Coastal Community Foundation awards $8,000 to the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired South Carolina
November 11, 2019
Coastal Community Foundation recently announced grant recipients from its Northern Lowcountry Regional Grants program. Of the 160 organizations that submitted applications, the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired South Carolina (ABVI) was one of 60 to receive funding. The grant of $8,000 will support ABVI’s Own Your Life program.
Through Own Your Life, ABVI provides personal independence and vocational rehabilitation training for blind and visually impaired adults in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties. Classes and opportunities provided through Own Your Life include: Activities of Daily Living, Assistive Technology Tutoring, Braille, Client Connections (social events), Computer, Guide Dog Scholarships, Orientation and Mobility Training, Therapy (group and family) and Vocational Rehabilitation.
“The services our Association offers are highly specialized and must be customized for each client to meet his or her specific needs,” said Courtney Plotner, CEO for ABVI. “As the only nonprofit providing personal independence and vocational rehabilitation training to blind and visually impaired adults in the Tri-County, we are grateful to the donors of Coastal Community Foundation’s Open Grants program for understanding the need for vision rehabilitation services in our community.”
Individuals can access the Own Your Life program at ABVI’s current office (1 Carriage Lane, Building A, Charleston, SC 29407). However, ABVI is opening a second, permanent location to better reach individuals in Berkeley and Dorchester Counties. The new facility will be located at 9565 Highway 78, Building 800, Ladson, SC 29456 in Yale Plaza and will open in Spring 2020.
The Review Committee for the Northern Lowcountry Regional Grants program read all applications and developed the final recommendations for funding. Coast Community Foundation runs two competitive grant cycles per year, with applications due in January and June. To learn more about Coastal Community Foundation’s grant opportunities and deadlines, visit https://coastalcommunityfoundation.org/apply-for-grant-scholarship/.
About the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired South Carolina
The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired South Carolina’s (ABVI) mission is to enrich the quality of life of the blind and visually impaired. Through our Own Your Life program, ABVI helps blind and visually impaired adults in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties learn new approaches to daily life. Own Your Life offers two tracks: Personal Independence teaches adults how to navigate daily life with a visual impairment, while Vocational Rehabilitation helps clients who are ready to learn the adaptive skills needed to enter or re-enter the workforce. To learn more about ABVI’s services, visit www.abvisc.org/services.
About Coastal Community Foundation
Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) helps create vibrant communities by uniting people and investing resources. Founded in 1974 to make a lasting impact through permanent, endowed funds for charitable giving, CCF embodies the core values of stewardship, integrity, inclusion with equity and courage.
CCF serves nine counties across coastal South Carolina, manages more than $250 million in assets (among the top 100 community foundations in the nation) and awarded more than $26 million in grants in 2018. To learn more, visit coastalcommunityfoundation.org or call (843) 723-3635.
