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About Us![]() P.O. Box 51924 Livonia, MI 48151-5924 Seedlings' physical (and UPS) address: 14151 Farmington Road Livonia, MI 48154 Toll-free phone: 800-777-8552 Phone & fax: 734-427-8552 June 2019: Seedlings was featured on "Eye on Detroit" during the CBS This Morning!: September 2018: Seedlings was featured on PBS' award-winning show "Under the Radar Michigan"! Learn more about Seedlings here: March 2017: Seedlings' Founder and Director was named Person of the Week by Detroit's Channel 7. They filmed a wonderful piece about Seedlings:
Seedlings' MissionSeedlings Braille Books for Children is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization dedicated to increasing the opportunity for literacy and education by providing high quality, free and low cost braille books for children.Seedlings' Letter of Determination from the IRS Seedlings' HistoryIn 1984 when Debra Bonde founded Seedlings, braille materials were scarce and expensive. Her goals were to increase the availability and lower the cost of braille books for children in order to promote their literacy skills and the love of reading. In 1985, the first year of book production, Debra made 221 books in her basement office. By 1990, Seedlings was producing 5,000 books per year, which precipitated its move out of Debra's basement and into the Bentley Center in Livonia, Michigan, and eventually to our present location on Farmington Road in Livonia. In 2022, with a small staff, and a group of loyal volunteers, Seedlings produced over 37,500 braille books and articles (63% of which were given away for free), with a grand total of 682,000 since 1984, equalling millions of pages of braille! For more information, see Seedlings' 2022 Annual Report and Seedlings' 2022 Audit.In 1994, Seedlings added The Rose Project, which provides free encyclopedia articles in braille for
student's projects and reports. Since that time, we have added several other giveaway programs in our quest to fill the existing braille book desert
with thousands of wonderful books for children with vision loss. In 2022, over 23,000 books were given away for free and the rest were made available
for an average of only $10 each! For more information on Seedlings' Giveaway Programs, see our Special Programs page. Seedlings' Books![]() Braille books are provided at each level of development, from toddler board books to classic literature for older children. Just as sighted children learn to read as they are exposed to the printed word, so do visually impaired children who are exposed to the tactile page at an early age. New titles are added every year as highly skilled volunteer braille transcribers spend countless donated hours translating print books into braille and preparing them for future production. Once the original translation is complete, additional books can be printed as needed. Exposure to popular, high quality braille literature throughout childhood increases the likelihood of children developing into able braille readers. Seedlings' FundingAs a non-profit organization, Seedlings gives away over half of their books and sells the rest for a fraction of what it costs to make them. Support is very broad based and comes from individuals, philanthropic groups, corporations and private foundations. Seedlings is not a United Way agency and receives no government grants. Thanks to hundreds of generous donors and dedicated, hard-working volunteers, the price of Seedlings' books remains far below actual production costs, averaging only $10 per book.View Seedlings' 2021 990 Form here. Seedlings' 2023 Board of DirectorsTerry Crouson, Business ConsultantAnn Devereux, Parent of Child with Vision Loss Michelle Ellis, Teacher of Visually Impaired Students Jennifer Joseph, Parent of Child with Vision Loss Katelyn Kelel, JD/MBA Candidate 2024, Consultant, Braille Reader Michelle Lair, Director of Human Resources Melissa Pilzner, Financial Advisor Jackie Rau, Controller Cheryl Shewach, HR Professional Jared Stofflett, Software Developer, Braille Reader Richard Swaine, CPA Joel Zatell, Teacher of Visually Impaired Students Seedlings' Board Members receive no financial compensation
for their services. Seedlings in the news ...
Read more about it here. (Photo credit: Courtesy of Living Lutheran, photo by Bill Bresler.) June 2016: Livonia Today includes a nice spread about Seedlings: Read the article here. July 2015: Seedlings wins the prestigious Bolotin Award: The National Federation of the Blind on July 10 presented a $10,000 cash award to Seedlings Braille Books for Children as one of five organizations and individuals honored with a Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award which goes to innovators in the blindness field. The award took place at the 75th national convention of the National Federation of the Blind annual convention held in Orlando, Florida. Read more about it here. February 2015: The Livonia Observer gives Seedlings' Director their Citizen of the Year Award: Read the article here. May 2002: Seedlings' founder and director was selected as a "Michiganian of the Year" by the
Detroit News. |
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© 2005 Seedlings Braille Books for Children P.O. Box 51924, Livonia, MI 48151-5924 • (734) 427-8552 or (800) 777-8552 info@seedlings.org
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