A Good News Story for Vision

A Good News Story – for ALDS families who are affected by Vision Impairment

We had the great honour of receiving a donation of $10,000 from Mr Paul Dovico (Duncan Dovico Chartered Accountants) which he presented to us on behalf of the Brian Kirby Foundation in March. We have been very generously supported again by the foundation with a further donation of $30,000 which was presented to us at an Italian Golf Club fundraiser for the ALDS in July this year. We send a very big thank you to the Board, Staff and Volunteers of the Brian Kirby Foundation for their thoughtfulness and generosity.

The criteria attached to both of these donations is that they must be spent for the benefit of individuals suffering blindness or vision impairment as a symptom of their Leukodystrophy, or, as a result of their Leukodystrophy treatment. Many of our members certainly meet the criteria and we have begun to work towards obtaining full and complete awareness of our members in order to ascertain their needs. On top of that, we are busily researching the many services and resources that are available to assist people with blindness or vision impairment.

Both of these donations have given us a wonderful opportunity to provide assistance to many individuals in ways that we had never previously envisaged. One of the ways in which we intend to provide assistance is to establish a library of stimulation toys, aids and equipment that address vision difficulties. Resources such as these can be quite expensive and difficult for families to purchase on their own. We hope that many will benefit from being able to borrow toys, aids and equipment items that may otherwise have been difficult to obtain.

In supporting the wishes of this donor we understand that it has not been easy for families to discuss in detail the circumstances of their loved ones health with our family advocate. We take this opportunity to thank all families who have been involved in this project for their honesty and understanding and for taking the time to talk to us.

If any families would like to have further contact with the ALDS regarding the expenditure of this donation and/or their needs, please don’t hesitate to contact our Family Advocate, Mrs Pam Joseph (pam@alds.org.au or 0418 790 059) or our Office Manager, Mrs Robyn Loh (mail@alds.org.au or 03 9845 2831, 0418 755 994).

Please keep an eye on our website, newsletter and face book for updates as to how our projects are progressing.

May 16th, 2011 | Categories: News