HKS Receives Grant from LIREG for Low Vision Center Improvements

Helen Keller Services for the Blind (HKSB), a division of Helen Keller Services (HKS), has received a charitable grant of $25,220 from the Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG). According to HKS President and CEO Kim Zimmer, the funds will be used to implement essential improvements at HKSB’s Low Vision Center in Hempstead, New York, located at One Helen Keller Way. Helen Keller Services is one of five local not-for-profits receiving LIREG grants totaling almost $165,000 for 2019.

"This generous grant from LIREG will directly benefit the children, youths, and adults with vision loss who depend on Helen Keller Services for the Blind for quality eye examinations at no cost,” Zimmer stated. “The new upgrades will include lighting, ceiling, flooring, and cabinetry enhancements. Everyone at Helen Keller Services and all those we serve thank LIREG for its generous support and steadfast commitment to the Long Island community.”

One of the oldest, continuously operated not-for-profit rehabilitation agencies in the United States, Helen Keller Services for the Blind offers a wide variety of services, including training in orientation and mobility, assistive technology and daily living skills; low vision eye care; employment/placement services; and programs designed specifically for children and senior citizens. The goal is to enable its clients to live, work and thrive in the communities of their choice.

LIREG is a networking and philanthropic group composed of almost 400 professionals in the real estate industry and allied trades on Long Island. Since its founding in 2004, the organization has contributed more than $1.4 million to numerous real estate-related projects undertaken by charities on Long Island.

"LIREG is pleased to support one of our area's most accomplished providers of services for the blind and visually impaired," said Peter Schapero, Co-chair of the LIREG Charity Committee. Committee Co-chair Andrew Richards added, "Our grant will help create a more modern and comfortable facility for the client base who relies on the Hempstead center for vital services."

About Helen Keller Services

Helen Keller Services’ mission is to enable individuals who are blind, visually-impaired, deaf-blind and/or have combined hearing-vision loss to live, work and thrive in their community of choice. HKS offers services and programs through two divisions: Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind. For more information, please visit www.helenkeller.org.