Hermandad President, John Knight and Secretary, Jean Knight have continued to engage with organizations helping Puerto Rican citizens.
On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, Hermandad met in-person and virtually with members of the National Federation of the Blind of Puerto Rico (NFBPR) in Caguas, Puerto Rico. We awarded a grant in the amount of $2,000 presenting a check to Ms. Aleyda Santos, President-NFBPR. A donation of one thousand dollars ($1,000) was allocated to purchase canes, slates, and styluses, essential for the education of blind children in Puerto Rico. A second award of one thousand dollars ($1,000) was given to establish scholarships that will allow four members of the NFPR to attend the national convention in Orlando, Florida July 3-8, 2024.
Past attendees of the national conference have reported this changed their lives. National Federation of the Blind of Puerto representatives noted “This activity provides our members with the tools to develop and achieve the independence that every blind person and community needs and desires to achieve. By participating in the Annual Convention you will learn to visualize that blindness is only a characteristic (not a limitation), internalizing that when you lose your sense of sight you do not lose your vision in life itself.”
Knight said – “This gift serves as a seed to a relationship we hope to grow both in support and understanding of NFPR’s ongoing needs.”
Hermandad’s Mission Statement: “Create awareness of the ongoing needs of Puerto Rican citizens addressing emergency needs and ensuring youth have post secondary opportunities to make Puerto Rico an affordable choice where they can live.”
Their next Maryland fundraiser will be a program of film shorts from Puerto Rico, Spain, and Iran held at Greenbelt Cinema on Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 6:00 p.m.