Shining STARS Newsletter
Summer 2014
STARS Students Graduate from High School
On June 7th, the STARS staff celebrated with six blind and visually impaired students as they turned their tassels and graduated from high school. The STARS annual Graduation Ceremony, held at CVI, is a way to support and encourage seniors as they transition from high school to college or employment. The students graduated from the Georgia Academy for the Blind, Pickens County High School, Tucker High School, Kell High School and Drew High School.
As a blind or visually impaired student in today’s competitive classroom, hard work and perseverance are absolutely necessary in order to achieve a high school diploma. According to statistics reported by the National Federation for the Blind in 2011, only approximately 45% of blind and visually impaired students around the nation earn a high school diploma. With that being said, the STARS program was very proud to honor its 2014 high school
graduates.
This year’s 2014 graduates are as follows:
¨Ali Lawson –will be attending Young Harris College in the fall majoring in religious studies. She plans to become a minister.
¨Malik Wilson –will be attending the National Federation of the Blind training center and then will go on to college. He wants to pursue a degree in marketing or business.
¨Alexandria Gooch –will be attending Bobby Dodd Institute and wants to become a Spanish translator.
¨Kajain Sheppard–is hoping to attend Georgia Perimeter
College in the fall.
¨Ashley Robinson–will be attending Mercer University in August for a work-study program.
¨Julius Lindsey–just accepted a job at Kroger and will be working in the produce department.
STARS would like to extend a very special thank you to the CVI Alumni Association for their generous gift of $200 to each graduate this year. It is truly because of their support that STARS is able to host its annual graduation brunch.
STARS Mentor Program
New for the 2014-15 academic year, our Mentoring Program will be concentrating on serving different age groups in different ways. We will have a separate registration for this program in the fall. Group mentoring will be available to students in elementary school (grades K-5).Mentors working with this age group will join us for social skills classes and peer support groups during the after school program, as well as for social and recreational outings that are open to younger students and families. We will have individual mentoring available to students in grades six and up. Mentors working with this age group will be available for the same activities as the group mentors, but there will be additional events specifically for mentors and mentees throughout the year. What are we planning for this year, you ask? In addition to our annual events like the trip to the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra during the holiday season and the STARS Red and White Ball, we have been working on an idea for a Lock In event and a bowling event at Stars and Strikes.If your son/daughter is already paired with a mentor, we will continue that relationship. If your son/daughter has not been paired with a mentor, you will have a chance to register them for a mentor in the fall. Our mentors go through a rigorous background check that involves fingerprinting, criminal history, and other record checks.
STARS After-School 2014-2015
STARS After-School will be starting back up on Tuesday, September 16th and will conclude Thursday, March 26th. After-School will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:00-6:30 PM. Registration forms for STARS After-School will be emailed out the week of August 11th and there will be extra copies on hand at the STARS kick-off on August 16th. STARS staff will also be putting registration forms in the regular mail. Please be sure to fill out the registration packets completely. When you join us for the After- School Program, you’ll notice a couple of changes.For one, we’ve moved our cubby storage shelves into the main activity room to ease congestion in front of the elevators. Now, when you enter the Lower Level for STARS, you’ll be greeted by bright colors, announcements, and other program happenings. We will also be adding a Braille classroom down the hall from the computer lab where students will be able to have more space to work on their projects as they are guided through instruction.
Student Accomplishments
STARS student Waleed Sadiq has been awarded first place among fourth graders in the state of Georgia and 2nd place among all grades in the state for his participation in First in Math, an online math program utilized by various DeKalb county schools as an after-school math enrichment program. Waleed was extremely dedicated to achieving this goal all school year. STARS is extremely proud of Waleed!
Congratulations to STARS student Ali Lawson for winning the 2014 National Goalball women’s championship!
If you know of a student who has achieved something
noteworthy, please be sure to send us an email at .
Supply Wish List
In order to lower costs and help with our supply needs for the year, please consider donating any of the following items.
General Supplies: plastic storage bins (all sizes), car booster seats, flame retardant oven mitts, puff paint, forks, 20/20 pens, tooth brushes, nail polish remover, clothes hangers, pot holders, pots, pans, clipboards, pump for bike tires/balls with replacement needle, music stands, small speakers, Braille labeler
Art Supplies: yarn, ‘googley’ eyes, buttons, ribbons, glue, beads (with or w/out lettering), sand paper, tongue depressors, craft sticks (popsicle sticks), string, newspaper, construction paper, sponges, scissors w/safety tips, pipe cleaners, paper towel tubes, masking tape, dry tempura paints, Styrofoam balls (different sizes), hand towels, trays, socks, plastic/paper grocery bags, cookie cutters, paper-Mache paste, textured wall paper, foam paper, clear plastic bottles w/caps, poster board, zip lock bags, decoupage sealer, clay pots
Party Goods: paper plates, napkins, paper bowls, plastic/paper cups
Big Ticket Items: desktop computers and monitors or laptops (refurbished is fine), Stairmaster or elliptical fitness equipment, xylophone, garment rack
First Aid Supplies: band aids, athletic tape
Camping Supplies: Pillows, sheets, sleeping bags
Family Resources
STARS and BEGIN are assisting graduate student Michael Rothschild with a study that focuses on the indirect costs of raising a child with vision impairment/blindness. He is a fourth-year medical student at Emory working with Dr. Timothy Olsen on performing a cost effectiveness analysis of screening for and treating of Retinopathy of Prematurity in the US and internationally. The goal of the study is to determine the cost of raising visually impaired children in order to demonstrate that raising children with vision impairments is very expensive, and therefore, it is more cost effective to increase resources for screening and prevention of preventable blindness as well as improve services for blind children and their families. If you would like to participate in the study, Mr. Rothschild or a member of his team will be available each day during the After-School Enrichment Program in the Livingston Conference Room from 3:00-6:00 PM. Participation involves a confidential survey and conversation with Mr. Rothschild, lasting approximately 10 minutes.
Upcoming STARS Events
Saturday, August 16, 2014
What:STARS Kick-Off Event
Where: Sandy Springs United Methodist Church
86 Mt Vernon Hwy NW, Atlanta, GA 30328
Time: 10:30 AM-1:30 PM
The STARS Kick-Off is carnival themed. There will be a castle bounce house, light refreshments, cotton candy and snow cones. You will also have the opportunity to sign up and fill out the paperwork to enroll your child in After-School.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
What: First Day of STARS Afterschool
Where: Center for the Visually Impaired, STARS Activity Room
Time: 3:00-6:30 PM
The STARS After-School Enrichment Program is scheduled to resume on Tuesday, 9/16, at 3:00 PM. This year the After-School program will run three days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Please Note: You MUST submit your registration form & receive confirmation prior to September 5th. Students who arrive without registering will not be accepted.
For Questions: Email
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Saturday, September 20, 2014
What: STARS Weekend Event
Where: Dave and Busters
4000 Venture Dr, Suite 15, Duluth, GA 30096
Time: 1:00-4:00 PM
STARS is hosting an afternoon of fun and games at Dave and Busters in Duluth.
For Questions: Email
Staff Highlight
Heather has worked with people labeled with disabilities for 20 years in the arenas of Christian camping, 24-hour housing/residential support, day rehabilitation, case management, social and recreational programming, educational programming, transition, and employment services. The list of diagnoses and labels that she’s worked with is long and includes developmental disabilities, cognitive disabilities, mental health impairments, dual diagnosed, hearing impairment, and vision impairment. In 2006, Heather left her work as the Transition Coordinator of a pilot project called STRIVE U in Maine to pursue a warmer life in Georgia. She became the Employment Specialist at CVI in 2007. In that role, Heather developed a curriculum that takes job seekers through the process step by step from self-awareness all the way to employed, and saw 100% of clients who completed the curriculum placed in jobs. In addition to the curriculum, she established ongoing recruitment with local businesses, set up internship programs, developed specific workshops and consulted on vision impairment awareness in the work place with several businesses. Overall, Heather had a 70% success rate on placing clients.(That is in sharp contrast to the national average for blind and visually impaired job seekers, who consistently have a 30% placement rate.) Heather loves being a part of the lives of youth and having a front seat to their growth and maturity, as well as being a support for their parents. This is her first directorship role, and she has welcomed the opportunity to use her experience to take STARS to the next level. When not at STARS, Heather is active in leadership with her son Tyler’s scout troop, and she enjoys date nights with her husband Scott, cuddling with her five cats, singing with her church choir and getting to the beach when she can.
Volunteer Highlight
As we all know, volunteers are the heart of CVI. We are very fortunate to have so many individuals who take time out of their busy schedules to help their neighbors and their community. As a small token of our appreciation, at least once per quarter, a volunteer will be recognized as the“Volunteer of the Quarter”.
Lisa moved to Atlanta from Dallas and was looking for a non-profit organization where she would have the opportunity to work with children and help the community. She started researching different organizations online and came across CVI. When she called and spoke with the volunteer coordinator, she learned about the STARS camp. During her first meeting with the volunteer coordinator, she knew that CVI would be an organization she could support and believe in. She was blindfolded and toured the building which gave her an opportunity to “walk in the shoes” of a CVI client. Within the next few weeks, she went to her first STARS camp and knew working with CVI was the perfect opportunity for her. Lisa has two roles at CVI: she is a personal shopper and a STARS volunteer. Being able to help create an extra feeling of independence for a person who is visually impaired is rewarding and she has made a friend for life. Lisa believes that CVI staff work tirelessly to provide services to clients, and that STARS students should be given opportunities to do extracurricular activities; if she can help both of those be achieved, she is contributing. Lisa believes that the volunteers are an extension of the staff, allowing them to put together fun and
exciting events. When Lisa was asked why people should volunteer at CVI, she said, “CVI is both fun and rewarding. You will make personal connections with the staff, kids and clients. I believe that is what differentiates CVI from other places I have volunteered. You have the opportunity to form friendships and relationships with the people you are working with. I recruited a friend to join me at camp this year and he is still talking about the experience. Watching the kids support and encourage one another is truly amazing."
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