MVPs of NBP: Spotlight on our Volunteers

 

Eagle Investments volunteers collating Frozen

The end of the year is a great time to celebrate and honor the communities to which we belong. Whether by giving gifts to loved ones, donating canned goods, or baking cookies for a social gathering, now is a perfect moment to think about how you can give back.

National Braille Press is fortunate to have a group of people– 325 to be exact–who give back all year round: our volunteers.

The gifts of volunteers’ time, enthusiasm, and hard work keep National Braille Press’s mission alive and well.

Volunteers put together each month’s Children’s Braille Book Club selection.

One Boston Day volunteers with Froggy Gets Dressed

They assist at events like the A Million Laughs for Literacy Gala, ushering guests and collecting auction bids.

Volunteers man the front desk, serving as the first point of contact to callers and visitors to NBP.

Volunteers stuff envelopes for mailings, recruit Literacy Champions, paint the side of our building, and so much more!

A few hours of time dedicated to NBP add up and help us continue our mission. Our volunteers have put together over one million pages of print/braille books and contributed over 2,500 hours of service!

Volunteers also raised tens of thousands of dollars for NBP through running the Boston Marathon and the Blindfold Challenge.

Their dedication is vital to keeping braille materials affordable for blind children and adults.

Volunteering at NBP is a lot of fun as well! It’s a great way to bond with colleagues outside the office. You can make new friends with folks who also value accessibility during projects. And some volunteers have even turned collating braille books into an unconventional date!

Tufts Health Plan volunteers with Interrupting Chicken

Nonprofits around Boston rely on volunteers for tasks ranging from mentoring to serving meals. NBP is no different—and our volunteers get the chance to say that they personally helped put together 300 or 400 books for blind children. Volunteering with us could be a great conversation starter at your next social gathering, and an opportunity to share the importance of braille with someone else.

Consider joining our volunteer team of over 325 strong by emailing volunteer@nbp.org.

And to our current volunteers, thank you for being a part of the NBP community. Thank you for your investment in braille literacy and commitment to the projects. Your time and contribution makes a big difference.

We look forward to seeing you again in 2017!

First Impressions: Why You Need Braille Business Cards

Recently, NBP worked with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in Boston to produce braille labels for their business cards. We asked Executive Director of the Foundation Steven M. Rothstein some questions on why he got his cards done in braille.

NBP: Why do you think braille business cards are important?

Steven: “Accessibility and inclusion were important to President Kennedy, and I thought this would be a valuable statement about their importance today.

In addition, I have prior experience working with groups and individuals with different levels of abilities and challenges, including those with visual impairment. I want to be able to effectively communicate with those individuals.”

NBP: What motivated you to get these done?

Steven: “The unemployment and underemployment rate for people with low or no vision is very high in our society. This is a small step to raise awareness and encourage others to be inclusive in their workplace as well.”

NBP has worked with many organizations and companies to provide braille business cards, from College of the Holy Cross to The Iris Network.

Ordering braille business cards is a simple step toward accessibility for your business. Having your cards done shows people you care about their reading needs. It also creates a conversation. The cards are very appealing to someone when you are networking. By having braille on your cards, you are opening up a conversation. What do they say in braille? Why is accessibility important to your business?

NBP’s Director of Sales Nicole Noble has been using her braille business cards for 8 years to network and connect with a wide variety of people. Nicole says, “Having braille business cards has opened the door to many conversations with both sighted and visually impaired individuals. They have served as a platform to raise awareness and communicate proficiently to exchange information and resources.”

-Whitney Mooney, Sales Associate and Social Media Creative