[nagdu] Fw: [buddy-l] GDB announcement

[Sherri]

Just sharing.
Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Kim Samco 
To: 'buddy-l at yahoogroups.com' 
Sent: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 5:05 PM
Subject: [buddy-l] GDB announcement


  Hi GDB grads and friends - 

For those of you who don't know me personally, I'm the Director of Marketing and Communications at Guide Dogs for the Blind. I'm writing to let you know about some exciting changes that are happening at GDB. 

Think of an ice cream parlor that lets you choose your favorite flavors and toppings. Yum! You get just what you want. Well, GDB is adding to its menu so that you can create the kind of training program that most suits your needs. 

In the coming year, GDB will be offering qualified first-time students the option of taking two or three weeks of training (in addition to the choice of 4-week training). It's a pilot program, and students are already raving about it. 

Who might be interested in this program? Well, first, we thought it would appeal most to people who have a lot of other responsibilities on their plates - with work and family, perhaps young kids at home - people who haven't made the choice of a guide dog simply because they are unable to get away for 28 days. 

We thought it would appeal to active, go-getters who want to do long un-interrupted routes in a wide variety of environments. 

But we were surprised! Because the two and three week options involve more one-on-one time with instructors (2:1 student to instructor ratio for the two week classes and 3:1 ratio for the three week classes) and the classes are smaller, the two and three week options also worked well with people who had physical challenges in addition to their blindness. For example, their day's training could be modified so that they took several short routes in a day and had plenty of time to rest in between. They work on routes that are most relevant to their lifestyles. Talk about personalized training! 

And, as always, if a student needs more assistance after graduation - we're there to provide guidance and expertise right in their home area (sometimes for up to a week) to aid in their transition.

In downtown Portland, we recently conducted a successful class training at a college campus. Four students enjoyed all the amenities of college life while training. 

Stay tuned! We've got more in store with you in mind. There's never been a better time to see what's on our menu. 

Happy Traveling!

Joanne Ritter
Director of Marketing and Communications
Guide Dogs for the Blind
www.guidedogs.com
800 295-4050

__________________________________________________________

Guide Dogs for the Blind
Visit us at www.guidedogs.com, or call 800 295-4050
And if you know someone who is blind, please tell them about Guide Dogs.
Our services are offered free-of-charge!

Now, you can listen to audio interviews with our experts! Tune in to www.guidedogs.com/podcast!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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