The lives of people can be greatly impacted by non-profit organizations, and The Utah Foundation for the Blind and Visually Impaired (UFB) has been doing so for many years in the Ogden area.
This non-profit organization has been in operation since 1988 and was founded by Tony Jepson, a teacher for the visually impaired, when he saw a need for more specific education for blind students with the ultimate goal to give the visually impaired and blind the confidence and ability to attend college and get on successful career paths.
“Many of our alumni tell us that they would not have careers or college education if it hadn’t been for the influence that UFB had in their lives,” Joleen Widmark, board president of UFB, said.
UFB offers several different programs including ski instruction, sports camps, braille camps, and a braille magazine. Their programs take place in gyms and homes across the state.
“I wanted to be a part of something that was making a difference in people’s lives,” Rachael Swetnam, executive manager, said.“When I saw what UFB was doing, I wanted to be a part of that.”
The UFB is organizing a dinner and auction to raise awareness and funds for their organization. The Love is Blind event will take place on February 5, 2016 at the Leonardo Museum in Downtown Salt Lake City.
The event will have the participation of Governor Gary Herbert and Becky Andrews, a blind Utah Native and Boston Marathon runner.
The most important part of the event will take place during the dinner. Attendees will participate in a sensory experience. They will be blindfolded for the dessert portion of the meal.
“We hope people will come and really experience what it’s like to have this limitation of sight and… what it’s like, even for just a couple minutes, to try and navigate the dinner table and the cutlery and see the challenges of doing simple tasks,” Swetnam said.
The auction will take place after dinner. People will have the opportunity to bid on items like Utah Jazz merchandise, Jetblue tickets, Disney tickets, etc.
In addition to the dinner and auction, the Leonardo is offering free admission to attendees to view the many exhibits they have available.
