Fundraising Event for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Blind Children

On
Sunday, March 30, 2014 from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m., the Academy of Music for the
Blind (AMB) will hold its 10th anniversary celebration and fundraiser at Cafe
Mundial, 514 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia. There will be a dinner featuring a
gourmet menu, special performances by the Academy's talented students, silent
and live auctions, and door raffles to raise money for the operations of the
Academy.

The
Academy of Music for the Blind, a non-profit organization, is a groundbreaking
institute of education for gifted blind students providing educational
strategies to help them keep up with their sighted peers. Students learn by
using adaptive technology for their iPads, iPhones and laptops to fully

function alongside their sighted peers. In the area of music, they are able to

receive "ear training" on piano, guitar, woodwind, percussion and

horns, among other instruments. The Academy works individually with each

student to accommodate any limitations they may have to best utilize this

training. AMB was founded in 2004 by David and Gayle Pinto, who have dedicated
their lives to providing education to blind students.

Trevor
Fessenden, the father of a student, states: "My wife and I became aware of
AMB in 2006 after seeing Leslie Stahl of CBS' "60 Minutes" documenting
AMB and its unique programming. At that point, we knew that we had to enroll
our 5-year old son Mason. Over the past eight years, he's become quite a
pianist and has learned to type, dance, sing, and creatively engage with other
students."

He
adds, "Many of these students are musical savants. While they may require

assistance with their daily functions, when placed in a musical environment,

they are able to flourish and develop new skills that help them better adapt to

living in a world made for sighted people. We are grateful to AMB for helping

our son progress beyond what we thought was humanly possible, given the

physical limitations he was born with."

The
Academy of Music for the Blind offers classes to students, ages four to

eighteen years old, on weekdays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at its Monrovia campus. On Saturdays, there are additional classes held at the Junior Blind of America in
Los Angeles from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Seating
for the 10th anniversary celebration is limited to 100 guests but general
donations are gladly accepted for AMB's educational programs. Funds raised
provide scholarships for students who need these services but are unable to
afford them. 

For
information about the Academy of Music for the Blind's 10th Anniversary celebration,
please call Martha Fessenden at (626) 533-8468 or visit: http://ouramb.org/amb2.