About VIPS Louisville
Before 1985, children who were blind/visually impaired in Kentucky & Southern Indiana had no access to early intervention services for their vision-specific needs. That all changed when a group of concerned citizens, lead by Sharon Bensinger, formed the idea to start VIPS. Mrs. Bensinger had no personal connection to anyone who was blind, other than being employed by American Printing House for the Blind Research Department. However, it was in that job that she took countless numbers of phone calls from desperate parents looking for services for their blind child.
With $20,000 in startup grants from WHAS Crusade for Children and Metro United Way, VIPS was born! Mrs. Bensinger was the first employee and began with a caseload of 14 families. Since that time, VIPS has grown into an impactful agency, serving approximately 500 families a year across two states, with office locations in Louisville, Lexington, and Indianapolis. VIPS Louisville operates Kentucky’s only full-time preschool for children with visual impairments, a nationally accredited program and Jefferson County, KY’s first five-star rated child care facility.
Have a Question?
Contact the VIPS Louisville office for more information!
Featured Grantor for VIPS Louisville
Louisville Downtown Lions Club
The Louisville Downtown Lions Club is a major supporter of VIPS-Louisville, having donated nearly $320,000 since the year 2000. These gifts have impacted VIPS families greatly, as they have funded our teachers to provide critical early intervention services. The Louisville Downtown Lions Club has also supported VIPS in the following ways:
• Presenting Sponsor of the Stampede for VIPS 5K
• Give For Good Louisville matching sponsor
• Capital Campaign donor
• Family Retreat
• VIPS mini bus contributor
The Louisville Downtown Lions Club is part of the world’s largest service club organization, which is comprised of 46,000 clubs and 1.4+ million members. Members do whatever is needed to help their local communities, with emphasis on vision issues. The Louisville Downtown Lions Club hosts its bi-monthly meetings at the VIPS office in Louisville.
Wish List
- Paper towels
- Card stock in all colors
- Vinyl or Non-Latex disposable gloves
- Baby wipes
- Batteries (all sizes)
- Velcro
- Dixie cups
- Washable finger paint (especially white)
- Easel paper (12x18)
Why is early intervention so critically important?
DID YOU KNOW?
90% of what a child learns
is through their vision.
85% of the foundation of learning happens the first 5 years of their life.
Your donation directly impacts the life of children who are blind or visually impaired in Kentucky and Indiana.
Recently Posted Articles
Early Intervention and Brain Development: Making the Most of Neural Plasticity
by Melissa Barrick Occupational Therapist and Early Interventionist in Visual Impairment | VIPS Indiana What is the importance of early intervention for babies and toddlers? Why should families and children participate in such intervention? The answer to both these questions has to do with the young brain’s capacity to change, learn, and rewire itself. This…
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Trystan Progresses
He came into our lives with Gods Perfect Timing. But we soon learned our little boy had visual problems and was getting behind in developing. Therapy helped but the gap was getting larger in his development. We moved to Indiana just before he turned two and struggled with getting therapy started again. We were set…
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Help for Santa’s Helpers: The Gift of Christmas Routines
by Paige Maynard Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Developmental Interventionist | VIPS Louisville All young children thrive in the context of routines. Routines are essential for enabling the child to fully participate in activities. However, during the holiday season, the craziness of celebrations can really disrupt those essential routines that help your child to…
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