IFB Solutions Foundation, the supporting fundraising arm for IFB Solutions, received a grant from the Reynolds American Foundation for its Student Enrichment Experience (SEE) Afterschool Program. The grant of $47,000 will be used to fund specially-trained teaching instructors for the year-round program that works with area K-12 students who are blind or visually impaired.

The SEE program was conceived by a team of employees at IFB Solutions, formerly Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, as an extension of its adult services focused on independent living skills, training and personal development. Today, SEE is housed at Tracy’s Little Red Schoolhouse on the IFB Solutions campus, which features classrooms, a computer center, arts & crafts room, outdoor garden and playground. Buses, funded by Winston-Salem-based Miracles In Sight eye bank, provide transportation for the students from their respective elementary, middle and high schools.

The SEE program operates throughout the school year with each student working with a team of teachers to build independent learning and living skills. IFB Solutions collaborates with the Winston-Salem Forsyth County school system to reach all students potentially eligible for its services. A 3-week SEE Summer Camp, overnight SEE Adventure Camp and other programs round out SEE’s calendar.

“We are extremely grateful to the Reynolds American Foundation for helping us fund the teaching staff at the SEE program,” said David Barnwell, President of the IFB Solutions Foundation. “Our services are bridging gaps for young students in the local community who are blind or visually impaired, while also improving their independence and self-confidence.”

SEE’s certified teachers guide the students through a wide range of activities gaining independent living skills such as orientation & mobility, computer literacy, communication and socialization skills.

In addition to the Student Enrichment Experience, IFB Solutions and the IFB Solutions Foundation support Community Low Vision Centers in Winston-Salem, Asheville and Chapel Hill that provide training and assistive technologies needed to maximize an individual’s remaining vision; Focus on Literacy, a program that connects school-age children with assistive technology for at-home learning; and A Brighter Path Programs, a curriculum of learning and recreational offerings for adults who are blind or visually impaired from computer and internet literacy to arts & crafts and sports.