Date 11/9/2018

To be sure, we are fortunate to have Judy Reynolds as director of ISBVI's Student Training Employment Program (STEP). But the intensive 4-week summer program wouldn't happen without the additional support of the many businesses in our area who care deeply about helping to prepare our students with 21st century workplace skills. Everything from the local organizations who hire our students as interns, to the generous financial support from individuals and foundations to cover costs of support staff and transportation, to those who make additional valuable learning opportunities available to our students. This year's special additional opportunities included an incredible visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), where the generosity of IMS staff made vintage Indy cars available for our students to experience tactilely, as well as a private presentation by local Indy driver Ed Carpenter. And then in July, IBCF partnered with Regions to provide STEP students with a day of learning more on how to research, prepare for, and apply to jobs they are interested in, as well as participate in individual mock interviews with Regions staff.  

Our warm thanks especially to Regions employees Kim Borges, Kathy Lovell, Schiela Pena and Steve Beres (also this year's Gala speaker) for coordinating this incredible day at the Regions downtown Indianapolis location. As Steve says so eloquently, "Just because you happen to be blind, don't let anyone make you think you should lower the bar for what you think you can do." Thank you, Regions, for helping to give our students these specific tools and the confidence to succeed! And thank you to ALL of the businesses who support our students in so many positive ways!