Virginia Chapter, Association for the Education and

Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Dear friend/family member,

I am writing you because you know me and what I do for a living. My work with people who are blind and vision impaired is important to me personally, but it is more important to the individuals and their families. Every day, someone who is visually impaired is working closely with a professional to learn to do things that a sighted person learns simply by watching others. It is wonderful to see one of these individuals gain confidence while learning to cook without sight, to read braille, or to travel about his or her environment independently.

Yet, every day, many people are waiting to learn these things simply because are not enough teachers and instructors who have the skills and knowledge to meet all of the requests for instruction. This is why my professional organization established the Virginia AER Barbara McCarthy Scholarship. The scholarship is now awarded annually to two students who are enrolled in a program of study that supports working with blind and visually impaired children or adults.

We are raising funds to endow the scholarship fund to assist college students enrolled in a vision-related program by paying for some of their tuition expenses. The true beneficiaries of the scholarship are the people who are blind and visually impaired who will eventually receive instruction from the recipients of the scholarships.

Please consider making a contribution of $25 or more to the Virginia AER Barbara McCarthy Scholarship Fund. This is a one-time request – I won’t ask you again. Your gift will be appreciated by the recipients and me. In addition, any donation is tax-deductible, and you will be doing something incredible – then pay it forward and encourage another person to give! Please send your donation to: Virginia AER, PO 1066, White Stone, VA 22578-1066.

You may call Julie Kay, Fund Chairperson, with questions about the fund at 540-834-0341, or email her at . If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for your generous support!

Sincerely,