While we close out the year and reflect on the gratitude we feel from the continued support of our community, one thing is clear: children with visual impairments wouldn’t be able to reach their highest potential without you.  

When you take a moment to give to Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired, you create a ripple effect that lasts for decades for our students. We recently saw that impact illustrated through a former CCVI student named Jadyn. 

Jadyn’s journey has never been easy. Born at just 24 weeks, she spent her first five months in the NICU, and her early years were filled with medical complexities. She was nonverbal. She had difficulty eating solid foods, and she required a helmet for protection, as she would sometimes injure her head on unknown hazards. Fortunately, her family found help from local resources, including CCVI through Missouri First Steps. This marked a turning point, as they found hope and support through our Early Intervention Program. 

At the age of three, Jadyn enrolled in the center-based program at CCVI. Her parents were understandably anxious; this was Jadyn's first time attending a "real school” and most places they had visited weren’t built with their daughter in mind. They were uncertain but knew she needed something more to help her live life to the fullest. 

Jadyn began to transform.

She started eating, speaking, and playing. She smiled, connected with friends, discovered a love for coloring, and even learned to Braille her own name. Her progress was remarkable, and she absolutely loved school. 

When it was time for her to transition to her home school district, Jadyn and her family maintained close contact with the CCVI staff, who remained a vital part of her journey. With each new chapter of life, Jadyn continued to break barriers. She was a manager for the basketball team, elected to student council, and even joined the cheerleading team— a different person than the little girl who wore a hot pink helmet in preschool.  

However, when her mother passed away unexpectedly this year, Jadyn leaned on familiar faces from her support network—including some from CCVI—who had helped her become the person she is today. Thanks to your support and her experiences at CCVI, she developed the independence, self-confidence, and self-advocacy skills to move forward. Today, Jadyn is a high school graduate living independently while attending college—an accomplishment her family once only dreamed of. 

Your support makes success stories like Jadyn’s possible. Your contributions provide the resources and opportunities that help children like Jadyn develop foundational life skills—independence, confidence, curiosity, and self-advocacy—that last well into adulthood. Your impact extends beyond our walls; it reaches out into the community and across the region.  

Your donations also fund essential classroom supplies, adaptive equipment, and the academic and foundational skills children with visual impairments need to thrive. By supporting CCVI, you help ensure that these children do not fall behind but are equipped to navigate and participate confidently in the sighted world. 

This year, we ask you to consider CCVI in your year-end giving, enabling us to continue providing life-changing support for our children and families. With your gift, we can ensure that stories like Jadyn’s will continue for generations to come. Thank you for being a part of our community and supporting our transformative work.