"Click, clack, click-clack, cli-" Debra sighed, staring at the bulky, black machine causing her frustration. The page was almost fully typed out in braille-- evident by the tiny bumps spread over it like snakeskin-- but, alas, she had made an error. It would take minutes to retype the page, and hours of vigorous typing to finish the other 175 pages of Charlotte's Web. ¨Anything to make braille books more accessible,¨ she thought. ¨The hard work will be worth it in the end.¨ The typing resumed. ¨Clack, clickety clack...¨

This is how Seedlings, a non-profit organization that in 2015 sent 26,000 braille books to 75 countries began-- in Debra Bonde`s Detroit basement in 1984.

Debra is a humble, quiet woman in her 60`s who years ago wanted to make a difference. She is soft spoken, and back then disliked socializing, as do I. Debra doesn`t model a cliche storybook hero, but that hardly matters; inside is where her heroism shines.

Debra pushed herself and joined a class, and learned how braille is arranged bumps the visually impaired feel to read. A classmate shared about her blind daughter owning only two books because they were expensive, which was "wrong" to Debra. How would blind children succeed in school without accessible books?

I can understand her thinking, because books are a major part of my life. I thrived on LeapFrog videos in preschool, was reading by kindergarten, and took weekly library trips with Grandpa by elementary school. Books are so accessible to me, so why shouldn't they be equally available to blind children?
 

Debra started Seedlings from this knowledge, selling braille children's books for $10-- a fraction of the typical cost. Half of them are even given away, which forced Debra to socialize when finding donors.

Now headquartered in Livonia, Seedlings prints more than 1,300 different books in braille, ranging from board books to chapter books. It started from one seed-- Debra Bonde´s realization of the scarceness and high cost of children`s braille books. It was planted by her humbly, not for money or admiration, but just to help. This seed sprouted through her overcoming of challenges and diligence; someone even said that Debra is ¨one of the hardest workers you will ever meet.¨ If she can do this, why can't I?

Debra Bonde is truly a hero, my Michigan hero, because of the impact she makes on those around her. In 2002, she was selected as a ¨Michiganian of the Year¨ by Detroit News for the literacy she brings to blind children all over the world. I may not be blind, but she shows me the difference I can make with my passion for literature-- even though I´d have to overcome challenges, like talking or persevering when something gets tough. She inspires me to make a difference, because it can grow into something big, even if it starts as one tiny seed.