Article by Ryan Thomas, Menominee High School, MASC/MAHS Middle Level Representative 2008-2010
This year’s State Charity of the Year is Penrickton Center for Blind Children. Penrickton is a private, non-profit five day residential and day care agency serving blind, multi-disabled children ages 1-12, located in Taylor, Michigan. With no fees ever being charged to families, all financial support is raised from individuals, service clubs, corporations, and foundations.
Penrickton was established in 1952 by three families as a day nursery for blind preschoolers because no such program existed. Over the Years, Penrickton has changed to meet the needs in the community. Currently, Penrickton specializes in treating blind children with at least one additional handicap, such as deafness, cerebral palsy, brain damage, developmental delay, and mental retardation.
Most of their children stay with Penrickton throughout the week and all children return home to their families on weekends and holidays. All of the blind, multi-disabled children we serve receive developmental programming to meet the individual needs of the special child. This requires intensive and personalized involvement by the Penrickton staff. Currently, Penrickton has a ratio of one staff member for each three children. This doesn’t include ancillary staff, such as nursing, social work, program planning, occupation therapy, dance and movement therapy.
Since no fees are ever charged for Penrickton’s services, they continue to need support of many caring people.
One of the goals of the MASC/MAHS Board this year is to raise $1 per student in schools across Michigan. If every student gave just $1, think about how much money we could give to support Penrickton Center for Blind Children.
One item Penrickton would like to buy with the donated money is a handicap, automated door. It is very difficult, and inconvenient, for parents and staff to get the children in wheelchairs through their heavy doors. Along with the door, Penrickton needs other necessities, such as cups, bed sheets, pillows, shampoo, lotion, tissues, bathroom cleaners, disinfectant spray, air freshener, floor cleaner, band-aids, and much more.
I would ask of you to go to your student council and somehow have a fundraiser in your school to help Penrickton. Include it in your Charity Week or other fundraising/school event. Maybe, you could have an assembly. At this assembly, you could have people walk around collecting donations from students/staff. As an incentive, if you raised a certain amount of money, (some teacher) would (shave his head, kiss an animal, get a pie in the face, etc.). This would be very effective in raising a lot of money fast!
Again, if we could raise just $1 from every student in schools around Michigan, we could make such a positive difference/contribution to this fantastic organization, Penrickton Center for Blind Children.
