Lions Club presents check for VisioBook purchase

Photo by Randy Moll Lonnie Moll, president of the Gentry Lions Club, presents a check for $1,500 from the Lions Club to the Gentry School District. Receiving the check is Myra Welch, special education secretary for the district, and Angie Dennis, special education director. The check was to pay for half the cost of a VisioBook to assist a vision-impaired student at the intermediate school.
Photo by Randy Moll Lonnie Moll, president of the Gentry Lions Club, presents a check for $1,500 from the Lions Club to the Gentry School District. Receiving the check is Myra Welch, special education secretary for the district, and Angie Dennis, special education director. The check was to pay for half the cost of a VisioBook to assist a vision-impaired student at the intermediate school.

GENTRY -- The Gentry Lions Club presented a check to the Gentry School District to pay half the cost of a VisioBook purchased to assist Owen Whitaker, an Intermediate School student who is vision impaired and was in need of the device to carry on his education.

The VisioBook, which folds up to the size of a laptop computer, can be taken from class to class by Owen, enabling him to zoom in on items across the room or enlarge words and images from his textbooks when they are placed below the screen.

Due to a premature birth, Owen had detached retinas and required surgery to give him limited vision. The device, which costs approximately $3,000, enables Owen to read and follow along in his classes at school.

The device is being purchased for Owen jointly by the Gentry Lions Club and the Gentry School District.

The club is currently raising funds to pay for the sight-giving technology.

For more information on the project, contact the Gentry Intermediate School or the Gentry Lions Club.

Community on 01/22/2014