A few years ago, Becky Fraire of Madison, diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, received her first white cane from the Council. She found that the cane took time to master, but when she finally did get the hang of it, “a switch flipped and the cane felt more like wings than a cane!” she says.
To most sighted people, a white cane has a simple meaning: The person holding the cane is blind. But for the user, the meaning is more complex and personal. The cane, for many users, represents—and enables—independence.
In 2021, the Council provided free white canes to 438 people living with vision loss in 42 counties across Wisconsin. Every one of these canes was made possible by a donation to the Council.
Our White Cane Fund appeal was established even before the Council was formally founded in 1952. It continues to be our most important yearly fundraiser. As we celebrate our 70th year serving people with vision loss, we are proud of the difference financial gifts to the fund have made possible in the lives of people receiving the white canes. Your gift to the White Cane Fund will help support someone’s independence and dignity, empowering them to grow wings and take flight.
A monthly gift of $42, or $500 a year, buys canes for 14 people and qualifies you to be a Council Friend. As a Council Friend, you serve as the pillar of support for the education, advocacy and vision services the Council provides.
Your monthly gift of $20 funds low vision evaluations for three people who may not have the resources to pay on their own.
As always, we appreciate gifts of any size. You can give online at WCBlind.org/donate. Thank you!
