“Tianna wanted to be a mother, but a private adoption agency told her that prospects were not good for a single person. Cycles of in vitro fertilization did not work. But when she moved from Illinois to California to become a professor at UC Berkeley, she learned about Wayfinder. “Wayfinder was very accepting,” Tianna recalls….
Jai’el is a wonderful, funny, silly character. He makes me laugh and brings everyone around him joy,” says Margie, a Wayfinder early intervention specialist. Margie has been providing services to the 2-year-old and his mother, LaTosha for about a year. As an infant, Jai’el was diagnosed with a build-up of fluid in the brain, which…
Legacy is the mark we leave on the world. Those who have come before us in Wayfinder’s Legacy Society have truly made a positive impact. Their generosity has endowed our continuing work and enriched the lives of thousands of children and their families. Their legacy is visible in the children who gain independence at Camp Bloomfield,…
Otis Blum is a manager at Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s leading video game companies. When he was in high school at Brentwood School, Otis was a counselor in training for three years at Wayfinder’s Camp Bloomfield. Otis continues serving those who turn to Wayfinder for help, now as a founding member of the…
When you ask sisters Anissa and Emma what their favorite activity at Camp Bloomfield was this summer, they answer enthusiastically: “Deep sea fishing!” Campers who are blind or visually impaired spent a day on the ocean with the California Yacht Club—just one of the enriching activities in the weeklong camp experience. “Deep sea fishing was…
We received this letter from Jasmine*, a former resident in The Cottage, our temporary shelter care program, which nurtures and stabilizes children who have been removed from their homes for maltreatment or abuse. Dear Wayfinder, Maybe you won’t remember me, but I will never forget you. I arrived at your shelter just a few days…
What would it be like for someone with a disability to work at Disneyland or Apple? Over four stimulating weeks this summer, young adults age 16 and older who are blind or visually impaired discovered their workplace potential and gained skills in Wayfinder’s Transition Services Summer Program. Students resided in dorms on our Los Angeles…
Has Wayfinder returned to in-person services? Yes, I am thrilled to share that some services which we have been offering remotely have returned to in-person or hybrid formats! This summer, we welcomed back: Residents of the Davidson Program for Independence and Hatlen Center programs: adults or youth who are blind or visually impaired stayed in apartment-like…
After more than a year of virtual learning, the students at Wayfinder’s Special Education School are back in the classroom—and very happy to be there. Nancy Berger, school principal, reports that students are blossoming. Our Special Education School enrolls children and youth, ages 5 to 22, who are visually impaired or have moderate-to-severe disabilities. Keriel,…
“Can the Tooth Fairy find me here?” James, age 6, was worried. He lost his first tooth while staying at The Cottage, Wayfinder’s shelter for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. James had come to The Cottage because his mother, who was struggling with drug addiction, neglected him….
