February 2, 2010                                                                                                                        

SCSDB News                                             

South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

                                                                               

Crystal Chirico, Communications Office                                                                                     

W: (864) 577-7505  cchirico@scsdb.org

 

Katie Rice, Communications Office                                                                       

W: (864) 577-7506  krice@scsdb.org                                                                            For Immediate Release                    

                               

SCSDB Students Spread the Love this Valentine’s Day!

 

SPARTANBURG, SC – Big hugs come in small packages! Children in hospitals around the Carolinas will receive the gift of love from South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind students. SCSDB is pairing up with His Radio for the “Hearts for Kids” program, in which students create hand-made Valentine’s cards in hopes of putting smiles on the faces of young patients. This year, students will create nearly 200 cards which will then be distributed by His Radio.

 

“SCSDB students have participated in the project for the past four years as part of the fine arts program,” said Jennifer Mascari, SCSDB visual art teacher. “By participating in this simple act of kindness for children we may never meet, we are able to teach our students compassion and the importance of giving back to our community.”  Chip Walters, SCSDB fine arts director, agrees. “Many of our students have had extended stays in the hospital so they know what it is like,” said Chip. “That makes this project so much more personal.”

 

Darren McDowell, 9, School for the Multihandicapped student, is one of the many SCSDB students who have made beautiful cards for this project. When asked what he liked about making his card, he simply held the card up and smiled the biggest grin he could muster! See provided photo.

 

SCSDB students will be diligently working on their cards to meet the Feb. 4 deadline to ensure that their “hugs” are sent to as many children as possible.

 

SCSDB provides statewide leadership in education and accessibility for individuals who are deaf, blind or sensory multidisabled, their families and the professionals who serve them through: K-12 educational programs on the main campus in Spartanburg, including the Schools for the Deaf, Blind and Multihandicapped; specialized vision and hearing services in local school districts statewide; early intervention programs for infants and toddlers; family and program assistance for students with deaf-blindness; braille and large print services; free assistive phone and alerting devices; sign language interpreting services; community sign language classes; summer camps for children who are deaf or blind; and family and professional conferences.

 

SCSDB is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and the SC Department of Education. The SC Department of Education named SCSDB a Red Carpet School for its outstanding customer service and a Palmetto Gold School for academic accomplishments.