CCVI Events & Updates
Trolley Run Volunteers Needed
The 35th Annual CCVI Trolley Run, presented by NASB, will return to the streets of Waldo, Brookside, and the Plaza on Sunday, April 30, 2023! And we need volunteers to help with the race! Click on the link provided to view descriptions of volunteer positions and find out how you can support this fantastic program. The CCVI Trolley Run is the largest annual fundraiser for the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired. It is one of Kansas City's oldest and largest road race, and is a USATF-certified 4-mile race. Open to kids 10 and under, the Kids' Trolley Run is fun for the whole family! The Kids' Run takes place at Ward parkway near the finish line. Caregivers choose the distance for your child - self-seed in the appropriate corral upon arrival at Ward Parkway!
What's Happening at CCVI
All three events either enhance the curriculum offered at CCVI or are a part of the curriculum. When following the expanded core curriculum, we integrate engaging activities like planting and gardening to ensure our kids take steps toward independent living and have recreation and leisure activities in their every day life.
Keep an eye out for pictures from these events! If you’re interested in a tour of CCVI to see our education in action, contact development@ccvi.org!
Remember, we’re always looking for volunteers!
CCVI Trolley Run 2023
Sunday, April 30
Registration is now open for CCVI's 35th Annual Trolley Run. Please consider joining Team DG and/or make a donation via the Team DG fundraising page. If you are a Beta Kappa alum, there is also a DG's for Ding team that was created in memory of Amy Kenny Deterding, who passed away last year. The Greater Kansas City Delta Gamma alumnae chapter has a special connection to CCVI. We need you to help us support their largest fundraiser of the year. Encourage your friends and family to join a DG team to Do Good in our community!
- 4-Mile In-Person (if you plan to walk instead of run, enter 1 hour and 20 minutes as your expected run time)
- Kids' Trolley Run (Open to ages 10 and under)
- 4-Mile Virtual Event
- Kids' Trolley Run Virtual Event (Open to ages 10 and under)
Participating on Team DG is easy... from the Team Fundraisers page, click on Team DG. Then, click the orange "Donate" button to make a donation or click the teal "Join" button if you plan to run/walk in the race and are ready to complete your "Individual Registration" form. Use promo code DG10 to receive a $10 discount. Take advantage of the discounted registration fees before they increase in mid-February! You must register with a team before April 7 to ensure that you receive a customized team t-shirt.
We’re launching several new events, including a Delta Gamma Trolley Brunch Bunch! This virtual participation option allows DGs outside or inside the KC metro area to receive a race t-shirt without running a single mile! All we ask is for DGs to purchase a virtual registration (100% of the proceeds go to CCVI). Your shirt will be mailed to you, and then you can sleep in on April 30, 2023 and go out to brunch for CCVI!
Complete details and race information can be found HERE. Check out Team DG's fundraising page! For general information about the Trolley Run and CCVI, visit https://www.trolleyrun.org/.
DGs Adopt a Family
This past holiday season, Delta Gammas ensured that a CCVI family had everything they needed under their tree. Our members collected donations, shopped for a family in need, and delivered the gifts to the Children’s Center Campus. CCVI Leadership stated that "Initiatives like these are the backbone of CCVI’s place in the community; by supporting the entire family rather than just the child with a visual diagnosis, the child’s progress skyrockets." Thank you to everyone who helped us support a CCVI family this holiday season.
Inside CCVI
Take a look at one of CCVI's sensory bulletin boards outside one of the preschool classrooms! The 3D structure and rich textures make it perfect for kids with a visual impairment. Teachers not only use this as an opportunity for sensory exposure but also as a landmark on the wall so that children can orient themselves with where they are in the building. If you have not toured the program let Polly Prendergast know so that she can set one up for you.
Illuminate! 70 years
On October 21, over 200 guests and friends of CCVI gathered at The Abbott in Kansas City, MO to celebrate the anniversary of Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired. With over 70 years of history to recognize, CCVI honored former executive director, Mary Lynne Dolembo, along with the efforts of those closest to her. In addition to the honoring, CCVI renamed the Braille Library, the Mary Lynne Dolembo Library. During the evening, an alumnus from the center, who now studies at a prestigious music school in Boston, performed a medley with special words from her mother on how CCVI gave them the initial stepping stone to navigating their world.
Welcome to Kerry Boehm, New Executive Director
On behalf of the CCVI Board of Directors, I’m pleased to announce Kerry Boehm has been hired as Executive Director. Kerry steps into this role at an exciting time for CCVI as we reflect on the past 70 years and look toward the future. Joined by a team of established leaders, staff members recognized as experts in their field, and newer faces who bring a wealth of talent and expertise, we are confident CCVI will thrive under her direction. Kerry joined CCVI as Chief Operating Officer in 2021 overseeing programming, administrative responsibilities, and general operations. Later that year, the Board appointed her Interim Executive Director to guide the organization through a critical period of transition. During that time, Kerry was instrumental in providing strategic leadership and direction as CCVI continued to deliver on its mission. Kerry looks forward to engaging with and deepening these relationships as CCVI continues to flourish and expand its impact: “I’m honored to be entrusted to guide this special organization. CCVI has an incredibly dedicated and talented team that has touched so many lives over the years. It’s a privilege to join them in continuing this important mission.” Please join us in congratulating Kerry and look forward to hearing more from her soon. -Courtney Moilanen, CCVI Board President
CCVI-Harvesters Food Pantry
Proud to be a Delta Gamma, CCVI is one of our sponsored organizations and they do good every day! In the spring of 2022, as CCVI began to plan for this school year, they were looking at forging new community partnerships that would provide resources to their families. When discussing the most essential needs that are currently hurdles for their families, it became clear that CCVI had the chance to do something we’ve never done before that would make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students. CCVI opened a food pantry. Thanks to a relationship with Harvesters Food Pantry, CCVI is now home to a permanent food pantry that is located at the Children’s Center Campus. The first week of the 2022-2023 school year, CCVI was able to open its Food Pantry doors to all families and staff members for the organization. In the first month alone, CCVI provided meals to over 15 families and staff members as well as subsidized snacks for all of their students in the on-site programming. The addition has been welcomed by families and provides a much-needed reduction of stress when it comes to their next meal. So far, the pantry has been stocked with canned items, pasta, vegetables, canned fruit, peanut butter, breads, crackers and chips as well as cold stored items like porkchops and lunchables. This ensures our families and students have resources that transcend the classroom.
BoxTops
BoxTops is going digital, and CCVI can be the beneficiary of your purchases! All you need is your phone! Download the BoxTops app, shop as you normally would, then use the app to scan your store receipt within 14 days of purchase. The app will identify BoxTops products on your receipt and automatically credit your earnings online. Twice a year, your school will receive a check and can use that cash to buy whatever it needs!
CCVI Questions and Answers
“What is Orientation and Mobility?” Orientation and Mobility (O&M) teaches a person with vision loss to travel efficiently, safely, and independently. An O&M instructor teaches the student to focus on and accurately interpret sensory information available in the environment. In many cases, O&M utilizes a white cane or teaches pre-white cane skills. Orientation and Mobility skills are essential for those with visual impairments in order to lead a fulfilling and independent life. At CCVI, our Orientation and Mobility Specialists begin working on these skills by building good directional/positional concepts (in/out, up/down, left/right, etc.), learning body awareness, purposeful movement and basic orientation, and by learning pre-white cane and white cane skills.
