Louis Braille School

When Louis Braille School students and staff received an invitation from Rosewood Courte marketing director, Sylvana Rinehart, to visit for an afternoon of crafts, the unanimous response was, “Yes, let’s do it!”

Rosewood Courte, a short walk from the Louis Braille School, is a residential facility for people with Alzheimer’s and related disorders. Our first visit to this warm, friendly community was last year when students and residents enjoyed a songfest accompanied by Ginny Burger on her harp.

This time the activity was painting wooden alligators — eight-inch-long articulated wooden alligators whose bodies move back and forth.

Working in teams, and guided by program director Karen Davis, each student was paired with a resident who assisted with the painting project. Paint of yellow, green, blue and red found its way from pot, to brush, to alligator, producing creatures that would surely take first place in any alligator fashion show.

Although the alligators were great fun and a unique treat, the highlights for all ages were the warm conversations and gentle sharing.

The visit ended with an invitation to return each month for another activity. Again, we said, “Let’s do it!”

We are pleased to share with you an invitation from the Everett Central Lions Club to a special concert by the Everett Symphony Orchestra. This performance is especially for people who are visually impaired and their families and friends.

The concert is free. Seating is first come, first choice. “Friends” means all of you who are reading this.

The first Everett Symphony V.I.P. (Visually Impaired Persons) concert, which is for people of all ages, made its debut last year. We know of two elementary school children who were invited on stage during a break to talk with the musicians and examine their instruments, much to the delight of everyone present.

Following is the Everett Central Lions Club invitation:

You are invited to a FREE V.I.P. ‘Pops’ Concert performed by the Everett Symphony Orchestra.

Join Visually Impaired Persons and Lions Clubs along with family and friends for an entertaining evening of popular music from hit ‘Broadway’ musicals.

Thursday, November 5th, at 7 pm
New Life Center – 6830 Highland Drive, Everett
( On the corner of Madison and Highland Dr. )

Driving Instructions
From the south. On northbound I-5, take exit 189 toward Mukilteo Ferry, take Evergreen Way exit and turn right onto Evergreen Way, turn right onto Madison Ave, go to Highland Drive. New Life Center is on your right.

From the north. On southbound I-5, take exit 192, turn right onto 41st Ave Eastbound, turn left on Rucker Ave, turn left on Madison Ave, go to Highland Drive. New life Center is on your right.

Sponsored by Everett Central Lions Club
For information contact Art Ruben
Phone: 425-514-5464
Email: since1965@aol.com

Applebee’s Restaurant on Everett Mall Way is having a fundraiser for the Louis Braille School.

You are invited to come on Thursday, August 27th, between 11:00 am and 9:00 pm, to Applebee’s at 806 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett WA 98208.

The Louis Braille School will receive 15% of all sales Applebee’s takes in during that time period. In House Dining, To Go, and Carside To Go orders will apply.

Applebee’s is the largest casual dining chain in the world, with locations throughout the U.S. and many countries worldwide. They offer a friendly, welcoming, neighborhood environment and delicious food for every occasion.

You must present an Applebee’s flyer to participate in the fundraiser. To receive a pdf of the flyer, please email director@louisbrailleschool.org or call the Louis Braille School at 425-776-4042. We will email the flyer to you and you may make as many copies as you need.

Each guest check issued by the restaurant will require one flyer. That is, if the bill for a group of four people is to be paid by one person, you will need one flyer. If the bill will be divided by the four people, each person paying will need to present a flyer.

“I’m very excited,” ten-year-old Brett Wheeler exclaimed as he arrived at the Edmonds Lions Club August 17 board meeting.

Brett, blind from birth, was excited because he was about to receive a brand new Perkins brailler, a gift from the Edmonds Lions Club.

Edmonds Lion Red Bingham, who handled the considerable paper work and phone calls it took to fund and obtain the brailler, made the presentation. With Red’s skillful coaching, Brett had to open a big box and remove the packing material before his brailler was finally revealed.

Along with his mother, Jennifer, and his sister, Lyndsey, Brett moved to Edmonds in December of 2008 so he could attend the Louis Braille School. Now in the fifth grade at the Louis Braille School, Brett is happy to have his own brailler so he can practice at home and sharpen his skills. The brailler will serve him well for many years.

The Perkins brailler, sometimes called a “braille typewriter,” is a simple manual machine used to write braille. The brailler has a key corresponding to each of the six dots of the braille code. By simultaneously pressing different combinations of the six keys, users can create any of the characters in the braille code.

Eager to try out his new brailler, Brett brailled the alphabet while the Lions cheered him on.

When asked if he would like to say anything to the Club, Brett replied with heartfelt appreciation, “Thank you for my brailler. I love you, Lions Club.”

Lions Club president Bobby Mills replied “The Lions’ motto is ‘We Serve.’ This is what it is all about.”

Our good neighbor, Pagliacci Pizza, is throwing a fundraiser for us and you’re invited to come on Saturday, August 15th, between 5:00 and 8:00 pm at 10200 Edmonds Way in Edmonds.

The Louis Braille School will receive 20% of all sales Pagliacci takes in during that time period.

Pagliacci Pizza offers pies with intriguing names, such as Brooklyn Bridge, South Philly, and Agog Primo, in addition to the stalwart favorites of Pepperoni, Pesto, and Canadian Bacon & Pineapple. There’s also calzone, an unusual treat described as “a golden-brown crescent filled with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, fresh mushrooms, Mama Lil’s peppers and onions.” Fresh, natural, and local ingredients are used whenever possible in all the menu items.

Pagliacci Pizza has been named “Best Pizza” numerous times by diners, newspapers, and electronic media. The company also has received special recognition for employing people who have developmental disabilities.

If all that weren’t enough, August 15th falls on the weekend of the annual Taste of Edmonds, a festival that brings to Edmonds various music acts, martial arts and gymnastics exhibitions, arts and crafts vendors, and many more entertainments and experiences. It’s a wonderful time to visit Edmonds, support the Louis Braille School, and have a tasty meal on a fun-filled day.

For more information, call the School at 425 778-2384.

Join the fun, food and festivities to help celebrate the rededication of Everett’s Lions Park on Saturday, August 15th, at 10:00 a.m.

Everett’s Mayor Ray Stephanson will officially rededicate Lions Park in a ceremony and community celebration on Saturday morning August 15th. All Lions, family and friends are invited. Back in the early 70’s Lions Park at 75th and Cascade Dr. was named for Everett’s Lions Clubs as a thank you for over a half century of community service.

On August 15th the park will be rededicated after 1 million dollars plus was spent on upgrading the park. Included in the park’s improvements are amenities to help make Lions Park “user friendly” for the blind. This was at the request of Everett’s Lions Clubs.

There are now safer wider trails with safety guards and indicators imbedded in the walkways to alert the visually impaired that stairs are present. This is important for cane travel. Signs will be in Braille and there will be a tactile map to help the blind see the park. Everett’s clubs donated funds to help create these improvements for the blind.

Join other Lions and friends in the fun, food and festivities in a community celebration of Lions Park and Lions Clubs.

For driving instructions ‘google’ Lions Park Everett WA.

For more information contact Art Ruben at 425 514-5464 or since1965@aol.com

In May of 2008, Carolyn Meyer, Director of the Louis Braille School, and I attended a meeting of the Puget Sound Grantwriters Association in downtown Seattle. We listened to Claudia Kauffman talk about the Charitable Fund of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe in a plain-spoken, friendly, and professional way.

Comparing notes at the end of her presentation was just a formality for us. From the earlier glances we exchanged with each other while she spoke, we both knew the Muckleshoot Charitable Fund was one to which we would submit a grant request.

As we discussed project possibilities that would meet the fund’s guidelines and criteria, it wasn’t long before a booklet Carolyn had created some years ago popped up in our minds as a likely candidate.

The booklet, specifically designed for parents and friends of children learning braille, teaches the basics of uncontracted braille in an easy to learn manner, using interactive exercises, fill-in-the-blanks, and multiple choice.

Carolyn reviewed braille learning materials available at that time and talked to sighted parents of children who are blind. Many of them described the manuals as too complicated and having too much information.

“I wanted something that was simple, direct, and without a lot of explanation—a quick way that would take people through the alphabet, basic punctuation, and numbers,” Carolyn said.

And she wrote a booklet capable of doing all that, according to the feedback she received from families and others who learned the basics of braille from the initial workbook.

But, lacking the funds to expand publication beyond a limited quantity of hand assembled copies, the booklet was shelved until such time as more publishing capital could be obtained. After hearing Claudia Kauffman speak, we hoped that’s how the Muckleshoot Tribe might wish to be of help.

We wrote the grant, sent it off to the tribe in August of 2008, and didn’t think much about it after that as the months went by.

Then, in a letter dated June 19, 2009, we received an official notice informing us
“…your application for funding has been approved by the Muckleshoot Charitable Fund Committee.” Accompanying the letter was a check for $2,500 (slightly more than the sum we originally requested!).

The tribe’s guidelines state: “The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has long understood the importance of being proactive in meeting the needs of its community. The Muckleshoot Charity Fund has placed high priority in awarding grants to organizations throughout the region that address the unique local and regional issues facing the population.”

The Louis Braille School expects to order a print run sometime in the next few months, with eventual sales aimed at individuals, libraries, agencies and organizations within Snohomish County and beyond working with children who are visually impaired.

Check our Web site in the future for an opportunity to make an online purchase of the booklet. We’re excited at the thought of making such a useful resource easily available at a reasonable cost.

Our thanks go out again to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and their Charitable Fund Committee for their support.

Nathan and Julie Brannon generously donated a piano to the Louis Braille School on July 6th of this year and, just ten days later, a happy group comprised of Louis Braille School summer Braille Camp children, their teacher and her assistants, gathered close to the instrument for a spirited songfest that included renditions of everything from ‘I’ve Been Working on the Railroad’ to ‘Louie, Louie.’

Fortunately for all, one of the camp assistants this year is Suzanne Taylor, an accomplished piano player who graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in music theory history. She currently teaches piano and occasionally performs in public.

“It was so much fun,” she said when asked how she liked playing for the campers. “It was great watching them getting into the music and laughing. It’s wonderful to see everyone interacting and being so creative.”

Campers improvised rhyming couplets as they sang ‘Down By the Bay’ and rollicked their way through ‘She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.’

“I think the kids enjoyed having an official accompaniment to go with their music,” said assistant Jess Cummings, a trained vocalist. “It added a different dimension from the ones they were used to.”

Morgan, one of the campers, had a wooden maraca that she made at camp and shook as she sang. Other campers were handed plastic eggs filled with pebbles to serve as their percussive instruments.

“It was really fun and kind of cool to see them all excited about the music and do the shakers,” said camp volunteer Amber O’Hara

Teacher Beckie let the children choose the songs they sang. “They feel they have more control that way and they have more fun,” she said.

“Yeah,” said camper Brett, “it was cool singing songs.”

A volunteer at the Louis Braille School once told us, “it’s good to give help with our hands. We’re not meant to give only with money.”

Four members of the Seattle Area Delta Gamma Alumnae Group (SADG) who take those words to heart came to the school on July 7th. They were here to tidy up the ever changing appearance of our front parking lot and rear play area in time for the garage sale fundraiser scheduled for July 11th.

Pictured left to right are Lisa Paulsen, Rachel Rabidoux, Danielle Kelsey, and Andrea Cirignano gripping the tools of beautification.

They spent a good two hours sweeping and weeding, making the grounds attractive for the upcoming fundraiser.

The SADG mission “is to promote friendship and to ‘Do Good’ within our communities.”

Alumnae and collegiate sorority members have helped the Louis Braille School in additional ways that include making tactile art for the students, helping to organize the school library, and assisting with the school’s annual benefit auction.

The four alumnae who worked here on July 7th clearly enjoyed being around each other.

“Our goal as a sorority alumnae group is to spend quality time together while also helping the community around us!,”said Lisa Paulsen, SADG’s Vice-President of Programming.

“We appreciate the opportunity to give back [to the community] and hope that we can continue our partnership with Louis Braille.”

Danielle Kelsey, SADG’s Vice-President of the Foundation, said alumnae members will return in October to help remove fallen leaves.

The alumnae’s deeds match the words of their mission.

Everyone at the Louis Braille School says “Thank you!” to Lisa, Rachel, Danielle, Andrea, and all the members of SADG.

Windows at the Louis Braille School have undergone changes in the last few months. Now, bright colors, a word of welcome, and braille alphabet not only spice up the building’s appearance, they suggest the spirit and philosophy found on the other side of the glass.

“I’m a flower person, I love drawing them,” said teacher Beckie.

With spring’s arrival, flowers were on her mind as she looked at the large window of the main classroom.

“The designs on the window were fading and not looking nice, and we wanted to come up with something changeable,” she said.

Students were consulted on the design and encouraged to pick some of the colors.

Then Beckie made a stencil for the lettering before spending several days on the actual painting, putting in a little bit of time now and then between her other responsibilities.

The changeable aspect of design deliberately figured into Beckie’s choice of paint. A little soap and water will easily remove the latest artwork. That approach is the one she used at a pre-school years ago, where she had a big window to work on. “About every other month I would change the theme,” she said.

“Come fall, I will talk to the kids find out what they may like to see on the window,” she added. “That will be the goal with that window, to change it periodically and have the children participate.”

The window nearest the front door was redecorated by the school’s Director, Carolyn Meyer. It is bordered across the top and bottom with print and braille letters of the alphabet.

“I wanted the exterior of the building to reflect the happiness and learning that goes on inside,” Carolyn said. “It had been rather plain and drab. I wanted it look as bright and welcoming from the outside as it is inside.

“When Beckie started painting the main classroom window, I commented to her from day to day, ‘Beckie, another flower sprouted on our front classroom window.’ Beckie’s painting is a very nice solution because now the school building looks cheerful on the outside and the inside.”

After removing faded images of butterflies, Carolyn put braille around the borders of the window near the entry door.

“It gives a little bit of intrigue to the person looking at it, yet right away they know it is braille,” she said.

Noting that braille is a way to represent a written language, Carolyn reflected on a question she is asked frequently about braille: In light of today’s electronic equipment and talking computers available to people who are blind, is braille still needed?

Her response to that question is: “Would you be satisfied if you were deprived of print as a means to read and write and you could only be literate by listening? In these times of technological advances and an increasingly busy information highway, we need all the tools we can get, and braille remains a vital tool for those who cannot read print.

“There is no substitute for direct contact with the written language, whether it be print or braille.”