The Pathway to Success Goes Through You
Donations are the life blood of any non-profit organization and we are no exception. Your support is a vital component to our ability to create life-altering opportunities for the visually-impaired community. To make it easier for you, we developed a variety of ways to give!
gift gathering & dining in the dark
DON’T MISS OUR GIFT GATHERING PARTY AT FLYING BISON BREWERY!
Grab a gift and join us Wednesday, June 22nd, from 5:30-7:30pm at Flying Bison Brewing Company for a night of beer, pizza and fun to benefit the auctions for our “Dining in the Dark” gala held in September.
Please RSVP by June 16th to Renee DiFlavio at rdiflavio@viawny.org or 716-888-4627.
Admission: a gift, gift card, bottle of liquor, or donation valued at $25 or more per person.
VIA: Visually Impaired Advancement invites you to our annual Dining in the Dark event, which will be held on Thursday, September 15th at 5:30pm at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo! Invitations will be sent in mid-June with further details, but feel free to contact Renee DiFlavio at 716-888-4627 or rdiflavio@viawny.org with any questions. Enjoy an evening of raffles, auctions, keynote speeches, and more!
Provide eye exams and help clients with vision rehabilitation needs.
Support our youth programs to empower kids who are visually impaired to learn and grow.
Help thousands who are blind or visually impaired in our community!
ways to help via
You can make a difference. Get your family, friends, or co-workers together and make a difference in the life of someone who is blind or visually impaired.
During the United Way Annual Campaign and with SEFA, you may “Donor Designate” directly to VIA.
These funds are made through your paycheck from your employment and come directly to VIA to support our programming.
Need some volunteer hours?
Looking for a way to give back and still have fun?
JOIN OUR DINING IN THE DARK VOLUNTEER TEAM!
How Can You Help?
- Join our Planning Committee
- Help Get Donations for our auctions
- Help During Event
TO VOLUNTEER CONTACT:
Samantha Burfiend
sburfiend@viawny.org
(716)-888-4564
ADD US AS YOUR AMAZON SMILE CHARITY!
Look for: VIA -Visually Impaired Advancement
Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to VIA!
AmazonSmile is the same Amazon; you know, same products and same prices!
Support VIA by starting your shopping at smile.amazon.com.
Car, motorcycle, or boat donation to Any Charity provides easy, turn-key vehicle donation to Vehicle Donation through V-DAC support their favorite non-profits by donating a vehicle!
Go to the V-Dac website to find out how to donate your car to VIA: (Link: Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted M D Center for the Visually Impaired.)
To donate, please go to www.v-dac.com/org-search, and under section Search, type “Olmsted.” Click the “Elizabeth Pierce Olmsted M D Center for the Visually Impaired” link.
BLIND SIMULATION PRESENTATIONS
With vision loss affecting over 27 million people in the United States, VIA makes it our mission to help inform and educate the public about how people who are visually impaired can live and work independently. VIA’s blind simulation (commonly known as Lunch & Learn) helps educate and increase diversity awareness in the workplace. VIA shows the capability of people with all different abilities by giving others an interactive glimpse into someone who lives day to day without using their vision.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
You can have 15 to 60 participants
VIA Staff will facilitate the simulation. Participants will be blindfolded and perform tasks:- Blindfolded Water Pour
- JAWS Demo
- Cane Travel
- Eye Disease Simulation
IMPACT
- Increase awareness about diversity in the workforce
- Increase awareness of the skills of people who are blind and visually impaired
- Debrief discussion to allow participants to share thoughts
- Great team-building experience
- Encourages people to advocate, volunteer, and give back to our community
Contact us to set up a blind simulation for your company,organization or school!
Renee Diflavio
rdiflavio@viawny.org
(716) 888-4627
Wall of Reflection
The Wall of Reflection is a special gift campaign created by VIA to help fund our mission of assisting the blind, visually impaired and physically disables lead productive and independent lives.
These custom-designed and personalized metallic tiles will not only display your support of VIA it will become an integral part of the interior design of our lobby at our Main Street location. You can also have a tile created honor or memorialize a loved one.
Your gift will be part of the vision that we all share together.
Each Tile is 6 inches by 6 inches and can be engraved with your personal message and or name.
