Written by Laura Alvarado, IBCF Executive Director
Date: 1/4/18
It is 2018! We are excited for what 2018 will bring and so very thankful for the increased community support that we experienced in 2017. As we look forward to this new year we thought we would highlight some of the movement and excitement of 2017.
January 2017
IBCF, Regions Bank and nine13sports joined forces to bring the Kids Riding Bikes program to the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. This partnership brought in coaches from nine13sports, once a week for four weeks, and provided every student on campus the opportunity to be active using stationary bicycle simulators as a part of their physical education class. Being connected to a large screen monitor with software that not only tracks each student’s progress but motivates each student to go further made students feel like they were a part of a video game experience. This program couldn’t have taken place without the support and dedication of Regions Bank, also a new partner in 2017. The students and staff loved this program so much that it is now an annual partnership in January/February. Check out the news story on Fox 59 for more about this program and its impact!
February 2017
IBCF partially supported the 2017 Braille Challenge with a grant from the Junior League of Indianapolis. The Indiana Regional Braille Challenge was hosted by the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired on Saturday, February 11, 2017 with 25 students in grades 1-12 who competed in this first stage of a two-staged national contest. Students received braille tests focused on reading, writing, spelling and comprehension throughout the morning, competing in his or her appropriate grade range. During the testing day, 125 family members of Challenge participants broke up into four separate groups that rotated between four workshops and sensitivity inspiring simulations that encouraged reflection on how they engage their family member who is blind in everyday activities. Check out the blog post from our very own ISBVI student who won the national contest!
March 2017
The IBCF Board of Directors consists of fourteen highly dedicated community members who meet once a month to move our mission forward. In 2017 we added educational opportunities to our meetings to deepen our understanding and sensitivities towards those we serve. The Orientation and Mobility Specialists at ISBVI provided our Board Members with a better understanding of how to guide individuals who are blind by engaging us in a blind-folded simulation. Board Members were asked to wear a blind-fold and move throughout the school using a cane and/or being led by a guide.
April 2017
The amazing team at Ossip Optometry and Ophthalmology surprised their 370 staff at the 2017 Ossip Expo with a beautiful performance from the ISBVI High School Choir. Following this performance, Dr. Scott Allison from Ossip surprised us with a check for $3500. This financial support didn’t end there as Dr. Allison challenged fellow Ossip staff to keep contributing throughout the day. Due to the financial support provided throughout the day, IBCF was able to assist ISBVI in purchasing numerous Bluetooth accessible laptops and MacBooks for the Assistive Technology Lab, making learning more accessible and efficient for students. Thank you to our friends at Ossip for making this support and awareness possible!
May 2017
75 people joined together to walk in support of IBCF in the Walking for Dreams Event raising close to $5000 in support. Due to this support, we were able to bring in Playworks Indiana a few months later to engage 35 ISBVI staff in a Power of Play and Group Management training aimed at strengthening positive play activities that build social skills and inclusiveness during recess and free time.
June 2017
June is both a happy and sad time around here at ISBVI. It is the start of the summer and the end of the school year. But for some, it is also the end of their time at ISBVI. While we are sad to see our seniors go each year, we know they are off to new horizons. In 2017, IBCF was happy to provide each of the twelve graduating seniors a small pocket scholarship.
The Expanding Your Horizons Summer Camp, the only week-long overnight summer camp for children with visual impairments in the state, engaged 23 children ages 10-15 throughout Indiana in experiences and activities tied to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) themed lesson plans and concepts. We are thankful for the financial and voluntary support from the Genesys Foundation, formerly the Interactive Intelligence Foundation, for making this camp such a success!
July 2017
Dr. William Zeh participated in the Rainstorm Ride, a 660 mile bicycle ride in Southern Indiana, raising both financial support and awareness towards our mission. Dr. Zeh’s campaign, Roll for a Goal, brought in nearly $5000 in support from all over the country. We are thankful for individuals like Dr. Zeh who not only understand the importance of our mission but engage their network in learning about the work that we do.
The foundation received its first State of Indiana 2017 grant award from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) through the Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit Program (NAP)! IBCF was awarded the ability to provide $4128 in tax credits to eligible donors allowing IBCF to earn $8,256 in contributions towards its mission and educational programming at ISBVI.
The 2017 golf event had some ups and downs due to extreme weather that caused a move in the date of the event but that didn’t stop the 90 golfers who stuck with us and played to support our mission on the July rescheduled date generating over $17,000 in support.
August 2017
Playworks Indiana provided a training to 35 staff at ISBVI on the Power of Play and Group Management Techniques. The workshop was led by Playworks Pro-Trainer, Neetu Agrawal, who inspired staff to learn or strengthen activities that assist ISBVI students in connecting with other children, feel a sense of belonging, and become more active on the playground.
September 2017
The Kendra Scott store at Keystone at the Crossing invited the foundation and four ISBVI students to join them in the store for an afternoon of jewelry making. Each of the four students created a piece of jewelry to take with him or her as well as a piece that was donated for our 2017 Through the Looking Glass Gala. The students and staff had a wonderful time and hope to go back this spring for another session.
October 2017
The 2017 Through the Looking Glass Gala generated a record-breaking $150,000 in support of the IBCF mission. Of this total, $41,275 was raised towards the arts and music programs at ISBVI during the Fund-A-Need moment. Our special guest, Jim Platzer, inspired our audience to discover his or her sense of purpose no matter where you are on your journey. Emcees, Laura Steele and Barry Lantz, as well as our auctioneer, Mark Bisch, kept the audience entertained and on their toes all evening. Thanks to the Sertoma Club of Broad Ripple, our guests were able to enjoy casino games ranging from roulette to blackjack. Big thanks to the 2017 Gala Committee and Chair, Lindsey Jordan, for their support and making the evening such a success! Check out the photos from the 2017 TTLG Gala here!
November 2017
We were thrilled to receive a phone call from our friend and local artist, Barry Lantz, sharing that he was chosen to be the LUXE Design Showcase event keynote speaker. As the keynote speaker he chose IBCF to be the charity beneficiary for the 2018 event on Friday, February 9th. Click on the following link for more details about the upcoming LUXE event!
December 2017
This year’s annual holiday tree sale and family event was one for the record books! It was a non-stop day at each event area on campus. The IBCF pancake breakfast fed over 150 attendees in just 3 hours. We are thankful to all those who came to support this event that kicks off the holiday season here at ISBVI!
