Anchor Center for the Blind

I have the unique calling of service coordinator for the youth and RS in our ward. Because of this calling, I was motivated to start a service enrichment group, where each month I find a service project for a group of us to participate in. It has been pretty amazing. Already, I have learned a lot and have met amazing people in the community who give so much, and are so grateful for the little bits that we help with. This last month, the entire RS put together tactile boards for the blind children at the Anchor center for Blind Children, a school for blind children under Kindergarten and their families. We attached textured items to the back of clipboards.

We completed 53 of them, and Talie, Dallin and Ashlynn each made one as well. I was impressed with what a good job they did!

So, today, we delivered boards to the school. When Karen (the volunteer coordinator at the school), found out the my kids helped make the boards and were out for Spring Break, she invited Diane, me and my children to a tour of the school (I'm not sure she knew what she was in for=). It was an absolutely amazing program! The school works with the families of blind children and helps them know what types of things they need to teach their children that we take for granted. For example, blind children have to be taught that they have hands and feet and that they are theirs to use. The school has lights on the hallway floor and handrails along the walls for the children to be guided by, and at each "intersection" where the classrooms are, the floors change from wood to tile, so the children know where the classrooms are.

Dallin tries out a braille typewriter

The school has art rooms, music rooms, outside gardens, and I think everyone's favorite, the motor skills room.

We were grateful for all we learned at the school and for the services they provide! I think the kids learned a lot and Peyton even made a new friend.