Dear Friends,
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As founders of a young nonprofit, we always expected some challenges to our growth. But no one expected the worldwide impact of a pandemic.
As the world seemed to stop, we held to our mission of inspiring and empowering families to nurture the development of their very young children who are blind or visually impaired so that all children may discover their brightest future. None of this could have been possible without the friendship and generous support of our donors. Thank you! At A Shared Vision, our work is always grounded in our mission to ensure that all children with blindness or visual impairment may discover their brightest future.First, we pivoted our delivery model and provided vision services via telehealth to more than 200 families, many of whom were especially vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19. We are so grateful for our team of 15 teachers, who were a constant, supportive presence in these families’ lives. As one parent said, “For us telehealth has been good because Wyatt has still been able to interact with people he is so used to seeing on a weekly basis. It has also been nice to talk to our EI-TVI about different fun activities to do while stuck at home.”
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Viry, age 2, and her mom during a telehealth visit with their teacher, Janis Mountford.
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The pandemic also impacted the way early intervention providers perform vision screenings because they could not meet with families in person. We responded by amplifying our Education Program, which builds the community of highly skilled and collaborative professionals who serve very young children with blindness or visual impairments. In cooperation with the Colorado Department of Education and Colorado Department of Human Services – EI Colorado, we conducted virtual vision screening trainings for more than 800 early intervention professionals, more than 500 of whom are now qualified to use the new tool to identify vision concerns in very young children and refer the family to a pediatric eye doctor and an EI-TVI.
Our passionate donors recognized the value that early intervention brings to Colorado families, especially during a pandemic. In 2020 total donations and grants increased 26%. The Buell Foundation supported A Shared Vision for the third year in a row, and several foundations and companies gave generously this past year, including the Kenneth King Foundation, Kroger, the Allstate Foundation, Xcel, and the Denver Lions Club. The Montrose Community Foundation, the Yampa Valley Foundation, and the Jeffco Hope Fund provided COVID-19 relief funding so we could continue identifying and supporting families in these communities. We are also so grateful to those we cannot thank through their anonymous gifts.
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Tydus, age 2
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More than 94% of our expenses in 2020 were focused on programming. And very importantly, none of our expenses supported a brick-and-mortar structure or other capital investments as early intervention services are best provided in families’ homes - the ideal model for service delivery which is substantiated through years of research. We continue to operate as a nimble, virtual organization with little overhead. We are the only organization in Colorado dedicated to early intervention services for very young children with blindness or visual impairments throughout the state.
As we head into 2021, many of these challenges continue. We recognize that the demand for vision services may soon exceed the available supply of licensed teachers. We are actively seeking collaboration with organizations and providers who serve Colorado’s children who are blind or visually impaired. Our planning and execution must remain focused on our mission, on what is best for Colorado’s youngest children and their families. We are so grateful for your continued partnership. With your help, we look forward to another year of growth in support of Colorado’s families with very young children who are blind or visually impaired. |
Winter, age 1
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From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for enabling us to educate, inspire, and empower these wonderful families.
Sincerely, Your Founders |
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