Former Foster Youth in Wayfinder’s Foster Care and Adoption Program When you first came to Wayfinder, what was your biggest obstacle? What did Wayfinder do to help you overcome it and thrive? My biggest obstacle was feeling that nobody heard me or believed me. My social worker helped me. She would talk to me on…
Wayfinder Residential Counselor at The Cottage, a Transitional Shelter Care Program How do you bring Wayfinder Family Services’ mission to life? I show the residents that when you work for something, you will be rewarded. When you help someone, when you show compassion to someone, compassion will come back to you. What does being a…
At age 10, Ryan Fernandez realized he could no longer see on the baseball field. He was diagnosed with Stargardt disease, which causes degeneration of the central visual field. Ryan explains that what he can see 20 feet away is what someone with good vision can see at 250 feet away. He cannot see detail…
One morning, Lorenzo Paz woke up with a pain in his forehead. He thought maybe he had had too much to drink the night before. By the afternoon, the pain was worse. “I went into the hospital walking and came out blind,” Lorenzo remembers. “I got blind in one day.” A freak infection took Lorenzo’s…
Meet Hector and Maria Parents of Elena, a Child in the Early Intervention Program When you first came to Wayfinder, what was your biggest obstacle? What did Wayfinder do to help you overcome it and thrive? Elena was born at 24 weeks. Our biggest worry was, what was she going to be behind on? And…
Congratulations to Jon, a recent graduate of Wayfinder’s Hatlen Center in San Pablo, Calif. The Hatlen Center is an immersive residential program for adults with vision loss, who gain skills to live independently. After seven months in the program, Jon was ready to take his final exam. He chose to travel by himself to meet…
Wayfinder partners with Cal State Los Angeles to train the next generation of teachers of the visually impaired in the ExCel Academy. Student teachers gain valuable, hands-on experience with a broad array of children who have varying levels of sight and additional disabilities. In fall semester 2018, Cal State L.A. faculty and Wayfinder staff supervised…
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This is an excerpt from a letter written by the mother of one our Special Education School students. We recently honored her son’s teacher’s aide, Kevin Sanders, at an employee recognition event. She wrote this letter of gratitude to share with him and the staff. I want you to know that as a parent of…
The Year: Unknown The People: Actor Steve McQueen The Moment: Steve McQueen visits children and families during a holiday gathering at Foundation for the Junior Blind. Mr. McQueen was known for his support of children’s charities.
