Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays, A Virtual Celebration with the BCC Family. Tuesday, December 17th 5:30-6:15pm PST

On December 17th, 2020 at 5:30pm PST, the Blind Children’s Center hosted Home for the Holidays, a Virtual Celebration with the BCC Family! This fun and heartwarming event included messages from our families and supporters, including the LAPD Rampart and R&I Divisions, LAPD Chief Michel Moore, Los Angeles Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff, and the UCSB Delta Gamma chapter. Attendees also enjoyed performances by entertainer and blindness advocate Tom Sullivan and actor Blake Stadnik of This is Us fame, and holiday activities like voting on our ugly sweater contest and viewing our students’ questions for Santa. The full program can be viewed on our event website.

This event was part of our Focused on Family campaign, which centered on the variety of challenges our Blind Children’s Center families have faced over the past few months and our staff’s adaptations to serve those needs. We spotlighted three of our incredible Blind Children’s Center families: the Forbeses, the Robinsons, and the Mubyanas & Rahas. 

Thanks to the generosity of our board members and key donors, all donations from the campaign were matched and the Center raised over $95,000! Thank you everyone for helping us continue to provide critical early intervention and family services to children who are visually impaired and their families throughout Los Angeles County.

Image of a woman with glasses holding a preschool girl with glasses. Text reads "Once we were enrolled, everything fell into place. BCC has been very sensitive to what Zariah needs since day one"     Image of a woman and man hugging with two preschool boys with glasses. Text reads "At BCC we found so much more than a school. We found a home"     Image of a mother holding two preschool children. Text reads "The Center has given me hope that there is a future for my son, and that even with his disabilities he will be able to lead a full life"

A woman and a preschool girl both wearing Christmas sweaters. Text reads "Winner!"    A preschool girl wearing a Christmas tree costume. Text reads "honorable mention"    A preschool boy with glasses wearing a sweater with a Christmas tree on it. Text reads "Honorable Mention"

Thank You to the Dominguez Firm!

The Dominguez Firm

Thank you to The Dominguez Firm for your generous support of our students and families! Corporate sponsors like you allow us to provide critical  early intervention and child development programs for children who are blind or visually impaired across Los Angeles County. Thank you for investing in our students’ education and success.

To learn more about becoming a corporate sponsor, please contact our Director of Development and Communications, Scott Kassel, at scott@blindchildrenscenter.org or 323.664.2153 x2330.

An Evening With Tom Sullivan

Evening With Tom Sullivan. November 17th

On November 17th, 2020 at 5:30pm PST, the Blind Children’s Center held An Evening With Tom Sullivan, a virtual event introducing donors to the Tom Sullivan Legacy society. The event included a live musical performance by Tom, conversations with BCC students and staff, and a Q&A on the advantages of planned giving. The event recording can be accessed on the Blind Children’s Center’s YouTube channel.

The Tom Sullivan Legacy Society recognizes and honors those who have made, or intend to make, an estate-related gift to the Blind Children’s Center. When you include us in your estate plan, you leave a legacy of care, support and light to children with visual impairments and their families. Benefits of Legacy Society membership include optional recognition on our donor wall and in printed materials, and invitations to special gatherings and events. By joining our Legacy Society today and sharing your gift intentions with us, you ensure that your gift is directed according to your wishes in the future.

To learn more, join, or be connected to an expert, please contact Scott Kassel, Director of Development, at 323.664.2153 or scott@blindchildrenscenter.org.

The information provided here is not intended as tax, legal or financial advice, nor can we provide such advice to you. You should discuss any charitable gift with your professional financial advisor.

Light the Way Celebration 2020

Light the Way Celebration

On May 5, Blind Children’s Center held our Light the Way Celebration fundraising gala as a virtual event. We had an amazing silent auction and incredible virtual program streamed on Facebook Live and YouTube Live featuring performers and speakers such as This is Us star Blake Stadnik, Delta Gamma Foundation Executive Director Roxanne LaMuth, long-time Center supporter Tom Sullivan, and Katie Chiaratti, our wonderful parent speaker. The full program is available to view on our Facebook and YouTube channels.

We honored Lorraine Colich and Jane Stampe, two incredible women who have displayed longstanding dedication to the Center. Lorraine has been a dedicated member of Les Marraines, a group of philanthropic women who have been instrumental in raising funds and awareness about the Blind Children’s Center among other children’s charities, since the 1950s. Jane was originally drawn to the Center in the late 1980s by two fellow Delta Gamma friends. Over time, her role grew within the board culminating in her service as President from 1990 – 1992. We are so proud to honor the incredible philanthropic work done by both women at our Light the Way Celebration.

Thanks to the generous matching grants provided by the Gibney Family Foundation and the Mawardi Foundation, we were able to surpass our fundraising goal of $100,000! Thank you to everyone who participated in this incredible event. Supporters like you help us continue to prepare children who are visually impaired to thrive in a sighted world through inclusive, family-focused early intervention and child development programs.

Light the Way Celebration - Join Us! Images of four smiling preschool children who are visually impaired. Meet our honorees! Jane Stampe and Lorraine Colich. Two images of smiling older women. Featuring Blake Stadnik! Actor and musician, This is Us. Featuring Katie Chiaratti! Parent Speaker. Featuring Roxane LaMuth! Executive Director, Delta Gamma Foundation. Featuring Molly Burke! Motivational Speaker & YouTuber.           Featuring Joe Mantegna! Actor and Producer.          Featuring Jake Olson! Former USC Athlete & Motivational Speaker

To Our Blind Children’s Center Family

BCC CEO smiling with kindergarten girl with glasses. Caption reads "caring staff."

Dear friends of the Blind Children’s Center,

In this time of great uncertainty, there is one thing of which I am sure ̶ we all need human connection and support more than ever. This is especially true for the vulnerable and isolated among us, whether isolated by poverty, disability, or age. Providing connection is often the most important role of nonprofit organizations, including the Blind Children’s Center. That is why the BCC team is leaning into our family-focused approach and developing individualized support plans for every family we serve. During this time of necessary social distancing, our teachers, specialists, and social workers are using technology to maintain vital human connection and provide key support services.

In order to continue our mission and connection to our students and their families, BCC cannot afford to put a pause on our fundraising efforts. Our staff members continue to deliver services to families and the truth is, all nonprofits will need the support of individuals like you and me more than ever over the coming months. With charity events being cancelled all over the country, we are rapidly adapting to the “new normal.” Our own May 5th gala will now be held online rather than in person.

Yet the need for connection and the needs of our students continue unabated. To those who have been personally impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, either as a patient, a family member, or employee, my heart is with you. If you are comfortably retired or one of the lucky professionals continuing to collect a paycheck, this is a wonderful opportunity to pay it forward. Our connection has never been more important than it is today and the need has never been greater. Give what you can, not only to the Blind Children’s Center, but to all the charities you love.

Wishing you and your loved ones safety and good health.

With gratitude,

Sarah E Orth's Signature

 

 

 

Sarah E. Orth

CEO

 

Beeping Egg Hunt

Three adult women help two young girls who are visually impaired search for beeping eggs on the playground A preschool boy with glasses reaches out to touch the nose of a woman dressed in an Easter bunny costume A young boy with albinism wearing sunglasses smiles holding an Easter basket next to a woman dressed as the Easter bunny

On Friday, March 30, we held our annual Beeping Egg Hunt. This tradition was developed by volunteers from the AT&T Pacific Pioneers more than 30 years ago, and has grown ever since. What originally began here in the heart of Los Angeles has now captivated other organizations across the nation, from Arizona and Oklahoma to New York and Virginia.

Thanks to Performance Team Freight Systems Inc., each student was rewarded with a basket when they delivered their beeping egg to our bunny (teacher in a bunny suit!). Each basket contained a stuffed animal, books and lots of other cute treats. Our students as well as friends and family got to experience a petting zoo of small animals thanks to our longtime friend Janis Lake. Everyone was able to feed, pet and take photos with the bunnies, chicks and ducklings, and a wonderful time was had by all.

Holiday Party with Santa!

A Los Angeles Police Department officer dressed as Santa rides in a sleigh pulled by a police car in the BCC parking lot

Officers from around the city brought gifts and spent the morning visiting with our students and their families at our annual Holiday Party with Santa! Thank you to all of our friends from LAPD Headquarters, LAPD Southwest Community Police Station, LAPD Rampart Division, LAPD Community Outreach, and our Board Member, Detective Marc Rojas.