From the desk of our Board President, Francisco Chavez:

Greetings GMF friends and supporters!
You may have heard in the news recently about some proposed changes to the way the Governor Morehead School (and the two state schools for the deaf) are governed.  Senate Bill 593, which was introduced last year, proposed shifting the governance of the three schools from the State Board of Education to newly created boards of trustees appointed by legislators.  This motion WOULD NOT be to the benefit of GMS.  It would put in place individuals who don’t understand the needs of the schools and add another layer of bureaucracy.  The bill was vetoed by the Governor, who stated, “The students at the schools deserve steady, knowledgeable leadership rather than becoming a part of the erosion of statewide education oversight.”

However, his veto can be overruled by a 3/5 vote of each house of the state legislature.   Please contact your elected representatives and ask them NOT to override the Governor’s veto.  The school administration and staff of all three special schools really know the students.  Let these knowledgeable educators be the ones to govern the schools, since they know the needs of the students enrolled on each campus.

As always, thank you for your support.

Foundation Aid

Over two days in May, students from Ms.von Reyn’s class worked to raise money for their Ukrainian peers who are also blind and visually impaired.  They crafted yellow and blue beaded wristbands with the word “love” in braille, and partnered with local bakery Yellow Dog Bread Co. to serve delicious cookies and yellow and blue-iced cakes.  Proceeds went toward the education and housing needs of Ukrainian refugees at the Polish school for the Blind in Laski.   The fundraiser was very successful, raising over $1,700.   Our foundation assisted by wiring the funds to Poland for the school.  We are so proud of our philanthropic students!

The Governor Morehead School will receive a new accessible outdoor learning center that architecture students at North Carolina State University helped design.  The new outdoor learning center will showcase a sensory wall, bench swing, chimes and other accessible equipment engaging with the non-visual senses.  The project additionally gives the involved NC State students an opportunity to gain real-world design experience while learning from representatives of the Governor Morehead School and members of the visually impaired community.  Along with grants and the $13.000 committed by the Governor Morehead Foundation, the project is well under way, however, more donations will be needed to bring the project to completion!

New Board Member Spotlight

The foundation is excited to welcome new board member, Jill McMillan.  Jill retired from Wake County Public Schools as a teacher of students with visual impairment, and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist.  She lives in Morrisville and during her retirement has enjoyed spending time with friends and family, reading, drawing, gardening, and walking with her dog.

After graduating from UNC Pembroke in 1974, Jill had a job as a summer camp counselor with the Governor Morehead School at Camp S. B. Simmons in Swansboro, NC. She loved being there, seeing the students grow and excel in a relaxed and adventurous environment. After learning of the Orientation and Mobility program at Western Michigan University, she decided she wanted a career in the field, and thus launched a long career.  After finishing school at Western Michigan, Jill worked at the Metrolina Association for the Blind in Charlotte. In the early 90’s, she was at GMS for a year teaching Orientation
and Mobility before moving out of state. After returning to NC, she worked for GMS Outreach as an itinerant teacher of students with visual impairment and O&M specialist headquartered in Morehead City, and later on the Raleigh campus. Jill then began work with Wake County schools.

Jill is grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of an organization that supports the students at the Governor Morehead School.

School News

At the end of July, GMS students participated in the Envisioning Youth Empowerment Retreat, which provided an opportunity for them and other students with visual impairments to become career and college ready through peer mentoring, real world experiences, and training on resources and services available to them as young adults.  They explored topics in banking, healthy relationships, and careers, and even got to enjoy some fun outings and team-building exercises with new friends.  That, along with numerous other outings and experiences, made for an awesome summer program!

Fundraising