Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind
hosts 6th annual Reading Rally IN OBSERVANCE OF CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK

-- Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind Partners with Northern Virginia Delta Gamma Alumnae to Emphasize that Literacy Is Not Just an Issue Among the Sighted --

RIVERDALE, MD (November 1, 2005)-- Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing programs and services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, hosts its 6th Annual Reading Rally on Saturday, November 19, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at its Riverdale, MD, facility located at 6200 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 100.

The Reading Rally, which is being held in observance of Children’s Book Week (November 14-20, 2005) and in partnership with the Northern Virginia Delta Gamma Alumnae, was created to encourage children with impaired vision to read by learning Braille and using Assistive Technology (AT) devices. Approximately 10 percent of school age children who are legally blind use Braille as their primary source of reading.

“Given the strong correlation between Braille and computer literacy and future employment, we feel strongly that encouraging literacy plays a critical part in our efforts to promote independence among individuals who are blind or visually impaired,” said Anthony J. Cancelosi, President and CEO of CLB.

The national unemployment rate among blind, working age adults is nearly 70 percent, and CLB is working to reduce this rate by encouraging Braille and computer literacy among adults and children who are blind.

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For this event, CLB has partnered with Northern Virginia Delta Gamma Alumnae, whose members actively participate in glaucoma screenings, eyeglass recycling through the Lions Club, and newspaper lookup services for the visually impaired. In addition, they raise as much as $10,000 annually for programs such as The Metropolitan Ear, Prevention of Blindness Society of the Metropolitan Area, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center of Northern Virginia, Eye Bank Association of America, The Seeing Eye, and National Federation of the Blind. 

“Partnering with Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind for the Reading Rally gives our members a wonderful opportunity to help local children and support our organization's philanthropy of sight conservation and aid to the blind, “ said Eleanor Christiansen, President of Northern Virginia Delta Gamma Alumnae.   “We are truly excited about the upcoming event and we are looking forward to a great turnout from the community!”

During the event, children will have the opportunity to become more familiar with Braille, as well as other tools that help promote literacy, such as Assistive Technology (AT) hardware and software that provides Braille and voice-output of written materials. Additionally, children will participate in an art and craft activity by developing a poem or story book and have the opportunity to share those poems and stories.