SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation

It is impossible to get children to eat anything healthy because all they want is burgers and fries, right? Actually, that is not correct. To prove the point, as part of our Pathways to Healthy Living program, the Foundation held a Nutrition Week in November 2019. With the support of JM Smith Corporation, we set out to introduce a variety of healthy snacks to our student population and encourage them to diversify their diet. Each of our 3 schools had a special table set up in their respective cafeterias. On each day of the week, a different type of healthy snack was offered: trail mix, fruit salad, hummus (black bean and regular), nut butters (sunflower butter, almond butter, and peanut butter), and yogurt parfaits. Students’ reactions were varied, but mostly positive. Sometimes, they might not like a certain new flavor, but usually they were intrigued and often came back for a second helping. At the end of the week, if the students made a good faith effort to try each food, they received a prize of either sunglasses or a stuffed animal. Based on the enthusiasm and participation of the students, this project was deemed to be a success. Top left photo: Staff members help School for the Deaf preschoolers pick their yogurt toppings. Bottom right photo: School for the Deaf middle school students enjoy a fruit snack. Top right is the SCSDB Foundation logo. Bottom left is the 175 Days of Giving logo. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial # kidstakeoverthekitchenday #day65

Today is the Day of the Programmer. It is a day that honors the innovators who continue to change the world, one program at a time. At SCSDB, the Ninja Hornets and their coaches are doing just that! In 2022, teachers at the School for the Deaf started a robotics program for middle school students. These students quickly showed a talent for robotics, and after only one year of training, in February 2023, our Ninja Hornets robotics team won the Build Award and tied for the national title championship at the NRSC IQ national robotics competition. Seeing this remarkable growth and recognizing its value to students’ STEM education, teachers asked the Foundation to help expand the program to include all students at the School for the Deaf. With the support of AFL, Downtown Spartanburg Sertoma Club, International Paper Foundation, Scansource Charitable Foundation, and SC Ports Authority, we raised $21,800. Encoding Success program added more students, an additional instructor, and new curriculum, including flying and sea drones. In 2024, the Ninja Hornets won a second consecutive robotics national championship, earning the trophy for the best designed robot in the competition. “I know that because of the tremendous support of our sponsors who funded us, coaches who believed in them, and the whole school who cheered them on, our students can push themselves forward to embrace the possibilities,” said science teacher and robotics coach Jessica Gribble. Pictured in the top left is the team practicing for a competition at the World Championships in 2023. In the bottom left is the team at the World Championships in 2024 holding their tophies, banners, and certificates for winning both the Robot Skills Challenge and the Teamwork Challenge. In the bottom right is the team practicing for a competition in 2023. In the top right are the SCSDB Foundation and 175 Days of Giving logos. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day65

Lori Coon joined the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation board in 2017. She is the COO and Publisher of Integrated Media Publishing which publishes Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, Charleston Business Magazine and B2B The Grand Strand. Lori has a long-standing history of serving her community including Upstate Visual Arts, Greenville Downtown Sertoma Club, Greenville Chamber of Commerce and Safe Harbor. Lori is blessed with two daughters and six grandchildren that live in the Upstate area. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day64

One of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation’s favorite events to support at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind is Prom. This past years Prom 175, held in May 2024, was truly an evening of elegance…and fun! Our students look amazing, all dressed up with their friends and family at the Country Club of Spartanburg. Today we are celebrating the 2024 Prom King & Queen from the School for the Blind: Noah Holley and India Hare (respectively). Across the United States, high school students everywhere look forward to their school prom. Prom at the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind is a cherished tradition that holds deep significance for our students. For many, this event is not only a celebration of their high school journey but also a critical opportunity to build social skills and foster connections. In an environment where communication barriers can be challenging, the prom serves as a unique space where our students can express themselves freely, feel included and create lasting memories. It is a time for them to experience the joy of a typical high school milestone, surrounded by peers who share their experiences and understand their challenges. Beyond being a memorable social event, prom also serves as an important confidence-building experience for our students. It empowers them to step outside their comfort zones, practice independence and take part in a formal event that prepares them for future social interactions in the broader community. For students whom often face isolation, this event becomes a pivotal moment of inclusion, joy and accomplishment. Supporting the prom means supporting our students in their growth as individuals, helping them gain the skills and confidence they need to transition into adulthood. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day63

For over 5 years, the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation partnered with the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) to host the “Really Cool for My School Book Club”. This book club was created out of a critical need at the time to ensure that our students at SCSDB had adequate reading material at home. We also wanted to instill a love of reading in our students which would inadvertently increase their reading scores. Children and teenagers who read for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis score better on reading tests than infrequent readers. Frequent readers also score better on writing tests than non-readers or infrequent readers. The “Really Cool for My School Book Club” was designed to instill a love of reading in our students at a young age so they will have the fundamentals necessary to excel academically. Our “Really Cool for My School Book Club” was modeled after the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The Book Club started on the campus of SCSDB with a two-prong approach: 1) a book distribution where every student received a book accessible to them a minimum of two times per year and; 2) afterschool Book Club meetings to further engage students in the reading process. Each student received an activity with their book to complete after they have read the book. Students who completed the activity were invited to attend a celebration party at the end of the semester. With the students who participated in the afterschool Book Club meetings, we saw huge gains in students reading levels. We saw significant increases in the number of students who met their Accelerated Reader goal. While other literacy programs have since taken the place of the “Really Cool for My School Book Club”, the Foundation has not stopped its commitment to provide accessible reading materials to the students at SCSDB. In the top left is the "Really Cool School Book Club" logo. In the top right are the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation and the 175 Days of Giving logos.  In the bottom left is students working on an activity during an afterschool book club meeting. In the bottom right are students holding up books excitedly. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day62

Our Special Olympics Track & Field Team has some amazing athletes!

The first Saturday of every month is National Play Outside Day. This National Day presents opportunity to remind everyone to get outside and enjoy the fresh air through play. Today we are highlighting the playground that is located behind our sports complex, the Kids Zone. This Outdoor Recreational and Learning Park was originally constructed for the students at the School for the Deaf but because of its location, has always been available for visitors to the sports complex to utilize. The Kid Zone has three sections: the play unit (including an area for younger children and an area for older children), the fitness loop, and the bench swings. When you hear the word education, you think of the three R’s: reading, writing, and arithmetic. You do not typically think of a playground. But at the SC School for the Deaf and Blind (SCSDB) we are not just educating a child academically, we are educating the whole child—physically, socially, and emotionally. So many of these lessons are learned, not in the classroom, but on the playground. Playing outside with their peers has many benefits to children including increasing the development of brain connections, learning negotiation skills, exercising leadership, and being more physically active. It also helps build relationships outside of the classroom that will increase cooperation within the classroom. These benefits are not just limited to the students at SCSDB who use the playground; the children of our community who utilize this playground will also gain these important life skills. We are thankful to our funding partners for making this project possible: Fluor Golf for Greenville, J M Smith Corporation Foundation, Women Giving for Spartanburg, and Downtown Sertoma Club of Spartanburg. A collage showing three photos: children playing on the fitness loop, a ribbon-cutting ceremony with adults and children, and more children playing on a different part of the playground. The heading reads "School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation" above "175 Days of Giving”. #scsdb #engageempowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day60 #playoutsideday

Helping Students to Become Life-Long Readers

Let me share a story about Southern Hospitality and a little girl named Zlata. Zlata and her parents came to the Upstate from war-torn Odessa, Ukraine, where her mother, Diana, was a physician and classical musician, and her father, Oleh, was in a private business of importing cars. Settling in Boiling Springs, SC, Zlata, now 4 years old, was diagnosed as deaf at six months of age. She has been enrolled in a number of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind's programs, beginning with our Early Intervention Program, then Kelly's Kids, and now our 3-6 years of age program. Many doctors had informed Zlata's parents that she had no cochlear nerve in either ear and hearing aids would not help. The family, however, still hoped she might be able to hear and headed to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to see Drs. Noxon and McRackan who conducted another MRI. This MRI showed a tiny nerve in her right ear that other doctors had missed. A few weeks later on March 23, 2023, Zlata received her cochlear implant. After recovering at home for a month, Zlata returned to MUSC on April 19, 2023 for the doctors to activate the cochlear implant. As they turned on the implant, everyone was holding their breath to see if the implant would work. The audiologist increased sound levels from low to high and tapped on a xylophone. Zlanta paused, looked up and touched her ear. She was able to hear! The eyes of all in the room quickly filled with tears. The miracle they hoped for came true. Zlanta continues to work with the SCSDB team to learn ASL as she is still deaf when the implant is turned off. Diana voiced her gratitude, "I am so thankful for America and the opportunities our little girl has gotten. We prayed that she would hear, that she would speak, and, also that she would sing. Our whole family sings and now she will be able to sing with our family in her own voice." For 175 years, offering hope to deaf, blind and sensory multi-disabled individuals and their families is what SCSDB does and will do for the next 175 years. Two images. One image shows a man and a girl on a couch learning ASL. The other image has a woman and a girl working with the teacher on an activity on the floor. The SCSDB Foundation logo and the 175 Days of Giving logos are also on the image. #scsdb #engageepowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day58

The SC School for the Deaf and Blind (SCSDB) Foundation hosted funders at a ribbon cutting ceremony this week, celebrating the school’s newly renovated bowling alley. The SCSDB bowling alley, a cherished and historic facility on campus, has served as a hub for recreation, socialization and team-building. The two-lane bowling alley was installed in the 1970s and has been enjoyed by generations of SCSDB students, both during school hours and for after-school activities. “Before the renovation, our Special Olympics bowling team traveled to local bowling alleys for practice,” said Michael Sims, athletic director at SCSDB. “We are thrilled that our students are able to practice at their very own, state-of-the-art, bowling alley, and we hope our team brings home the championship trophy from the state tournament this year.” The bowling alley’s equipment, which was faithfully maintained and repaired for half a century, recently reached the end of its lifespan. The wear and tear over time had taken its toll, making it necessary to undertake a comprehensive renovation and upgrade. Martha and Dave Edwards stepped up to the line and made a very generous donation to cover the entire cost of the new equipment, so now students are once again ready to roll. “The success of this project would not have been possible without the outstanding support of Martha and Dave Edwards,” said Sam Hook, executive director of the SCSDB Foundation. “The Edward’s generosity has not only preserved the bowling alley's rich history but also enhanced its accessibility and functionality for our students.” A collage image. Top left: Colorful bowling balls lined up at a bowling alley with a glow in the dark mural painted on the far wall. Bottom right: A group of people cutting a ribbon at the ribbon cutting event. Top right: Logo of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind Foundation. Bottom left: A graphic reading "175 Days of Giving”. #scsdb #engageepowerequip #daysofgiving #demisemideptcentennial #day57