Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Lighthouse of Broward County, Inc.
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As: LHOB
Mailing Address: 650 North Andrews Avenue
City: Fort Lauderdale
State: Florida
Postal Code: 33311
Main Phone: 954-463-4217
Main Fax: 954-764-3825
Organization Website: www.lhob.org
Employer ID Number: 59-1650909
Organization Tax Status: 501-C-3 Exempt

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: March 8, 2023
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Children’s Services to Independence Program (CSTI)
Project Description:

CSTI ensures that BVI youth participate in essential therapeutic, recreational, and educational programs to maximize their development and independence. CSTI in Broward County serves 94 BVI children under 13 and their parents. There are 35 kids in the LHOB Bright Beginnings Early Intervention Program, ranging from baby to five. The LHOB’s KIDS (Keys to Independence) Program is helping the remaining 59 kids aged 6 to 13.

Infants and toddlers develop the ability to use their remaining senses and vision (hearing, touch, taste, smell, and proprioceptive). Play therapy addresses various issues, including cognitive knowledge, communication, assistive technology, and compensatory skills. Moreover, instructors instruct students in sociability, personal hygiene, and fine and gross motor skills. For each client, our staff conducts exams and creates an individualized education plan.
Older kids aged 6 to 13 participate in year-round programming on non-school days, on Saturdays, and throughout the summer. During classroom-style sessions, academic enrichment (tutoring), field trips, and recreational activities, they are taught safe travel practices, age-appropriate cooking and self-care skills, Braille, computer and adaptive communication device use, polite social interaction, self-determination, and self-advocacy using national, evidence-based Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). STEAM elements are incorporated year-round into activities and education. Our experienced Teachers of the Visually Impaired provide our KIDS program one-on-one and in small groups.

Services include the equipment needed for social and educational progress. Many of the kids in the CSTI program have multiple disabilities. According to the School Board of Broward County, there has been a significant upward trend of children with blindness and visual impairment (BVI) who present with co-occurring disorders, including the spectrum of chronic developmental disabilities. As a result, BVI children who seek our services are excluded from their school’s Visually Impaired Program. For these kids, CSTI fills the gap between academic success and overall success in life.

Total Project Budget: $638,303

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Division of Blind Services; United Way of Broward County; The Batchelor Foundation; Citrix Corporation; Henry L. & Kathryn Mills Foundation; Hoffa Memorial Foundation; Joe Sonken Trust; Kegel Foundation, Negley Flinn Foundation, Gore Foundation, Deaver Phoenix Foundation, and the Albert & Birdie Einstein Fund.

Project Duration: Year-Round
Geographical Area Served: Broward County, FL
Age Group To Be Served: Birth to 13 years old

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Mr.
Contact First Name: Jose
Contact Last Name: Lopez-Masso
Contact Title: VP of Strategic Initiatives & Development
Contact Phone: 954-463-4217 ext. 141
Contact Email: jlopez@lhob.org