Overbrook School for the Blind

HONORING HER LEGACY “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Those words, spoken by the late Helen Keller, encapsulate the overriding purpose of Overbrook School for the Blind. And as we celebrate her birthday celebration on June 27, Ms. Keller’s words underline the importance OSB’s ongoing mission (https://obs.org/) is to that collegial effort.  OSB has been educating and enabling the deaf/visually impaired community since 1832, serving students within its walls first, and later establishing additional schools for the blind throughout the nation and abroad. Its scope has adjusted and expanded over its decades of service to educate those with additional challenges beyond their visual impairments, requiring the school to adjust and expand its facilities and capabilities.  Over the last decade the school has added a greenhouse, a new aquatics center, and improved accessibility for those with mobility challenges. Among Ms. Keller’s other well-circulated observations is that “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” Whether it’s the students, the faculty, the parents, the support staff or the alumni, the smiles that saturate this 192-year-old school are a testament to that truth –one  that overrides even the most daunting of challenges. Please consider making a gift today to honor Ms. Keller, and ensure that legacy for decades to come. (obs.org/donate)

https://lnkd.in/eBsxDGtR

After an extensive search for a new superintendent, Dr. Beth Ramella was tabbed by the 192-year-old Philadelphia-based school:

On Friday, staff members from GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc.'s Philadelphia office volunteered for Earth Day at Overbrook School for the Blind. After a tour of the orchard, we weeded the berry patch, thinned some of the fruit trees and made a new friend. We concluded our day with a visit to the greenhouse with horticultural teacher, Rich Matteo. We hope to go back and help harvest some crops later this year!!!

The entire OSB Community is ecstatically proud of teacher Kelsey McGuire, who has been named a finalist for the National Hockey League’s prestigious Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. McGuire’s efforts to provide hockey playing opportunities for the visually impaired in the Philadelphia region has created opportunities for dozens and in 2022 led to the formation of the 19th blind hockey team in the United States. “I am extremely honored to be selected as a finalist for the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award,’’ McGuire says. “Mr. O’Ree is an incredible role model as the NHL’s Diversity Ambassador. His message of inclusion means a lot to me as a teacher of the visually impaired. As the founder of Philadelphia Blind Hockey, I use the passion that I developed as an educator to make sure our athletes are awarded with the opportunity to play the sport of hockey.’’ Fans can vote for McGuire until May 19 at NHL.com/OReeAward. Two winners, one from Canada and one from the U.S., will be selected via a weighted vote by O’Ree, the NHL and voters, and receive a $25,000 prize, to be donated to a charity of their choice. The other four finalists will each receive $5,000 for the charity of their choice. McGuire is the first from the Philly area to be chosen as a finalist for the award, which was first given in 2017-18. O’Ree was the NHL’s first black hockey player, playing for 21 seasons over three decades despite having vision in just one eye, which he concealed early on. ``Mr. O’Ree had to hide his visual impairment early in his NHL career, but today’s blind hockey community gives players the confidence to embrace their disability,’’ says McGuire. “And to show others that it will not prevent them from learning to play ice hockey and showing that they belong.” For more, including a video about Kelsey’s mission, click on the links below:   https://lnkd.in/ev75-Z4z https://lnkd.in/eUPyAuN7 https://lnkd.in/eA2f-APX