PAULAWALLA SPONSORS TOUCH BOOK PARTIES

PaulaWalla.com sponsors the first Touch Book party to benefit the Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB), during which participants create books to help visually-impaired children learn textures and pre-braille skills.

Windsor - PaulaWalla.com, a Windsor-based online gift shop, sponsors the first Touch Book party to benefit the Board of Education and Services for the Blind (BESB), during which participants create books to help visually-impaired children learn textures and pre-braille skills.

Paula M. Pierce, owner of PaulaWalla Imports, learned of the Touch Book project from Dr. Paula de Silva, Manager of Volunteer Programs for BESB, when she began volunteering weekly. Pierce's first assignment as a volunteer was to call volunteers and clients who are matched together. Some volunteers are readers, drivers, shoppers and visitors who help and befriend visually-impaired men and women. Pierce now volunteers in the Braille Unit, typing children's books so they can be transcribed into braille for use in the classroom. Realizing the great need for Touch Books, Pierce purchased bagfulls of craft supplies and sponsored the first "Touch Book Party" on November 3rd, soliciting volunteers from family, friends, and associates.

"I was lucky enough to get some very creative people to volunteer their time and many of the supplies we used to create the books," says Pierce. It's a very worthwhile project. Many people want to help others, but just aren't sure how to go about it. This was a fun way to provide for an often-overlooked segment of the community: visually impaired children. These children need to build their reading skills in a very different way than fully-sighted children. Touch Books help the children learn sensitivity in their fingertips to prepare them for braille reading.

Pierce plans on hosting Touch Book Parties on a regular basis. If you would like to donate your time and/or craft supplies to the project, please contact Paula M. Pierce at 860-490-4258, or online at www.paulawalla.com/touchbooks

PaulaWalla Imports is a Windsor-based online gift shop that offers hand-crafted and multicultural gifts from around the world. PaulaWalla Imports can be found online at www.paulawalla.com and reached by phone at 860-490-4258.