Claire Fahy
Editor-in-Chief
The rain held off for two hours this afternoon, just long enough for the first San Francisco Eye-to-Eye Street Team to “Strike out Stigma,” and educate the public about learning differences.
CSH alumnae handed out flyers and pamphlets with information on Eye-to-Eye, a non-profit organization sponsoring mentoring programs for middle-school children with learning disabilities, as well as inviting passers-by to embrace their own learning disabilities by taking pictures holding signs saying “Meet a proud dyslexic” and “People with ADHD are lazy determined,” referring to the misconception that people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are not hard-working.
“Since our group has already been working with Eye-to-Eye for so long, we all know the importance of spreading the word,” Hallie Young (’09), who was coordinator of the Eye-to-Eye chapter during her time at CSH, said. “We are all very aware of what we are trying to accomplish. We not only try to raise awareness about Eye-to-Eye, but also about improving the life of everyone with learning disabilities. We face challenges and adversity of course, but without that, we’d have no purpose out there.”
Erin Minuth (’11) and Stuart Hall alumni Patrick Rosanelli (’11) also volunteered at the Street Team event, which was the first step on a project the coordinators plan to carry out this July. Emma Fahy (’09), Bishop O’Dowd alum Katie Seelig (’09) and Young are spearheading the Strike Out Stigma National Tour scheduled for July 20-July 31.
This tour is scheduled to visit nine cities over the course of 12 days, holding street team rallies, speaking engagements and bowling parties in an effort to shed light on the many misconceptions and preconceived prejudices that plague the learning difference community while also offering support to those struggling with LDs.
“Today was really important for us not only to figure out how we worked together but also for us to see how the public would react,” Young, who now runs a chapter at UC Santa Cruz, said. “We handled ourselves well and I’m excited for the national tour. I’m glad we have such a great group of people, who are mostly from the Sacred Heart community, who are determined to make this tour a success.”
