Basic Needs/Social Services
Growing up in the picturesque community of Berlin, New Hampshire, Louis Thibeault thrived in an environment of close family, caring friends, and strong community. His childhood was fueled by the rolling hills, winding rivers, and cool clean air of the White Mountains. It was a beautiful and friendly place, but as a child growing up in New England, Louis knew that the ice on the pond wasn't always as sturdy as it seemed, a destructive storm could linger behind the billowing clouds of a perfect summer day - that more often than not, the most menacing of troubles are those left unseen.
Louis graduated from Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., and relocated to Torrington, where he lived and worked for 45 years. Over the course of his career, and as he raised his family in Torrington and Goshen, Louis worked for The Torin Corp., First Federal Savings and Loan, and for 12 years, as the general manager of the Torrington Country Club.
"My life was certainly not dramatic in any way, but I had the opportunity to work with some great people in the Torrington community," Louis said. "It was a great place to work, live and bring up my family."
"This is not a huge fund, but if it helps a child, or two, or three, it is well worth it."
After 45 years, Louis wanted to give something back to the community. "There are wonderful things in Torrington," he said, "family events, movies, things that children enjoy. It is a wonderful place to live. "But in some homes, there are children whose needs are not always met because of neglect, because their parents don't know what's wrong, or because their parents can't afford to help them."
It's something that Louis understood at a young age, witnessing the frustration that his close friend experienced growing up with an unrecognized learning disability. Louis describes his friend as extremely intelligent, but a little different than the other children in grammar school.
"He was very creative," said Louis. "He picked up on things quicker than other people, but he struggled in school and eventually lost interest. In some ways, his opportunities were limited because nobody knew he was Dyslexic. "Many children have great potential and are hindered because they have a hidden deficiency," he said. "They get so far behind that they give up."
Louis chose to reach out to the children of the Northwest Corner by establishing the Louis O. Thibeault Fund for the Advancement of Children's Education. Established in May of 2009, the Fund supports the education of economically disadvantaged children facing unseen obstacles by helping provide health examinations, and when needed, eye-glasses, medical prescriptions as well as human services needs that must be met, so children can focus on education.
"I wanted to do something for the community," said Louis.
Although the Fund has supported several children in the community with different challenges, Louis feels very strongly that every child should be screened for vision problems and that every child who needs glasses should have them.
"An eyeglass need is probably one of the more insidious infirmities that a child can have," says Louis. "It's more difficult to recognize than broken teeth or walking disabilities. "If a child doesn't know that he has astigmatism or myopia or some other vision deficiency, he doesn't know what he's supposed to be seeing. He just knows that school is harder for him than it is for his peers.
"This is not a huge fund," said Louis. "But if it helps a child, or two, or three, it is well worth it."
In May, early childcare providers from Education Connection, Healthy Families, Family Strides, Children First, and The Maria Seymour Brooker Memorial attended training in the use of the Pedia Vision SPOT Vision Screener. The Spot Screener and training in its use were made possible by a grant from the Louis O. Thibeault Fund for the Advancement of Children's Education. Beginning in the Fall of 2014, students attending preschool and early childhood development programs throughout Torrington and Winsted will receive Pedia Vision SPOT Vision Screener eye screenings.
"This is an opportunity to help a great number of children in a preventative and proactive way, to discover abnormalities in kids that can be corrected," says Louis Thibeault, who established the Louis O. Thibeault Fund for the Advancement of Children's Education in 2009 to help children experiencing academic difficulties because of unknown or untreated medical conditions. The SPOT is a handheld, non-invasive vision screener that enables early education providers to bring vision screenings to children. The Spot can quickly detect near-sightedness, far-sightedness, unequal refractive power, blurred vision, eye structure problems, pupil-size deviations, and eye misalignment. When deficiencies are detected, screeners provide a printed report that parents can take to a physician for a follow-up screening and appropriate treatment.
"Early intervention is critically important," said Douglas Zybrands, who provided SPOT training at Education Connection in Litchfield, CT. "Without funding from sources like the Louis O. Thibeault Fund for the Advancement of Children's Education at the Community Foundation of Northwest CT, many of these children would likely go without early vision screenings."
Growing up in the picturesque community of Berlin, New Hampshire, Louis Thibeault thrived in an environment of close family, caring friends, and strong community. His childhood was fueled by the rolling hills, winding rivers, and cool clean air of the White Mountains. It was a beautiful and friendly place, but as a child growing up in New England, Louis knew that the ice on the pond wasn't always as sturdy as it seemed, a destructive storm could linger behind the billowing clouds of a perfect summer day - that more often than not, the most menacing of troubles are those left unseen.
"Many children have great potential and are hindered because they have a hidden deficiency," he said. "They get so far behind that they give up."
Louis graduated from Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass. and relocated to Torrington, where he lived and worked for 45 years. Over the course of his career, and as he raised his family in Torrington and Goshen, Louis worked for The Torin Corp., First Federal Savings and Loan, and for 12 years, as the general manager of the Torrington Country Club.
"My life was certainly not dramatic in any way, but I had the opportunity to work with some great people in the Torrington community," Louis said. "It was a great place to work, live and bring up my family."
After 45 years, Louis wanted to give something back to the community.
It's something that Louis understood at a young age, witnessing the frustration that his close friend experienced growing up with an unrecognized learning disability.
"I wanted to do something for the community," said Louis.
Although the Fund has supported several children in the community with different challenges, Louis feels very strongly that every child should be screened for vision problems and that every child who needs glasses should have them.
"An eyeglass need is probably one of the more insidious infirmities that a child can have," says Louis. "It's more difficult to recognize than broken teeth or walking disabilities.
"If a child doesn't know that he has a stigmatism or myopia or some other vision deficiency, he doesn't know what he's supposed to be seeing. He just knows that school is harder for him than it is for his peers.
"This is not a huge fund," said Louis. "But if it helps a child, or two, or three, it is well worth it."
