Every year, Alphapointe invites students in high school and college to participate in the Career Enhancement Internship Experience program. Madeline Abrams participated in the program in the summer of 2022 and we caught up with her to ask about her experience. Q&A with Madeline Tell us about you… I am from Overland Park, Kan. Outside…
As part of the ongoing Volunteer Spotlight series, we checked in with volunteer Jy Maze on why she chooses to donate her time and energy to Alphapointe. Jy’s father, who was blind, actually worked for Alphapointe for a number of years, which created a bond between Jy and the organization. Additionally, Jy joined Alphapointe’s Foundation…
Alphapointe is pleased to announce the addition of Ann-Marie Birns to the organization’s Board of Directors. Birns is an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley within the Institutional Securities Technology and leads the Research Technology team globally, which is comprised of more than 200 employees and consultants. She is currently responsible for the technology strategy and…
Judy has age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults. Macular degeneration affects one’s central vision and causes “blind spots” that make it difficult to read, recognize faces and engage in many other activities. Judy began receiving training through Alphapointe’s Senior Adult Services Program earlier this summer. An individualized program was…
This is a letter written by Shirmohammad. He is a father of five children, each of whom has low vision as a result of having albinism. Along with his family, Shirmohammad fled Afghanistan in August 2021 after the Taliban captured control of the country. This is his family’s story. Today, our children are safe. They…
“I came to the conclusion that when I was in public school, the less I bothered anyone, the more appreciated I would be.” Former New York Governor David Paterson shared those words when reflecting on his experiences in the public school system as a child – one of many jarring and insightful comments he offered…
As part of the ongoing Volunteer Spotlight series, we checked in with volunteer Rick Walczak on why he chooses to donate his time and energy to Alphapointe. Q&A with Rick Tell us about you… I retired seven years ago as a manager in the U.S. Defense Department where I helped people negotiate contracts. I stay…
Despite its location in the middle of the heartland, there are a fair number of people in the Kansas City area who know very little about farming. Alex McBurney, Isaac McBurney and Nathan Wilcox are not among those people. At least not anymore – though if one were to travel back in time to the…
Alphapointe Foundation Executive Director and Alphapointe Vice President of Program Services and Development Gina Gowin was honored by the Kansas City Business Journal as a member of the 2022 class of “Women Who Mean Business” during a luncheon award ceremony Aug. 19. The Women Who Mean Business program honors those top-ranking women in Kansas City…
Alphapointe’s Cheryl Rayburn graduated from the Blind Leaders Development Program at the American Foundation for the Blind’s (AFB) special commencement ceremony held on Aug. 2, 2022. Launched in 2020, the Blind Leaders Development Program was created by AFB to increase upward mobility and create meaningful leadership experiences for individuals who are blind or low vision,…