Summer 2004 Appeal

As I write, it doesn’t seem possible that we can already be halfway through this, BibleLands’ 150th Anniversary Year!

In this year of celebration we have so much to give thanks for, not least BibleLands’ very own flagship, the Helen Keller Centre for the Visually Impaired on the ‘front-line’ in Jerusalem.

BibleLands had been involved in the Centre’s work, founded by Mary Lovell in the 1890s, before the then Chief Executive, Bob Clothier (right), sought to develop vocational training with the disabled in the Middle East in the 1950s. After moving from building to building for ten years, the foundation stone of the present Centre, on the main road from Jerusalem to Ramallah, was laid in 1964.

Over these last 50 years, BibleLands has become completely responsible for funding, supporting and defining the work and development of the Helen Keller Centre into the recognised centre of excellence in the fields of education, care and support of the blind and extremely visually impaired children, that it is today. The valuable work, with some of the most vulnerable children in Jerusalem and the West Bank, now carried out at the Helen Keller Centre, requires funding of more than £300,000 a year from BibleLands.

As BibleLands celebrates its 150th Anniversary and the Helen Keller Centre, its 50th, we want to mark this double celebration in a special way, with a new vision, new initiatives and a new hope.

Firstly, we felt it right to invite the four existing Jerusalem Board members to become the Centre’s first Jerusalem governors, taking a greater local responsibility for the practical issues that surround the Centre, to be an on-the-spot support group for its Director, Suad Younan, and her staff during these difficult times, and to set a local vision for the Centre, its operation and future development. They will shortly be joined by three additional local governors, while one of our UK Trustees and I will serve as ex-officio governors, representing BibleLands UK.

As a tangible and practical demonstration of our support and commitment, we feel that the best way that we can celebrate this exciting new development and all that the Helen Keller Centre has done and will do in the years to come, is to launch the BibleLands’ Helen Keller Centre 50th Anniversary Fund.

This new fund will support and resource Suad and the Jerusalem governors, as they develop the vision for the Centre and manage its implementation in the years ahead, perhaps even for the next 50 years! It will enable:

a further development of elementary education congruent with the national curriculum
the encouragment of an inclusive approach to all, regardless of disability, status or creed
the inculcation of positive personal and community values among the children
the children to be equipped with the special educational tools that they need to enable them to integrate into mainstream education
the provision of ongoing advice and support, training in adaptive daily-living skills, orientation and mobility, and related special technical skills
the Centre to provide peripatetic support services to individuals, secondary schools, institutions and organizations, both in support of the children as they leave the Centre and to others who take responsibility for the future development of the children.

The achievement of these goals will help the children to lead fulfilled lives, as well as being a real witness to their worth as equal and valuable individuals.

The first and most immediate practical need is for the refurbishment of the 40-year-old building to provide up to date, safe and comprehensive facilities for the 80 children, including 20 boarders, now living in or using the Centre on a daily basis. Over the next two years, we will have to find around an extra £100,000 to carry out vital major repairs and upgrading of the building.

Secondly, we need to buy new, state-of-the-art equipment and teaching materials for the children to give them the best possible chance that they can have to not only overcome their disability, but to become full members of their communities.

Pages one and two of the PDF leaflet will give you some idea of the pioneering work that has been taking place at the Helen Keller Centre over the last 50 years, as well as enabling you to share in their wonderful Jubilee celebrations of just a few weeks ago, when the work of staff, past and present, and more importantly the achievements of the children themselves, was honoured.

As BibleLands looks forward to another 150 years of bringing Healing and Hope to this troubled region, the Helen Keller Centre is looking forward to entering another 50 years of its vital work among the visually impaired.

At this significant moment in the life of the Centre, could I ask you to make a priceless investment in the future of these children by returning the slip included on the PDF file (right) with your donation? We and they would be immensely grateful.

Summer 2004 Appeal

A message from Nigel Edward-Few, Director. 2004 – A year of double celebration! As I write, it doesn’t seem possible that we can already be halfway through this, BibleLands’ 150th Anniversary Year! In this year of celebration we have so much to give thanks for, not least BibleLands’ very own flagship, the Helen Keller Centre for the Visually Impaired on the ‘front-line’ in Jerusalem. BibleLands had been involved in the Centre’s work, founded by Mary Lovell in the 1890s, before the then Chief Executive, Bob Clothier (right), sought to develop vocational training with the disabled in the Middle East in the 1950s. After moving from building to building for ten years, the foundation stone of the present Centre, on the main road from Jerusalem to Ramallah, was laid in 1964. Over these last 50 years, BibleLands has become completely responsible for funding, supporting and defining the work and development of the Helen Keller Centre into the recognised centre of excellence in the fields of education, care and support of the blind and extremely visually impaired children, that it is today. The valuable work, with some of the most vulnerable children in Jerusalem and the West Bank, now carried out at the Helen Keller Centre, requires funding of more than £300,000 a year from BibleLands. As BibleLands celebrates its 150th Anniversary and the Helen Keller Centre, its 50th, we want to mark this double celebration in a special way, with a new vision, new initiatives and a new hope. Firstly, we felt it right to invite the four existing Jerusalem Board members to become the Centre’s first Jerusalem governors, taking a greater local responsibility for the practical issues that surround the Centre, to be an on-the-spot support group for its Director, Suad Younan, and her staff during these difficult times, and to set a local vision for the Centre, its operation and future development. They will shortly be joined by three additional local governors, while one of our UK Trustees and I will serve as ex-officio governors, representing BibleLands UK. As a tangible and practical demonstration of our support and commitment, we feel that the best way that we can celebrate this exciting new development and all that the Helen Keller Centre has done and will do in the years to come, is to launch the BibleLands’ Helen Keller Centre 50th Anniversary Fund. This new fund will support and resource Suad and the Jerusalem governors, as they develop the vision for the Centre and manage its implementation in the years ahead, perhaps even for the next 50 years! It will enable: a further development of elementary education congruent with the national curriculum the encouragment of an inclusive approach to all, regardless of disability, status or creed the inculcation of positive personal and community values among the children the children to be equipped with the special educational tools that they need to enable them to integrate into mainstream education the provision of ongoing advice and support, training in adaptive daily-living skills, orientation and mobility, and related special technical skills the Centre to provide peripatetic support services to individuals, secondary schools, institutions and organizations, both in support of the children as they leave the Centre and to others who take responsibility for the future development of the children. The achievement of these goals will help the children to lead fulfilled lives, as well as being a real witness to their worth as equal and valuable individuals. The first and most immediate practical need is for the refurbishment of the 40-year-old building to provide up to date, safe and comprehensive facilities for the 80 children, including 20 boarders, now living in or using the Centre on a daily basis. Over the next two years, we will have to find around an extra £100,000 to carry out vital major repairs and upgrading of the building. Secondly, we need to buy new, state-of-the-art equipment and teaching materials for the children to give them the best possible chance that they can have to not only overcome their disability, but to become full members of their communities. Pages one and two of the PDF leaflet will give you some idea of the pioneering work that has been taking place at the Helen Keller Centre over the last 50 years, as well as enabling you to share in their wonderful Jubilee celebrations of just a few weeks ago, when the work of staff, past and present, and more importantly the achievements of the children themselves, was honoured. As BibleLands looks forward to another 150 years of bringing Healing and Hope to this troubled region, the Helen Keller Centre is looking forward to entering another 50 years of its vital work among the visually impaired. At this significant moment in the life of the Centre, could I ask you to make a priceless investment in the future of these children by returning the slip included on the PDF file (right) with your donation? We and they would be immensely grateful. As ever in Christ
		Bob Clothier, to the right of the group. 1964.

		Page 1 Click image to to view [93KB]

		Page 2 Click image to to view [113KB]


Nigel Edward-Few Director