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Dollar for Dollar Matched at Deaf School Gala - Redwood City, CA Patch
One of the Bay Area's premier school for deaf and hearing impaired children, located in Redwood City, is asking local residents for help raising money in order to continue educating its students.
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf will be hosting its annual dinner Nov. 5th at the Santa Clara Marriott. The school is looking to the generosity of local businesses and residents willing to donate items that can be bid on at the silent auction that will be held the night of the gala.
All of the proceeds raised at the event, through donations or the purchase of sponsorships and tickets, will go directly to educating students at the non-profit school. And each dollar raised will be matched, up to $350,000, by a private organization.
The school, which has been operation for 35 years, relies solely on outside money to provide services to its approximately 60 students that are currently enrolled, said Tracy Scanlyn, the school's director of development.
Scanlyn said the school, which serves children from newborns to children five years old, offers treatment and an education curriculum that prepares students for entering mainstream schools.
Local resident Luann Aki credits the education her daughter Mia received at the school for giving the six-year-old the ability and confidence to succeed, despite her being born deaf.
Aki and her family relocated to the Bay Area from Southern California in order for Mia to attend the school. And prior to enrolling Mia, Aki said she questioned whether he daughter would ever be able to speak and communicate.
But in initial conversation with the educators it became clear to Aki that there was hope for her daughter to live a productive and fulfilled life based on the lessons and training she would learn at the school, she said.
And after attending the school for a few years, what once seemed like a dream for Mia became a reality, said Aki.
Today, Mia attends Cipriani Elementary in Belmont, where she is enrolled as a second grader in the general population and taking mainstream classes with her friends.
"She is now able to be her full self, thanks to what she learned here," said Aki.
This kind of gain in confidence may occur frequently among deaf students who learn at the school how to communicate with the rest of the world.
Gul Mushtaq, of Fremont, said her five-year-old son Sunnan is now comfortable being proactive in sharing with others the difficulties related to his deafness. Whereas before he began attending the school he did not know how to, or was not willing to, have those kinds of conversations.
And those types of success stories are common at the school, said Scanlyn.
In the more than three decades the schools has been educating students, its alumni have gone on to work for hi-tech companies and NASA.
But the general goal for each student is to be prepared enough to take mainstream classes at a mainstream school, said Scanlyn.
And though the education at the school is tailored to the special needs of students, not everyone who attends is deaf or hearing impaired.
Becky Highlander brings both of her hearing children from Sunnyvale to attend the school in Redwood City, based on the strength of the education and curriculum provided.
She said that the individual attention her children can receive from teachers, thanks to the small class size, is unique and lends itself to a unique kind of education they may not get elsewhere.
Highlander also said she appreciates that her children socialize with other students they may not have been in contact with if they did not attend the school in Redwood City.
"This is a very unique and special place," said Highland.
One of the Bay Area's premier school for deaf and hearing impaired children, located in Redwood City, is asking local residents for help raising money in order to continue educating its students.
Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf will be hosting its annual dinner Nov. 5th at the Santa Clara Marriott. The school is looking to the generosity of local businesses and residents willing to donate items that can be bid on at the silent auction that will be held the night of the gala.
All of the proceeds raised at the event, through donations or the purchase of sponsorships and tickets, will go directly to educating students at the non-profit school. And each dollar raised will be matched, up to $350,000, by a private organization.
The school, which has been operation for 35 years, relies solely on outside money to provide services to its approximately 60 students that are currently enrolled, said Tracy Scanlyn, the school's director of development.
Scanlyn said the school, which serves children from newborns to children five years old, offers treatment and an education curriculum that prepares students for entering mainstream schools.
Local resident Luann Aki credits the education her daughter Mia received at the school for giving the six-year-old the ability and confidence to succeed, despite her being born deaf.
Aki and her family relocated to the Bay Area from Southern California in order for Mia to attend the school. And prior to enrolling Mia, Aki said she questioned whether he daughter would ever be able to speak and communicate.
But in initial conversation with the educators it became clear to Aki that there was hope for her daughter to live a productive and fulfilled life based on the lessons and training she would learn at the school, she said.
And after attending the school for a few years, what once seemed like a dream for Mia became a reality, said Aki.
Today, Mia attends Cipriani Elementary in Belmont, where she is enrolled as a second grader in the general population and taking mainstream classes with her friends.
"She is now able to be her full self, thanks to what she learned here," said Aki.
This kind of gain in confidence may occur frequently among deaf students who learn at the school how to communicate with the rest of the world.
Gul Mushtaq, of Fremont, said her five-year-old son Sunnan is now comfortable being proactive in sharing with others the difficulties related to his deafness. Whereas before he began attending the school he did not know how to, or was not willing to, have those kinds of conversations.
And those types of success stories are common at the school, said Scanlyn.
In the more than three decades the schools has been educating students, its alumni have gone on to work for hi-tech companies and NASA.
But the general goal for each student is to be prepared enough to take mainstream classes at a mainstream school, said Scanlyn.
And though the education at the school is tailored to the special needs of students, not everyone who attends is deaf or hearing impaired.
Becky Highlander brings both of her hearing children from Sunnyvale to attend the school in Redwood City, based on the strength of the education and curriculum provided.
She said that the individual attention her children can receive from teachers, thanks to the small class size, is unique and lends itself to a unique kind of education they may not get elsewhere.
Highlander also said she appreciates that her children socialize with other students they may not have been in contact with if they did not attend the school in Redwood City.
"This is a very unique and special place," said Highland.