GDABVI News Release

For Immediate Release - January 8, 2008

Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired receives $5,000 grant from Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan

Funding will help support Summer Enrichment Camp for children and youth with blindness and visual impairments

The Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired (GDABVI) has received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. The grant will be used in support of the Agency’s 2008 Summer Enrichment Camp, which offers children and youth with blindness and visual impairments a variety of fun activities that will help them become more independent.

“All children need to be involved in constructive activities during the summer months, but children with low vision or no vision also need to learn unique skills in order to be self-sufficient,” says Agency President & CEO Gail McEntee. “Our program helps them learn these skills, and we are thrilled to have the support of the Community Foundation.”

The GDABVI Summer Enrichment Camp offers a variety of activities that encourage young people with blindness and visual impairments to explore the community in which they live while developing self-confidence. Children ages six to 15 learn daily living skills such as cooking, cleaning and money management, while also participating in activities such as judo and rock climbing that help develop spatial awareness, along with orientation and mobility.

The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, founded in 1984, is a permanent community endowment built by gifts from thousands of individuals and organizations committed to the future of southeast Michigan. The Foundation works to improve the quality of life in southeast Michigan by supporting a wide variety of activities benefiting education, arts and culture, health, human services, community development and civic affairs.

Governed by a board of 50 community leaders, the Foundation makes grants to outstanding charitable projects in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, St. Clair, Livingston and Washtenaw counties. The Foundation has assets of $579 million and, since its inception, has distributed more than $270 million in more than 28,000 grants to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation Web site is www.cfsem.org.

The Greater Detroit Agency for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that provides quality, innovative services that increase self-reliance, productivity and dignity for persons who are blind or visually impaired. The Agency offers in-home rehabilitation training to seniors and adults, Accessible Computer Training at the four regional libraries for the blind, programming for children and youth, and public education and outreach initiatives aimed at preventing vision loss and connecting people to resources that are available within the community. A United Way partner agency, GDABVI is accredited by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped. For more information about GDABVI programs and services, call (313) 272-3900 or visit www.gdabvi.org.