Over the past three years, our community’s resilience has been tested over and over again. We have endured shut down, fear, opening only to be shut down again and so much change.
For Mira Foundation USA, COVID brought its own specific set of obstacles. Mira Foundation USA is currently the only nonprofit in the United States that provides guide dogs to blind American children free of charge and to do so, Mira sends guide dog candidates to attend guide dog school at their sister organization, Foundation Mira in Canada. When COVID hit and the borders were shut down, Mira’s ability to place dogs was temporarily impacted.
Thankfully, as COVID has begun to wane and restrictions have been lifted, Mira is able to place dogs once again. Richard Chatham, director of Mira USA, said, “We are happy to announce that two young blind Americans recently attended our hands-on evaluation in Canada. These children have been patiently waiting 2 years for this opportunity. One qualified to attend our summer camp and the other was accepted to guide dog school and upon graduation, will receive her Mira guide dog. This is life-changing for these young blind Americans.”
Mira USA has been a part of the central North Carolina community since 2009. They have been able to do a significant amount of good by partnering with Foundation Mira in Canada but believe it’s time to build their own school here in North Carolina. Chatham says, “We want to have the freedom and resources to make an impact not only here in our community, but nationwide.”
The administrative offices of Mira Foundation USA are located at 77 Cherokee Rd, Pinehurst. They can be found online at miraUSA.org.
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
