The Generations Campaign is a comprehensive campaign that will touch all areas of our organization as opposed to a capital campaign that only addresses facilities. Our campaign is designed to help expand our programs and reach, ensure we have the leading vision professionals and personnel needed to make these new and enhanced programs successful, strengthen our endowment that will ensure our long-term sustainability, and prepare our campus facilities to serve our clients better now and long into the future.

Investing in People

Our people are our greatest resource, and we are committed to investing in a dynamic team of vision professionals and other skilled staff to meet our clients’ needs. Funding from the campaign will allow us to hire several new staff positions that will complement and expand the Carroll Center’s impact for future generations to come. With a nationwide shortage of vision professionals, it is also critical to invest in our people through competitive compensation, professional development opportunities, and teaching resources in order to attract and retain the very best in the field of vision rehabilitation.

The Generations Campaign will raise funds to:

• Enhance competitive salaries and benefits, including making appropriate market adjustments to keep up with industry compensation trends and improving healthcare and retirement plan options.
• Create new staff positions that will enhance program delivery, including Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialists, Job Placement Specialist, Resident Life Coordinator, Accessibility Training Coordinator, Community Outreach Coordinator, Adjustment Counselor, and Assistive Technology Instructor. 
• Offer professional development opportunities to nurture talented vision professionals and other staff.
• Increase the pool of vision professionals through paid internships.
• Purchase technology our Teachers of the Visually Impaired and Low Vision Specialists need to provide first-rate instruction.

Investing in Programs

Conducting business as usual has never been an option at the Carroll Center for the Blind. We continually strive to improve current offerings and develop new programs that benefit our clients, and the Generations campaign will help launch new programs that enhance service delivery. 

• Helping our clients find meaningful work and live productive lives has always been a top priority at our center, and our campaign will fuel two new Workforce Development Programs for teens and adults that will teach digital accessibility testing skills and open up employment opportunities in the technology field.
• Establishing programs that enhance our reach into the community, especially to the rising senior population, is critical so we can continue to meet clients where they are. Generations campaign funding will help launch an Outreach and Awareness Program and a Mobile Program for Senior Services to ensure the community is aware of and can access our free services.

Investing in Campus Facilities

The Carroll Center for the Blind’s historic 3.7 acre campus in Newton, MA is one of the critical areas where clients of all ages and stages of vision loss receive industry-leading services. Built in the 1800’s, two of our three campus buildings are historic, which means the physical structures that were once state-of-the-art are now outdated and limit the growth of our service delivery. 

The Generations Campaign will allow us to fund new capital projects and make important upgrades that our treasured facilities richly need and deserve. A few important facility projects to be funded by this campaign include:

• Construction of the Orientation, Mobility and Wellness Trail, a tool for teaching white cane, guide dog and navigational techniques on our campus in Newton. To address clients’ physical and emotional well-being that support their adjustment to blindness, the trail will also include recreation and wellness areas.
• Converting our campus to solar energy through solar panel installation.
• Renovation of the Personal Management Kitchen and classroom where rehabilitation clients learn safe cooking, laundry, personal grooming, cleaning, money management, and more. 
• Reconstruction of two accessible pedestrian footbridges to ensure clients can safely navigate into the Lulie Gund Center for Vision Rehabilitation.
• Completing an accessibility, safety and security redesign that will update all entrance and exit doors to become accessible and automatic, install a card access system and security surveillance video system, and improve exterior lighting to assist clients, staff, and visitors with low vision.
• Modernize HVAC and electrical systems and replace roofing

Investing in Endowment

A robust endowment leads to financial stability for any organization. 

When we launched the Generations Campaign, the Carroll Center’s endowment was significantly underfunded at less than $1 million, putting us substantially behind similar institutions, especially given our organization’s range of services and reach. It also leaves us far too vulnerable. 

We must bolster our endowment to better secure our long-term future and to shield us from the unpredictability of the external environment so we can continue to serve those in need.

Our goal is to raise $3.5 million in unrestricted endowed funds to add systemic strength to our institution. These funds will support our core programs, fund scholarships for individuals who need financial assistance, and enable us to respond to unforeseen institutional challenges or emergencies. A more robust endowment will ensure the Carroll Center for the Blind is prepared to help future generations of people of all ages who are blind and visually impaired.

Contact information

For more information or questions about the Generations Campaign, please contact Dara Dalmata, Chief Development and Communications Officer, via email or call 617-969-6200 x 259.