The Lynchburg community has been active in supporting programs for people with visual impairments since the 1930s, beginning with a basket weaving program for blind people that was held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lynchburg. By 1980, Peakland Baptist Church was running the basket weaving class for people. In 1982 when Interfaith Outreach Association (originally Kum-ba-Yah) was founded, Pastor Nathan Brooks of Peakland Baptist Church who was also a founder of Interfaith Outreach Association decided to turn the basket weaving class over to Interfaith Outreach Association.
Upon surveying the changing vision needs of the community over a 2 year period beginning in 2011, IOA discovered that there was an ever-growing number of people with new vision needs that were not being serviced. IOA decided it was time to do something to help this underserved community. In 2012, the basket weaving classes returned to the faith community as Calvary Baptist Church took over facilitation of the group.