My name is Blake, and I am totally blind. I have been married for 19 years and feel fortunate to enjoy several excellent careers over the years. I have also been blessed to blaze a trail for others who are blind or visually impaired to work hard and live their lives to the fullest. Three years ago, I received a call from the founder of To Be Like M. Hollis shard her vision which was another wonderful opportunity to educate public school students with sight about my day-to-day life as an adult with total blindness. it has been an incredible experience to enlighten students from 4th-8th grade who listen well and ask excellent questions. To Be Like Me represents people with a variety of disabilities. We focus on our solutions on accomplishing tasks in unique ways. People realize we get to live a full and good life.
To Be Like Me is a fantastic organization providing a very unique and much needed service to the community. Teaching kids empathy, compassion, and kindness from an early age has the potential to change the future of a community/city/country. I've been volunteering with them for a few years and I can't see myself not doing it in the future. If you are looking for a non-profit that delivers what it promises, this is the one.
I love working with To Be Like Me. I love to share my experiences to the younger generations. To Be Like me gives me the opportunity to dust off my teaching skills and to give back to my community. By teaching elementary school age children about my disability and spreading the awareness of To Be Like Me and being different can be a great thing in this society. Every time I go into a session teaching them I come out with a different prospective on life . My heart is full every time I am with To Be Like Me. I love this organization.
Working at TBLM has been life changing for me! It's amazing knowing that we are impacting the lives of future law makes, teachers, doctors, etc. & now they have had exposure to people with disabilities. TBLM does an incredible job of keeping the kids engaged & learning in a way that is beneficial to them. They get to meet real people with a variety of disabilities, ask questions that they might not get out in the open world, & connect with the leaders on a new level. Once you find that you have something in common with someone, you remember them, & I think all the kids that go through TBLM are going to remember what they experienced & it'll help them in the real world to be a kinder & more understanding of those with differences. Even if I'd only impacted one kid, it'll have been worth it!
Working for To Be Like me has changed my life. I’ve made some great friends with the leaders. This organization does a great job with educating adults and students about people with disabilities. To Be Like Me has helped us to realize that we are making a difference in the world
I love working for To Be Like Me! I've gotten to meet many great people through it, and I really appreciate how much the staff are willing to listen to/make accommodations for their workers :)
I became a LEADer with To Be Like Me last February! My friend and co-LEADer, Hannah, recommended that To Be Like Me add me on as a LEADer so i spoke with Hollis and Toya, tried out a couple zoom classes as a LEADer, jumped right in with both feet, and have never looked back! I adore the leadership of this organization as well as the community that is my fellow LEADers. We are all experts in our own rights about the topics we teach on and are truly respected as such. The respect among everyone for one another and the knowledge each other hold is beautiful and I will always love the camaraderie and being a part of the TBLM family.
To Be Like Me empowers persons with disabilities while teaching empathy to the next generation, what a win/win! I connected with Hollis when she was dreaming of To Be Like Me while running a similar program. We have used To Be Like Me in our disability ministry to train our volunteers and it makes a great impact and is so fun! I am constantly impressed by all this program accomplishes each time they run a program. The excitement and comfort level of the students as they leave the experience coupled with the joy and satisfaction of the Leaders is wonderful to watch. Come and check it out on a Community Day!
I first connected with To Be Like Me through the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas Social Innovation Accelerator. They are doing such impactful and necessary work to empower people with disabilities and to help build a kinder and more inclusive community. Their field trips allow students in North Texas to learn about different disabilities from people who have those disabilities, showing that we can make deep and meaningful connections across lines of difference.