"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1)

John begins with a word our students understand deeply: see. Sign language is visual, and for our students, love has always been something they watch happen.

This Christmas, your gift shows LOVE four ways.

L is for Light. On December 4, our students go Christmas shopping. They carry wish lists written with their teachers and choose their own gifts. For most, it will be the only gift they receive all year. Then in January, students, alumni, and staff gather for our Deaf Festival, held once every three years.

O is for Outreach. This year our teams reached 68 neighborhood districts carrying survey forms and portable hearing screening equipment. They screened over 5,000 children and identified 24 whose deafness had never been confirmed. Many are enrolled at IDEA today.

V is for Vocational. In a country where 80% of Deaf people are unemployed, our students train in cooking, baking, sewing, carpentry, and hospitality. Many are hired before they graduate.

E is for Equip. About 130 students live on our campuses. Dorm roofs leak and window screens are torn. Your gift keeps the roof dry, the screens whole, and the classrooms cool.

Will you show love this Christmas?

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Examples of what your gift can do...

 

 

• $20 gives a student a Christmas gift, for most the only one they receive all year
• $50 helps a newly found Deaf child walk into school for the very first time
• $150 equips an entire class with sewing skills they can use for work and dignity
• $500 provides career training that prepares a student for work and independence
• $1,000 sends a whole school of students to the January Deaf Festival, a gathering held once every three years
• $2,500 places 15 eleventh graders in baking and cooking internships, where many are hired before they graduate
• $5,000 funds a year of Bible studies our campuses, including training for the Deaf leaders now teaching it. Globally, only about 2% of Deaf people know Jesus.