Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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spirit of generosity Campbell Grousbeck came up with the idea for the Perkins School's large tactile map. vision quest CORINNE AND WYC GROUSBECK ARE GIVING STUDENTS AT PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND, INCLUDING THEIR SON, A HIGH-TECH BOOST AND A MOMENT ON STAGE WITH A STAR. by jessica laniewski F for The Grousbeck Center for Students & Technology opened last fall. ew people can say they have brought an international star to tears. But Corinne Grousbeck, cochair of the 2012 Perkins Possibilities Gala, had that experience when singer Natalie Merchant performed at annual event in 2009. "When I was speaking about my experience as a young mom, up with Campbell all night, I told the audience I used to listen to the song 'Wonder' over and over," remembers Corinne. As part of her speech, she said, "The lyrics 'This child will be gifted with love, patience, and with faith' are what gave me hope for his future. I looked down at Natalie at that moment, and she was crying." the The Grousbecks' road to the Perkins School the Blind in Watertown started in San Francisco and took them to the suburbs of 60 bostoncommon-magazine.com Boston in 1995 for their then two-year-old son, Wyc, the managing partner and CEO of the Boston Celtics. "They simply didn't exist. became clear to us that education was going to be the difference between Campbell living a comfortable life and Campbell leading an inde- pendent and fulfilling life." After fastidiously researching schools, It Campbell. He was born with Leber Congenital Amaurosis, a rare genetic disorder that affects the retina and caused him to be totally blind at "When we visited the school, we saw a gorgeous campus full of 'Campbells. —corinne grousbeck '" birth. "We were living in California and didn't have access to services for our son," says Corinne, who also has a daughter, Kelsey, a senior at Stanford University, with her husband, the family came across Perkins, the first and most famous school for the blind in the US. Helen Keller attended Perkins, as did her teacher Anne Sullivan. "It is the pre- eminent school for educating children who are blind and deaf-blind," adds Corinne. "When we visited the school we saw a gorgeous campus full of 'Campbells.' We moved within the month." Their relationship with Perkins has strength- ened considerably over the years, due in part to how much their son has grown there. "They took photography by brian smith