Civic groups join forces to help blind kids

Bloomington, IN – Operation Chili for Children is the name of the project and assisting blind and vision impaired children from birth to age three is the purpose. Volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of Bloomington, the Indiana National Guard Family Readiness Group, Circle K at IU and the Miss IU Student Organization have joined together to produce this unique fund raising event. It will be held Friday, October 12 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Indiana National Guard Armory, 3380 S. Walnut Street in Bloomington.

“As we began putting this together,� says co-chair Kiwanis Club of Bloomington member David Garshaw, “we realized that Operation Chili for Children was the perfect banner for this project.� Members of all four of these civic groups had become aware of the great need for assistance by blind and visually impaired infants and toddlers in south central Indiana through the efforts of the recently founded Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS).

The mission of VIPS is to offer appropriate services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are visually impaired, and to their families – to maximize each child’s developmental potential through direct services, advocacy and community education. As much as 80% of all learning occurs through the use of vision, and 70% of what we learn takes place during the preschool years. Therefore, the infant or toddler with a visual impairment has a significant chance of experiencing delays in all areas of development.
A sighted child can grasp a complicated situation or idea with a single glance. For the young child who is visually impaired, the world may be a puzzle made of seemingly unconnected bits of information gathered piecemeal through hearing, touch, taste, and smell. The child must learn to recognize, interpret, and integrate these pieces into a meaningful “picture� of the world.
VIPS is so important. Founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1984, VIPS is a private nonprofit agency serving children who are blind and visually impaired, from birth to preschool age, and their families. Two VIPS offices, in Louisville and Lexington, serve more than 300 children a year in Kentucky. In 2011, as the result of the efforts of several south central Indiana mothers, VIPS opened a Bloomington office to address the underserved population of blind and visually impaired infants and toddlers in Indiana. VIPS is the only agency of its kind in Kentucky and Indiana. VIPS helps children learn to use their remaining vision (when possible) and to use their other senses to develop an understanding of the world and how it works. VIPS also helps families cope with the reality of vision loss by offering a variety of individualized services.
Among the more than 30 families now being assisted by VIPS in southern Indiana is the Adamowicz family. Mary and Jeremy are the parents of Lilly, who has a severe vision impairment, and Gracie. Mary credits VIPS for radically improving day to day living for the entire family. “VIPS,� explains Mary, “has made a huge difference in Lilly’s quality of life, comfort level and progress. They were instrumental in educating our family and providing us with a support system to help Lilly meet her full potential.�

“It’s results like what the Adamowicz family have experienced,� says Jenny Tracy, an Operation Chili for Children volunteer from the Indiana National Guard Family Readiness Group, “that have inspired our members to team up with these other civic groups and support Operation Chili for Children.�

Page Geer is president of the Miss I.U. Student Organization and Misha Wee is president of Circle K at I.U. According to both women, their membership agreed to join the team putting on Operation Chili for Children after hearing about the successes of VIPS as well as seeing the positive impact VIPS has on vision impaired children in southern Indiana.

“VIPS-Bloomington began in order to fill the void in services for legally blind infants and toddlers here in Indiana," says Development Director, Rebecca Davis, "Raising a child who is blind or has low vision is a challenging task. We want to equip parents with knowledge, resources and support to help them help their children reach their full potential. Babies in Indiana deserve the same kind of specialized early intervention that babies in other states get. Simply put, they matter. Their education matters, especially in the critical learning period of the first three years." "We are so grateful to partner with groups such as the Kiwanis, Circle K, National Guard Family Readiness Group, and the Miss IU Student Organization, who believe in the potential of every child. And, we are looking forward to some delicious chili!"

Joining the civic groups in making Operation Chili for Children happen are a number of businesses and veteran’s groups. “What a joy it was to see eight businesses and veteran’s groups step forward almost immediately after we put out the word that we needed underwriting,� said Hal Hanes of Kiwanis Club of Bloomington. The businesses are in Bloomington, Mitchell and Spencer and, of course, the veterans groups represent folks from all over Brown, Green, Martin, Monroe and Owen counties.�

Underwriters designated as Red, White & Blue Sponsors at $250 each are American Legion Post #18, AMVETS Auxiliary 2000, Boston Scientific and IU Health. Friend Sponsors with donations between $25 and $249 are Arlington Heights Veterinary Hospital, Covenant Care—Residents at McCormick’s Creek, Babbs Super Valu, Jackson Creek Kroger and Marsh Supermarket East. “With this underwriting,� explains Tracy, “most of our expenses are covered allowing nearly 100% of the ticket sales to go directly to VIPS.�

The menu is home-made chili (both meat and veggie), tossed salad, crackers, corn bread and hot dogs. Tickets for Operation Chili for Children are $6 for adults, $5 for veterans and students and $4 for children 12 and under. Tickets are available from members of Kiwanis Club of Bloomington and Indiana National Guard Family Readiness Group or at the door. For questions or details, call (812) 336-7456. END

• TIME: 4 p.m.

• COST: $6 adults, $5 veterans & students, $4 children 12 & younger

• WHERE: National Guard Armory, 3380 S. Walnut St., Bloomington.

» Find more events at this venue: National Guard Armory