Colorado Gives Day

The skills of independence for our blind students, and indeed for our staff, are more critical in these difficult times than ever before. Even though the world has changed we all at the Colorado Center are still able to work with our students so that they will gain belief in themselves and be able to move forward with confidence and self-reliance!

Support us on Colorado Gives Day this Tuesday, December 8. And you can schedule a donation tonight if you like so that it will be counted on Tuesday.

Dear CCB Friends and Family –

All of us at the Colorado Center for the Blind hope that each of you had a nice Thanksgiving. The year of 2020 has brought a great deal of determination, challenge, creativity and resolve to us at CCB. The determination came from the staff who are dedicated and committed to work with our students of all ages. The challenge has been to make sure that we could continue to provide training to all of our students and our seniors in a safe manner. The creativity has been instrumental to develop innovative ways for our students and seniors to learn and to gain confidence. The resolve has been to keep moving forward, knowing that we will prevail. Our students and our seniors also have shown their determination, ability to take on challenge, creativity and resolve to live full lives.

Maura finished high school last spring and plans to go on to college next year. Before she did that, however, she was determined to obtain the skills she needed to be independent as a blind person so that nothing could hold her back in college, or beyond. We’ll let Maura tell you how it’s going in this post she made last month on Face Book. And we hope you will make a donation today, Colorado Gives Day.

These past few days have been so incredible! On Friday, I completed my second CCB graduation requirement by making my mini meal. This meal is to serve 15 guests and you have to cook 3 dishes. I made rolls, potato soup and Oreo pudding pie, and I had a little over 2 days to shop for and prepare the food from scratch. Everything was a hit, especially the Oreo pie, and I felt so much excitement and energy after all was said and done.

Executive Director Julie Deden wrote this salute to the final five students graduating from the Colorado Center for the Blind in 2019.

Colorado Gives Day is this Tuesday, December 10, and as we do each year at this time, we are asking for your financial support for our programs at the Colorado Center for the Blind. In the next couple of weeks, five students will graduate from our Independence Training program. Each of these students have made tremendous accomplishments that will propel them towards an exciting life. Each of them now realizes that being blind does not need to stop them from doing what they want to do with their lives. By introducing you to these students and their compelling, unique stories, we hope you will be inspired to make a contribution to the Colorado Center for the Blind on December 10. As I wrote about each of them, I was inspired myself!

There’s a lot to be thankful for at the Colorado Center for the Blind. As many families like yours will do today as they gather around the table, our staff and students shared what we were thankful for at our CCB family’s Thanksgiving feast one week ago. Not surprisingly, we are all grateful for one another and the Colorado Center for the Blind.

For our students, they expressed gratitude for the bonds of friendship and support they now share with both their instructors and fellow students, bonds that will last far past the day each student receives his or her Freedom Bell at graduation.

For those of us fortunate enough to teach or serve in some other role at the Center, we frequently shared how lucky we feel to be here, working at a place that has such positive impact on our students. And we can see something new in our students every single day, some new skill or accomplishment that leads to that feeling in each student that they indeed can take charge of their lives with confidence and self-reliance. Blindness doesn’t have to hold them back. What an extraordinary privilege!

Colorado Gives Day 2019 is December 10, and it’s the tenth year of this highly successful program to encourage online giving to Colorado nonprofits like the Colorado Center for the Blind. And we’re proud that we’ve been a part of Colorado Gives Day from the very first!

Sure, we’ll gratefully accept donations any day, any time, but Colorado Gives Day on December 10 gives all of us some distinct advantages. Let’s mention, um, 10 of them!

Our elf encourages you to give a gift that lasts all year for Colorado Gives Day – set up a recurring monthly donation. It’s less pain for you and more gain for our students in their pursuit of independence and self-reliance! And by setting up a recurring donation on Dec. 4, the whole year’s total is eligible for a percentage of the $1 Million Incentive Fund from First Bank and the Community First Foundation. And thanks!