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| Mrs Jenipha Freeman |
Charlestown Nevis (November 17, 2005) -- The Nevis Blind Light and Visually Impaired Society is making an appeal to Nevisians with blind and visually impaired relatives to have them registered with the society.
According to President of the society, Mrs Jenipha Freeman, "we still have persons here and there and some who are not sighted but for whatever reasons the relatives don't come out and say it, so we keep investigating."
She made the appeal Thursday afternoon during a tea party held by society members at the School for Blind on Government Road Charlestown to raise funds for Christmas hampers that will be distributed to blind and visually impaired persons throughout the island.
The society, Mrs Freeman told Government Information Service, is in the process of updating its list of members taking into consideration that a number of them have in the recent past passed on, but she felt that the number of members was artificially low hence the appeal to those with blind relatives to come forward.
"I always make an appeal, and I am doing it again " let us know who their relatives are who are blind or very visual impaired," implored Mrs Freeman. "What I would also like to say as well is about children for I want to believe that we have to have children in the community with visual disability. It is not anything to be ashamed and embarrassed about and who can understand the situation better that those are in it themselves."
The tea party, which was well patronised by a wide cross-section of Nevisians, is expected to raise EC$1,800. The money, along with what was raised at concert organised by the society last money, will be used to buy the hampers that will be given not only to the society's members but also to the elderly and deserving persons in the community.
While they are targeting at providing hampers to thirty persons, she however added: "We cannot always do it by numbers because we have persons in the Infirmary at Alexandra Hospital, the St. George's and St. John's Senior Citizens Complex in Gingerland, and we have also some at the Seniors' Complex at Prospect and we usually donate to them as well.
"We might also give to one or two individuals and families who really need something. We have people who are really in need. So those who we can help, we just extend it," she noted, explaining that the date of distribution would be determined by the executive committee of the society.
