Members of the community gathered to donate to the Oakley Giraud foundation on Saturday and enjoy bowling at Helper’s Gateway Lanes at the Bowling for the Blind event. All donations from the event will go toward research for a cure of achromatopsia, a non-progressive and hereditary visual disorder.
Children with this disease cannot enjoy brightly colored toys, paints, puzzles and pictures, so common in a child’s life. Yet, Oakley Giraud seems to be living a normal life “minus the occasional bump into a table, but we try to keep those to a minimum” said an aunt at last week’s fundraiser. Oakley’s mom Alysa said that though she can’t see as well as some other children, Oakley has a large and growing vocabulary. Oakley will turn two in June.
Last year, fundraisers hosted by the Giraud family collected about $10,000. Giraud hopes that fundraisers like the Bowling for the Blind event will not only raise money for researching a cure, but also raising awareness about achromatopsia. For more information about the Oakley Giraud Foundation, visit their Facebook page entitled “Oakley’s Odyssey.”
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- Alysa Oakley and Jeremy Giraud