From the desk of our Board President,
Francisco Chavez:

We want to bring GMF to you!

Just recently, I was invited to speak at the Durham Lions Club.  In attendance with me was our newest foundation board member, Jill McMillan.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch and connection with members who share the same mission in serving people with visual impairments and blindness.  We’d love to have more opportunities to connect with likeminded groups and nonprofits.  If you work for a business or are involved with an organization that might be interested in learning more about the work we do, please contact us so that one of our board members can come speak about the school and its students, and discuss ideas for collaboration.  Only together can we make the bigger impact!

As always, thank you for your support!

Foundation Aid

With the start of the new year, several funding requests have come in from the Governor Morehead School, and the foundation is pleased to support a number of worthwhile projects:

• For several years now, the foundation has helped the school field a competitive team at the Model United Nations Conference at UNC-Chapel Hill in the spring.  The school has requested to expand to a second competition in the fall.  At our August meeting, the foundation approved up to $4,000 for a team to attend the Carolinas Model UN Conference at UNC-Charlotte, coming up October 14 – 16.
• The school implements Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS), meaning that students who exemplify the very best in behaviors are rewarded with “Charger Bucks” that they can then exchange for rewards at the Charger store. This program has had quite the impact over the years, and the foundation is happy to help with the purchase of rewards to keep the store stocked.
• As part of ongoing efforts by the Orientation and Mobility program to provide off-campus experiences for students, teacher William Tubilleja requested funding to take ten students to an upcoming NCSU home football game.  This will be an excellent opportunity for students to practice their navigation skills and enjoy something that their sighted peers frequently enjoy.
•  GMS was given approval to have students attend the State Fair again this year for the first time since before COVID.   While the students will attend for free, the foundation will provide $500 so that they may participate in rides and other activities at the fair.

We’d love to create local partnerships with individuals or companies who might like to sponsor some of our recurring educational opportunities.  Businesses or groups could even “adopt” a trip or experience by collecting donations at the office or at their meetings

Funding Updates

As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, the Governor Morehead School will receive a new fully accessible multisensory playground that architecture students at North Carolina State University helped design.  Planning for the new outdoor learning center is well under way with some grants and $13.000 committed by the Governor Morehead Foundation, but the project has a long way to go!  Several people have asked how to help, so we’d like to share the group’s GoFundMe page.

Our second profit-sharing fundraiser of the year was held at the Chipotle on Hillsborough Street across from the NCSU campus on September 7.   A great evening of food and fellowship was had by all, and a portion of the sales were given to the Governor Morehead Foundation.  We’d love to hear suggestions on other businesses and/or locations that might be interested in partnering with us in this way.

The Foundation will again be participating in the North Carolina State Employees Combined Campaign in 2022-2023.  State employees can designate donations to the Governor Morehead Foundation through the campaign using code #4074, together making a big impact on the staff and students of the Governor Morehead School.  Help us spread the word about this great opportunity!

GMF continues to sell greeting cards featuring art created by students under the guidance of GMS Art Teacher, Lisa Medina.  Cards are available from any member of the GMF board, and will soon be available for purchase online as well.

Amazon will contribute to the foundation when users simply designate GMF as a charity of choice through the Amazon Smiles program.

School News