Local children's advocate leads Atlanta parade
SPECIAL TO FLORIDA WEEKLY news@florida-weekly.com

COURTESY PHOTO With a sunrise handshake, Democratic Congressman John Lewis of Atlanta and Lee County blind children's advocate Gail Ghigna-Hallas, president of the Braille Institute of Florida, set out leading 1,000 blind marchers in downtown Atlanta recently to support independence and literacy for blind children.

Lee County's Braille Institute helped lead the recent March for Independence for the National Federation of the Blind in Atlanta, Ga. Gail Ghigna-Hallas, RN, PhD, president and founder of the Braille Institute of Florida, was appointed crowd marshal, and advocated for blind children during the blind's annual convention march

The Braille Institute, a United Way agency, is currently raising funds to purchase a motor coach to become the only mobile unit in history to give eye exams to children and teach Braille. The unit, called Good Bumps On a Roll, will also contain the first ever mobile Braille library and museum, as well as a classroom to teach Braille literacy and guitar lessons for blind children. The group's theme song is "On a Roll, Again" to help promote public awareness for blindness prevention.

To donate to the Good Bumps On a Roll visit their Web site www.WinningKidsClub. org . For more information, call 671-0579, 671-0976, or 671-0946. Email WinningKids- Club@aol.com or BrailleFlorida@aol.com

The Braille Institute of Florida, division of the Winning Kids Club, is a Lee County United Way agency. The nonprofit organization offers children of all abilities and backgrounds, instruction in beginning guitar, song writing, music, art, creative writing, roller skating, as well as Braille literacy and guitar lessons for blind and visually impaired children and Braille for sighted slow readers to increase reading and other academic scores. The Winning Kids Club is dedicated to encouraging children with autism, ADHD, blindness and other learning disabilities to express their talent and giftedness through music, art, writing, health and fitness.