful volunteer readers who continued to read and provide important content on Covid-19, local news and much-needed entertainment this past year.
I want to express my gratitude to our volunteer board of directors for their steadfast leadership and guidance. These 15 volunteers made sure our organization was planning ahead with contingency plans and options.
And finally, I want to thank YOU, our incredible supporters, for your contributions to Society for the Blind this past year. The hope we feel as we welcome 2021 is because of your partnership and dedication. More than ever, people with vision loss and blindness are reaching out for training and support, and thanks to you, we can meet the requests for services.
As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” This has never been more true. Thank you for your continued support and for making our mission of empowering individuals living with vision loss and blindness to discover, achieve and develop their full potential, a reality for thousands in our community in 2020.
Happy Holidays to You and Yours!