United Front — Write-in agencies help personalize giving

Camille O’Neill is captivating, cheerful and visually curious.

At age 3, she plunks letters on her Braille typewriter, laughs easily and pulls new toys close to study them intently — all the while singing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. …”

Camille’s parents, Bill and Jen O’Neill, are grateful for the support they’ve received from a local, non-profit agency that helps children with visual impairments.

Now, through the United Way campaign, they are able to say thanks by designating the Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children (NFVIC) as one of their United Way charities.

Camille O’Neill, 3, pounds away on her Perkins Brailler, a machine similar to a manual typewriter, with a key corresponding to each of the six dots in the Braille code. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions. Specific dots are raised to form letters, words or numbers, depending on their context and sequencing. The O’Neills received the Perkins Brailler from the Nebraska Foundation for Visually Impaired Children (NFVIC), a 501(c)(3) organization that they support through the United Way campaign.

“Supporting a cause is an important thing to do in any circumstance, but it becomes really special when the cause is so close to your heart and it benefits children like your children,” said Jen O’Neill, an HIV clinic patient care coordinator at UNMC.

Last year, 38 UNMC employees chose to write in an agency for the United Way campaign, totaling approximately $8,900 in donations, said Jill Carson, UNMC’s campaign manager and university advancement specialist in public affairs.

This year, employees can again direct their funds to a write-in charity of their choosing. All write-in agencies must be a 501 (C)(3) organization with a primary mission to deliver health or social services in Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie counties, or counties contiguous to them. Excluded from designation are cultural institutions, churches, schools, animal welfare agencies, environmental organizations, political institutions and government entities.

“Visual impairment is a low incident disability,” said Bill O’Neill, associate director, UNMC Public Affairs. “It’s gratifying to be able to direct our dollars through the United Way campaign to organizations such as the NFVIC, which has had such a positive impact on children through its advocacy, resources and family support.”

Adaptive technology from the NFVIC has enabled the O’Neills to create Braille materials in their home, and will allow Camille to keep pace with her peers as she progresses through school. NFVIC also provides educational sessions and activities for its network of families.

In addition, NFVIC is among those helping to fund UNMC’s new Weigel Williamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation, which is being built directly south of the Ronald McDonald House on the southwest corner of 38th Avenue and Jones Street.

Out of a total of 285,548 school-aged children in Nebraska, 441 are blind/legally blind, according to the Nebraska Center for the Education of Children Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired.

Born at 25 weeks, Camille weighed 1 lb. 13 oz. and developed retinopathy of prematurity in its most severe form. Today, after 10 eye surgeries and a prosthetic right eye, Camille is identifying shapes, colors and letters and loves singing with her parents and younger sister.

“She’s a wonderful girl who is probably more like other kids than different,” Jen O’Neill said. “She’s a complete blessing in our life and has taught us and those who know her what it means to be strong, be a survivor and overcome obstacles — and she’s only 3.”