Please support the blind at Thankful Thursday at Beacon Club April 6.

DEAR EDITOR:

Wyoming Council of the Blind (WyCB) is fortunate to be the recipient of Thankful Thursday April 6. This fantastic fundraiser provides us the  opportunity to raise money to help advance our various endeavors as well as to provide awareness to the general public about who we are and what we do. You may be surprised to learn that in Wyoming there are over 12,500 individuals with vision loss.

One of our core values is that we believe people with a visual impairment should be accepted, valued and respected for their individual accomplishments. We encourage people to strive to be all they can be.  

Our organization is open to anyone, whether they have a vision impairment or not.  We encourage you to become a member for only $20 a year.  The more members we have, the more we can accomplish. 

If you are not familiar with WyCB, here are just a few projects that are underway: Providing a scholarship each year to a student with a visual impairment; actively working to update Wyoming statutes regarding the White Cane Laws; advocating for adding information to the driver’s education manual and driver’s test so people can be informed of what to do when they encounter a pedestrian using a white cane and/or a dog guide; to continuously advocate for the continuation of the Talking Books Program in Wyoming as provided by the National Library Service at the Library of Congress;  to be an information and referral source for employment, education, low vision services and support groups around the state (our website provides additional information at  www.wycb.info); hosting an annual convention to provide a venue for learning, sharing and having fun.

Thankful Thursday is held weekly at the Beacon Club in Casper to benefit a different non-profit organization each time; our date is April 6 and the event starts at 5 p.m. (or earlier if you want to help set up). The live auction starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.

As with any event, volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks such as collecting items for auction baskets, setting up the day of the event, greeting guests, selling various raffle tickets, spotting for the auctioneer, clean-up, etc. If you would be willing to help, please call us at 307-629-1916.

Even if you cannot volunteer, we invite you to come and support WyCB while also having an evening of fun. The evening will include a live auction for baskets/packages, various door prizes, including the opportunity to win $500, a 50/50 raffle, Chuck the Duck (purchase a duck for $10 to earn the chance to win half of the proceeds from duck sales), purchasing a $10 “Luck of the Draw” ticket in which the winner gets first pick of a basket on the raffle table.

In order to provide awareness and advocacy, we would appreciate it if you would use your cane and/or bring your dog guide that evening, if you use this type of assistance.  

We look forward to seeing you at the Beacon Club on April 6.

Sincerely,

Tom Lealos,

Vice-president,

Wyoming Council of the Blind