Brad Waghorn is the Regional Manager for the CNIB. The region includes everything from 70 Mile House to the Yukon border and from the Queen Charlotte Islands to Valemount. Brad was born and raised in Port Hope, Ontario, but has lived in Prince George since 2002. Brad and his wife Cheryl have four children: twin daughters Crystal and Chantelle, and two sons Bradley and Zachary.
Brad has a hereditary disease called optic nerve atrophy, which resulted in the loss of his vision. This inspired him to re-train to become a rehabilitation teacher as he feels helping others with vision loss is very rewarding. Brad also gives safety demonstrations to BC Hydro, forest companies and other interested organizations.
The local CNIB office is located downtown at 490 Quebec Street. Services available to the public include white cane travel skills, low vision services, counseling and training to help manage the essentials of daily living.
Ultimately, the CNIB helps people cope with their vision loss and gives them the skills to maintain their independence. The organization is especially focused on helping aging citizens.
Brad is coordinating a fundraising luncheon with keynote speaker Ryan Walter (former NHL Player) at the Treasure Cove Casino Show Lounge on March 23. Tickets are $50 with proceeds supporting rehabilitation for people living with vision loss. Tickets can be purchased by contacting (250)563-1702.
The 6th Annual Drive Thru Breakfast with United Way at Costco is on June 7th; last year’s effort helped raise approximately $8000. There will be eye safety demonstrations on-site.
CNIB will also host a rehabilitation course from June 4th to 8th at their rehabilitation centre in Prince George (490 Quebec St.). This consists of 35 hours in training for clients including adjustment to vision loss, cooking, labelling, computer training and low vision assessments.
The 21st annual fishing derby, for all CNIB clients, is June 3rd at Tabor Lake. Boats and fishing expertise are provided by the Polar Coachman Fly Fishing Club.
More information is available about each of these projects by calling the office at 250.563.1702, or visiting the CNIB’s web site
www.cnib.ca.
