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The Race for Independence is quite simply the expression of our desire to speed toward our goal of achieving first-class citizenship status in society at an ever-increasing pace. It is the anchor of the National Federation of the Blind’s Imagination Fund, the annual campaign to raise proceeds for NFB programs at the national, state, and local levels.
Background
The Imagination Fund is the fundraising arm of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, which opened for business on January 30, 2004. The only facility of its type in the world, the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute leads the way in developing and implementing innovative programs of education, technology, and training for the blind.
From the very beginning, the work of the Institute has been made possible by the efforts of blind and sighted men and women in communities across the nation. As supporters of the Imagination Fund (or “Imaginators”), these men and women have made annual commitments to spread the word about the work of the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute and to secure funding for its programs and initiatives.
Since 2004, 50 percent of proceeds raised for the National Federation of the Blind's Imagination Fund are used for programs at the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, and 50 percent are distributed among the fifty-two affiliates of the National Federation of the Blind to support local and state outreach efforts benefiting blind children, teens, youth, college students, adults, and seniors losing their vision.
At the 2007 convention in Atlanta, Georgia, the National Federation of the Blind conducted its first ever March for Independence--A Walk for Opportunity, a 5K walk-a-thon fundraising event and celebration demonstrating the independent spirit of the nation's organized blind movement and its supporters.
The 2007 March was so successful that it was repeated at the 2008 convention in Dallas, Texas, and again at the Convention in Detroit, Michigan, in 2009, netting a three-year total of well over $1.3 million for the Imagination Fund.
Since its inception, the Imagination Fund has distributed over $1 million to the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute and $1 million to NFB state and local programs. Our Imaginators are working hard to build upon this success in 2010.
Over a thousand marchers gathered in front of the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas, on July 2, 2008, for the second annual March for Independence--A Walk for Opportunity.
Watch the National Federation of the Blind 2008 March for Independence rally with our Braille Resolution and the unveiling of the Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar.
The Imagination Fund has proven to be a sterling example of grassroots organization and commitment since 2004. But now the time has come to pick up the pace.
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