Tulsa Downtown Lions’ donations boost School for the Blind academic competitions

MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Oklahoma School for the Blind students were proud to receive three generous donations from the Tulsa Downtown Lions Club International.

Orpha Paciorek from the service organization visited Oklahoma School for the Blind to present $500 for OSB’s Regional Braille Challenge, $500 for Oklahoma Regional Cane Quest and an additional $1000 for other student activities. 

Braille Challenge® is a national competition, sponsored by the Braille Institute, which tests contestants’ braille literacy skills, including spelling, reading comprehension, proofreading, and ability to transcribe text into braille.

In the Cane Quest contest, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists score competitors’ ability to follow verbal directions and demonstrate proper cane skills and travel techniques, which are critical to travel safety and independence.

Faye Miller, Braille Challenge and Cane Quest coordinator and OSB orientation and mobility specialist asked seniors Elbin Carrillo and Julio Valdez to accept the checks on behalf of all the OSB students. Carrillo and Valdez have competed for many years in Braille Challenge and Cane Quest. They are good friends who take turns winning the top awards at both events. 

“We are thrilled that Tulsa Downtown Lions Club members choose to make generous donations that will benefit all the students at Oklahoma School for the Blind,” OSB

Superintendent Rita Echelle said. “Orpha Paciorek who presented the donations will also be volunteering this year at Cane Quest and is looking forward to getting to know our students better.” 

Oklahoma School for the Blind is a public school designated by the Oklahoma Legislature as a statewide resource for children who are blind or visually impaired. Expert staff provide on-campus education programs for residential students who go home for weekends and summers, commuter students who live at home and summer school students. OSB provides free outreach and consultation services to students attending local schools across the state, their families, educators and organizations.###