Freistatt Lions support local Braille book program

The Freistatt Lions donated $750 recently to the Braille Center book making operation run by volunteers through St. John's Lutheran Church in Monett. Lions President Ronnie Dunn, at left, and Treasurer Kevin Cloud, at right, presented the check. Accepting, at center from left, were Braille Center volunteers Joe Penington, Robert Brandt and Dan Haines. Proceeds for the donation were raised at the Freistatt Lions' annual Ernte Fest. [Times Photo by Murray Bishoff] [Click to enlarge]

The Braille Work Center has received a $750 donation from the Freistatt Lions Club. A Lutheran Church undertaking based at St. John's Lutheran in Monett, the Braille Center produces materials shipped internationally. Robert Brandt, who accepted the Lions' donation, explained the operation at a recent Freistatt Lions meeting.

The Braille Work Center opened in 1997. The Freistatt Lions have a long association with the program, having provided $2,300 of the original $3,000 start-up money. The center is one of 200 producing Braille books around the country. The head office is located in the state of California and sends orders to Monett to be filled.

Up to 90 people volunteer regularly. Hal Schmidtke is the group leader. Work sessions are held on Tuesdays. On the day of the Freistatt Lions meeting, 25 volunteers had gathered to work in the morning, plus another eight in the afternoon. Together they printed 75 books, each running from 47 to 50 pages.

Braille books are made by placing paper inside a metal template, then running a roller through it to make impressions on the paper. Brandt showed Lions a completed copy of the "Gospel According to Matthew" that ran 97 pages. Paper for Braille books is heavier, costing around $2 a sheet. The organization spends around $400 a month on materials.

Volunteers work on a variety of different tasks. Some punch paper, others feed paper, while others work in binding or packing. Volumes produced are religious books, including a reference book on how to pronounce Biblical names. The group even makes the "Book of Judges" and the "Book of Ruth" in Spanish translations.

Shipments made the day of the meeting went to Maui, Kenya, India and Russia. Brandt said the center has shipped books to every continent. Many go to schools, regardless of denominational affiliation. Recipients are not charged for the books. Thanks to an unusual federal law, the U.S. Postal Service ships Braille material free. Otherwise a day's shipment could run several hundred dollars in postage alone, Brandt said.

"Many who come [to volunteer] really look forward to it," Brandt said. "It's a way to get together and do something worthwhile. It's strictly a come-whenever-you-can basis." While most participating are senior citizens, even teens volunteer, he added.

Brandt thanked the Lions for supporting the Braille Center's efforts over the years.