[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               125TH ANNIVERSARY OF HELEN KELLER SERVICES

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate Helen Keller 
Services, HKS, on its 125th anniversary, which will be celebrated at 
its gala at the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn, NY, on September 13, 
2018.
  Since 1893, the Helen Keller Services has been committed to improving 
the lives of individuals who are blind, visually impaired, or have 
combined hearing and vision loss. The talented and dedicated staff at 
the Helen Keller Services has made over 60,000 visits to the homes and 
communities of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. Over 
900,000 children ages 3-5 have received preschool vision screenings to 
ensure they are equipped for success in the classroom. The organization 
has placed over 14,000 individuals in jobs with the help of their 
programs. The totality of their impact over the past 125 years is hard 
to overstate.
  This fall the organization will move its headquarters to a new 
44,000-square-foot facility located at 180 Livingston Street in 
Brooklyn. This modern structure will house new classrooms and training 
rooms, a specialized gym for prekindergarten students, new offices and 
workstations, a Low Vision Center, and a new technology training space. 
This will aide HKS in serving the blind and visually impaired community 
for decades to come.
  While the scope of its services has changed and expanded 
substantially over the past century and a quarter, allowing HKS to 
touch the lives of countless blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind 
men women and children, what has not changed is its steadfast 
commitment to Brooklyn, the surrounding communities, and the entire New 
York region. I congratulate the Helen Keller Services on achieving this 
milestone and thank them for their outstanding service to New York.

                          ____________________