Fall 2007 Generations The Hadley School for the Blind—Est. 1920 Through the generosity of others, building on the past, bringing life-changing services to future generations Thanks for making our Second Annual Hounds for Hadley Dog Walk a huge success! Letter from the President Life consists of many blessings, and at The Hadley School for the Blind we are blessed to have wonderful and generous donors to aid us in achieving our mission. Your gift of education has enabled the school to offer lifelong learning to our blind and visually impaired students, free of charge, for 87 years. Ever growing, Hadley now serves 10,000 students annually in all 50 states and 110 countries. In addition, your generosity has afforded us the opportunity to create several exciting new initiatives, which include: ?Online seminars for students—discussion of topics ranging from “Kids in the Kitchen” to “Finding Employment” to “Using Braille.” ?Collaboration with Bookshare.org—an online library that offers more than 34,000 books and 150 daily newspapers to our students. ?Partnerships in education—collaborations with National Industries for the Blind, seven of the leading U.S. dog guide schools and soon, a university, to jointly develop college courses for teachers. ?“Teach the Teachers”—programming uniquely focused on the needs of teachers who work with visually impaired or blind students and adults worldwide. As Helen Keller so wisely said, “There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.” Because you, our donors, have provided this helping hand, The Hadley School for the Blind is truly blessed. On behalf of our students, faculty, staff and administration, please accept my deepest thanks and appreciation for your continued commitment to Hadley and its mission. Charles E. Young, President In this issue 2-3 Donor Spotlight 3 Act Now: Pension Protection Act 4 Woman’s Board “All Stars” Shine 4 Christie Gilson Wins President’s Award 5 Alliant “Serves It Up” for Hadley 5 Hounds for Hadley a Success 5 Congratulations to our 2007 Student Award Winners 6 Unleashing the Creativity of Kids 8-9 Friends of Hadley Help Families Connect: A family finds it is not alone 9 Considering a Planned Gift? Back page: Upcoming Hadley Events Carolyn Sanderson Pianist, teacher, Hadley student, Hadley donor Carolyn Sanderson likes to say she has 40 grandchildren. In truth, the grandchildren are her music students. She and her husband, John, became grandparents last year, but until that point, she says, “I told my kids not to feel guilty if they’re not producing grandchildren, because I have 40 of them coming through my door each week, and my only responsibility is to provide their musical education.” Carolyn has been playing music since she was 5 and teaching music since her senior year of high school. Her love of piano began as a young girl, listening to music at church. “I used to sit on the floor and ‘play piano’ on the seats of chairs,” she says. When her parents acquired a piano for her older brother to take lessons, Carolyn insisted that she also learn to play. By sixth grade she was learning the flute. But while Carolyn was learning to play music, she was gradually, steadily losing her ability to see. By the time she finished high school, it was obvious that her vision problems went beyond just nearsightedness. At 17, Carolyn was diagnosed with a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa that surfaces in adolescence. Her vision continued to deteriorate until age 30, when she became blind. “I have two children,” she says, “and I remember seeing one of them.” Having learned to read music before losing her vision has made it easier for Carolyn to teach. “I learned the same way my students are now learning,” she says. “I braille the music—at the early levels at least—for myself, so that I know what they’re doing.” The only difference her blindness creates for her students is “they have to be more verbal than most children tend to be. They have to know the terms—what a staff is, for example. “I don’t see that as a real negative,” she adds, “but sometimes it takes a little longer to get started because they have to develop a language. They can’t just point to something. They have to be able to articulate what it is.” Her students—the youngest is in first grade—come weekly for lessons. Her only requirement for new students is that they be able to read. “It’s much easier to communicate when they can read,” she says. “Learning an instrument, particularly something like the piano, is a wonderful thing to do in your retirement years,” says Carolyn, who has several adult students. “Music involves more of your brain than almost any other activity. You’re using your eyes, your ears, your sense of touch, you’re evaluating—there’s a lot going on at once.” Teaching adults, she says, is different than teaching children. “Adults use their acquired experience and their intellect and their problem-solving skills in different ways than children do. Adults also expect more of themselves, and it’s a challenge to get them to change their expectations in order to benefit from and enjoy the music. It doesn’t have to be difficult to be worthwhile. If you don’t have an end goal, you can enjoy the journey.” Carolyn started taking braille and other courses at Hadley in 1968. She and her husband have donated regularly to the school since 1971. “My life has been much richer and more productive because of the skills I acquired through Hadley,” says Carolyn, who is also the organist and choir director at her church, “I want others to have that same chance. “I’m so lucky to have done exactly what I wanted to do in life in spite of the fact that I can’t see. I love working with children one-on-one; I love sharing music with them. And I love the music. I’ll teach something I haven’t taught in years, or at all, and it’s a wonderful piece of music. And when somebody does well performing it, I feel very good.” The other bonus to teaching children, Carolyn says, is that it offers “the chance to provide a positive image of a person who is blind that my students can learn to feel comfortable with. They see that I’m a normal, productive, working person. That’s a good thing,” she says. “Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who was blind.” Act Now: Pension Protection Act Last fall, President Bush signed the Pension Protection Act of 2006 into law and we want to make you aware of some of its provisions and the benefits of making charitable gifts to the Hadley School via Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs. You can only take advantage of these charitable opportunities through the end of 2007. Please consult your financial advisor before making any distributions from an Individual Retirement Account. (This information does not constitute legal or financial advice.) • The gift must be a direct transfer from the IRA to the charity (i.e., the check for the gift is made out directly to the charity, not from the IRA provider to the donor). • The IRA owner (the donor) must be age 70½ or older. • The IRA owner may transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA directly to a qualified public charity in 2007. • The transfer is not included in taxable income. • The transfer qualifies for the IRA owner’s required minimum distribution. • The IRA custodian may transfer the funds by check or electronic transfer directly to the charity. Alternatively, the IRA custodian may issue a check payable to the charity but send the check to the donor for forwarding to the charity. • Transfers to donor-advised funds do not qualify. • The gift is not included in taxable income and, consequently, there is no income tax deduction. However, the donor must still comply with substantiation requirements by obtaining a receipt for the gift from the charity. To make a gift of this type, contact your IRA provider. Woman’s Board “All Stars” Shine When The Hadley School for the Blind’s Woman’s Board members set their sights on fundraising for Hadley, they do it in a big way. This was again proven at their annual Spring Benefit, “Reach for the Stars,” held May 4 at Sunset Ridge Country Club. Never giving less than their “all,” co-chairs Sarah Bennett and Susan Gould, President Sarah Barden and their hard-working committees delivered a spectacular event to 250 attendees. Guests enjoyed wine, courtesy of the Scherrer Winery, while perusing and bidding on many wonderful silent auction items, including fine wine, beautiful artwork and jewelry, gift certificates to area businesses and sought-after tickets to sporting and theater events. And who could refuse the members’ daughters who gave up a Friday evening to sell raffle tickets—the prize being the chance to watch the Chicago Cubs in the luxury of the private Baxter Mezzanine Suite? Guests dined on the club’s fine cuisine, with wine generously donated by Flickinger Wines and Ventoux Fine Wine. Proceeds of the Benefit were slated to go toward Hadley’s Professional Education Program, designed to “teach the teachers.” Julie Ford Backer and Jennifer Gentzkow, mothers of visually impaired children attending Crow Island School in Winnetka, spoke about the services their children receive and how crucial those services are to their children’s learning, independence and self-confidence. Neighbor and actor Richard Laible, who graciously donates his time to emcee the event, revved up the crowd for the fast and furious live auction, which included Cubs dugout seats donated by Walter E. Smithe Furniture, Inc.; a catered dinner for 10 donated by J and L Catering and Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Bennett; Ojai Valley Inn and Spa holiday donated by the Crown Family, American Airlines, Mrs. Eleanor Land and Suzanne’s Cuisine; private jet and golf at Bandon Dunes donated by NetJets Inc, Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Forsythe and Bandon Dunes; and magnums of fine wine. After dancing the night away to the music of Public i, guests received a bottle of wine as a parting gift from Hadley Trustee Marilynn Thoma and husband Carl Thoma’s personal vineyard. The event netted a record-breaking $235,000 and Hadley’s deep appreciation of this incredible group of women who care so much about assisting those whose lives are impacted by vision loss. Woman’s Board President Sarah Barden presented Hadley President Chuck Young and Tom Tobin, vice president of development and communications, with a check for $261,991.30, the sum of the Board’s ambitious fundraising efforts for 2007. Christie Gilson Wins 2007 President’s Award Christie Gilson, a Hadley student since junior high school, received the 2007 President’s Award in recognition of her work teaching conversational English to visually impaired and blind students at Hadley-China. She hopes this highly valued skill will help them secure better jobs. The President’s Award is given to an individual or group that has demonstrated exceptional spirit in raising awareness of the needs and abilities of blind and visually impaired people. “In other countries many people have different views on disabilities,” Christie says. “I want my students to understand that they can accomplish many things.” Alliant “Serves It” Up for Hadley July 26 dawned humid and warm after many days of rain. Inside, tables were covered with sandwiches, cookies and soda. Outside, teams of Alliant Credit Union employees in Des Plaines, Illinois, milled about in colored t-shirts, ready to take to the volleyball court for a good-natured competition to benefit Hadley. For a second year, Alliant has named Hadley as one of its fundraising recipients. This year’s “Serve it up for Hadley” tournament raised $5,700 for Hadley, with 120 Alliant employees partaking in the day’s games. Players received goody bags and Hadley information when they visited the Hadley tent to meet staff: Mike Harvey, senior instructional technologist; Mike Rydel, dean of curricular affairs; and intern Jessica Harvey. Tom Tobin, vice president of development and communications came to show his support and meet Dave Mooney, president and CEO of Alliant. Hadley thanks Ian Harr, former accounting manager at Alliant, for his role in bringing the school into the Alliant spotlight. Thanks also to Robert Russell, senior marketing representative, and Albert Obay, operations analyst, for their hard work in coordinating the day, and to all Alliant employees and volunteers who made this a successful fundraising event. Hounds for Hadley a Success On September 15, 100 dogs and their owners strolled through the streets of Winnetka for the second annual Hounds for Hadley Dog Walk. Residents from Winnetka, Kenilworth, Wilmette and beyond made the 1.5 mile trek around downtown Winnetka before returning to Hadley for refreshments provided by Starbucks. Pledges and donations brought in more than $16,000 to support Hadley’s “Guide Dog” course, which details the history of guide dogs, responsibilities of dog owners and information on the major guide dog schools in the U.S. “A guide dog is a very personal choice for someone who is blind or visually impaired,” said Susan Dennison, director of development and communications. “While a guide dog offers great freedom, you need to consider the care and responsibility of owning such a dog. Hadley wanted to design a course that objectively presents information on what owning a guide dog is all about so our students can make the decision that’s right for them.” Thanks to our sponsors: Chase Bank, Green Bay Animal Hospital, Noah’s Ark Pet Store, Pioneer Press, Starbucks and Wilmette Bicycle and Sport Shop. ? Congratulations to our 2007 Student Award Winners STUDENT OF THE YEAR RILEY J. WILLIAMS, MISSOURI BRAILLE STUDENT OF THE YEAR ALFRED LABRECQUE, MICHIGAN DONALD WING HATHAWAY LIFELONG LEARNING AWARD ROBERT W. GLASS, SOUTH CAROLINA ROBERT J. WINN FAMILY EDUCATION AWARD LINDA M. SMATLA, KANSAS DEAN W. TUTTLE PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AWARD DAN F. VODON, CANADA RICHARD KINNEY CHALLENGE OF LIVING AWARD DARRAN J. ZENGER, UTAH INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OF THE YEAR PHONG Q. NGUYEN, VIETNAM Unleashing the Creativity of Kids for a Good Cause One of The Hadley School for the Blind’s most wonderful traditions is the Woman’s Board Holiday Card sale. Since 1956, Woman’s Board members have sold beautiful braille cards at Hadley. Over the years the sale has evolved to include online sales, wrapping paper and Advent calendars, with profits allowing the school to better serve more than 10,000 students annually. When Woman’s Board President Sarah Barden asked member Christy Fowler to work with the children at Crow Island School in Winnetka, Illinois, to design this year’s card, she jumped at the chance. Christy’s daughters, now 18 and 19, attended Crow Island, and she has a long-standing affection for the school. She was thrilled to work with art teacher Lillian Johnston and her third grade art class. Coincidentally, Hadley’s relationship with Crow Island School began last year, when children in Marie Dickey’s second grade class decided they wanted to learn braille so that they could better connect with their classmates, Charlie and Charlotte, both whom are visually impaired. The class chose to remain inside during recess to learn braille. When they expressed their wish for a braillewriter to take home to practice on, the staff of the Hadley School invited the students to tour the school and presented the class with a braillewriter. What better undertaking than to have the third grade class, which included Charlie and Charlotte, create this year’s holiday cards? The class began the project in January and extended their “holiday spirit” into the new year, working on their colorful and whimsical designs. Creating the artwork was a collective effort, the sighted children incorporating the ideas of Charlotte and Charlie into festive winter scenes. Everyone was thrilled with the five cards that resulted from the project. Hadley is excited about the collection. Five of each design (featured above) are included in a box of 25 cards and envelopes for $25. Also for sale this year is a lovely photo card designed by artist and Woman’s Board member and Holiday Card co-chair Kay Moffitt. Kay and co-chair Kate Wise diligently worked this past summer on what is sure to be a successful and profitable sale. Cards, album book cards, Advent calendars and Sally Foster wrapping paper are on sale at the Hadley School, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., until December 14. Call 800-323-4238 or place your order online at www.hadley.edu/holidaycard. Sally Foster wrapping paper and other holiday novelties can also be ordered online at www.sallyfoster.com using Hadley’s seller number 333413, with 50 percent of proceeds going to Hadley. Last year’s card sold out, so don’t delay! Friends of Hadley Help Families Connect A family finds it is not alone When Emily Coleman of Kalispell, Montana, learned that her son Eddie was blind, she worried about his future. Diagnosed at 4 months, “Eddie was the first blind person I’d ever met,” she says, “and he’s my son.” Today Emily faces the challenge of teaching herself, her family and Eddie what it means to be blind. Eddie’s blindness was caused by optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH), an incurable condition caused by an underdeveloped optic nerve. Eddie’s optic nerve was practically nonexistent. ONH is one of the three most common causes of visual impairment in children. Through a $1,000 scholarship offered by the Friends of Hadley, a volunteer organization that supports Hadley students in need, Emily and her husband, John, were able to attend the “Families Connecting with Families” conference in Omaha, Nebraska, in July. Having already taken courses with Hadley, Emily saw the scholarship as an ideal learning opportunity. “I thought it would be great for my husband and me to meet new people from different states and talk to them about their experiences,” she says. The Friends of Hadley offered the scholarship to the winner of an essay contest. Emily wrote about her son, Eddie, now 2, and her response to his blindness. Emily says it was heartening to hear speeches by community leaders at the conference who, like Eddie, were born blind. “They told jokes about blindness and were comfortable with themselves. They saw humor in awkward interactions,” she says. Most importantly, they led normal lives. In addition to meeting families like their own, Emily and John learned about products and services offered to blind individuals and families while touring the exhibits at the conference. Since 2005, Emily has found support and resources through the distance education courses offered by the Hadley School. “As a parent of a blind child I have recommended [Hadley] to other parents. It’s frightening to discover your child is blind, but the courses helped me realize it’s possible to raise a blind child. My instructor was always accessible and gave advice and feedback on lessons. She made it better than just reading a book—Hadley offers an active learning experience.” The conference was established by the American Printing House for the Blind, The National Association of Parents of Children with Visual Impairments, The Hadley School for the Blind and other organizations. It was created to provide an opportunity for parents to learn to advocate for their children and network with each other and blindness service professionals. “Blindness is something that I’m not really afraid of anymore,” Emily says. “My son Eddie will be able to read, and he’ll be able to go to college if he wants.” Considering a Planned Gift? The Hadley School for the Blind has enjoyed an 87-year history of providing distance education services to blind people, their families and professionals working in the blindness field. Our long-term success is directly attributable to our generous supporters. While the school enjoys support from many sources, individual giving ranks at the top. Gifts to the Annual Fund are critical to the school’s yearly operation; planned gifts are a must to meet long-term financial needs so we can continue to meet the growing needs of our students. Including Hadley in your estate plan through a bequest will create a lasting legacy for you, as all bequests to Hadley are added to the school’s endowment—interest from which provides two-thirds of the school’s annual operation. Consider Nancy, who made her first gift to Hadley in 1979 and supported the school modestly each year for 20 years. Because she made provisions for the school in her estate plans, her bequest to Hadley was more than $1,000,000. While Nancy’s annual gift was most appreciated, she was able to make a real impact in the lives of Hadley students through her incredible bequest. If you would like to learn more about planned giving and how you can impact the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired, contact the school at 847-446-8111 or 800-323-4238. Inquiries will be handled in the strictest confidence. Upcoming Hadley Events ? Woman’s Board 2007 Braille Holiday Card Sale Through December 14 at the Hadley School, or order online at www.hadley.edu/holidaycard ? Woman’s Board Holiday Luncheon December 5 ? Woman’s Board Book Fair, The Book Stall, Winnetka, IL December 6 & 7, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. ? Hadley will be closed December 24 to January 7 for winter break. ? Spring from Darkness Into Light Concert II April 26, 2008. Order tickets online at www.hadley.edu ? Woman’s Board Benefit May 9, 2008 ? Hadley High School Graduation June 2008