Community

Lending a Hand To Seeing Hand

Organization Plans Pair Of Fundraisers

WHEELING -- The Seeing Hand Association is conducting two fundraisers over the holiday season as part of maintaining sustainability and continuing growth for the North Wheeling facility, which provides a variety of employment opportunities for visually impaired residents of the Upper Ohio Valley.

Seeing Hand Association Executive Director Karen Haught said while the agency's goal has been sustainability in a year that has dealt the agency many challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- "growth" is something they always strive for as an agency that assists visually impaired people with achieving a high quality of life, self sufficiency and independence through employment opportunities.

"Growth is something you want to shoot for ... so we are still looking for ways to provide employment and expand our workforce. So that's a huge part of our mission -- providing employment for the blind and visually impaired is probably at the very top of our mission ... because the unemployment rate for visually implaired runs about 70 percent," Haught explained.

Since the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, Haught said the agency has not only had to cancel many events this year, they've had to reevaluate how they operate. In addition, the staff has not been able to attend any health fairs this year due to safety protocols being put in place.

"In a normal year we would see thousands of people -- (maybe) 8,000 people, but this year is not the norm," Haught explained, while talking about reaching out to the public at health fairs. "Nonprofits are challenged during this difficult year. We've had to cancel many many events," she said. In addition to cancelling fundraisers like their springtime "Dueling Pianos, " and their fall steak fry (their largest fundraiser of the year), Haught said they've had to cancel their "Camp Independence" this summer.

"So pretty much most of our programs, except for our program of employment have been put on hold," Haught commented, mentioning that the organization's workers with disabilities were off of work from March 16 to July 6.

Currently, Haught is speaking with two visually impaired people who are interested in joining Seeing Hands' workforce. She said The Seeing Hand currently employees nine people.

"I was very concerned about my workers because some of them ride public transportation, and if you think about blind and visually impaired people they touch a lot of surfaces. ... So we made a decision to close the agency, except by appointment only (for customers)," Haught explained.

"We all realized we needed to come up with some way to co-exist with this pandemic. So yes -- we do require a mask," she commented. "Then on June 1, we opened the agency daily Monday through Friday ... and then on July 6 we brought the disabled workers back because it was very difficult for them to be so isolated. Most blind and visually impaired workers only go home and come to work," Haught said. "We have taken great precautions to try and keep all of our employees safe. We have plexiglass in the area by our cash register ... and upstairs where we have our workshop, every single person has their own station. So it's our goal to keep everybody distanced as well as masked," she added.

Haught said they had to cancel many of the regular activities for their workers, such as bowling and an all-day retreat at Oglebay. She said obviously many of their activities this year had to be postponed until next year.

"But our programs of employment are up and in full swing (now). We're making mops, we're caning chairs, we're refurbishing fire extinguishers," Haught commented.

In addition to making mops and re-caning old chairs for area residents, Seeing Hand employees also assist with duties in their second floor workshop which involves refilling and selling refurbished fire extinguishers. While this year was an exception, the Seeing Hand also provides their employees with working opportunities in a garden on Wheeling Island. While they normally sell the produce each growing season to help sustain the agency -- because of transportation challenges for their visually impaired employees this year -- the agency’s volunteer gardeners donated produce from the garden to local families in need.

Haught said while the agency wasn't able to operate their garden the traditional way this year -- she is hopeful by next spring "things will be a little better," and they will be able to have their visually impaired employees helping in the garden once again.

While the agency receives funding assistance though an endowment, sales of their products, and many generous donors and grants that help support their operations costs -- they are still in need of additional financial assistance through fundraising efforts.

"We have been very blessed by many gracious and committed donors, so that helps ... but the fundraisers that we're holding now helps a little more," Haught commented.

"We have two fundraisers going on now -- one is a yearly fundraiser, which is our (seventh-annual) gift card raffle," Haught explained. "We have about $400 in gift cards that one lucky person is going to win on Dec. 10th, along with a wreath," she added. Haught said people can purchase raffle tickets either though the Seeing Hand Asssociation's Facebook page, which provides various ways to pay (such as PayPal etc.,) or they can purchase tickets at the Seeing

Hand office located at 750 Main St, Wheeling. Visitors to the office/store must wear a mask.

The second fundraiser is a musical challenge Haught is calling "Sing for Sight." Through a link on the agency's Facebook page, the Seeing Hand Association is challenging folks to post a video of themself singing one of three Christmas songs, including: We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Jingle Bells or Silent Night. Haught said participants are to post their video and challenge five other people to do the same, or make a $10 donation to the agency.

"All of this money will go to support the employment programs and the everyday general expenses of the (Seeing Hand) organization," Haught explained. She said there are several ways to make donations online through their Facebook page.

"We think it's going to be a lot of fun. We just kicked it off yesterday (Tuesday, Dec 1) ... and it's going to run until Jan. 1."