SVCB IN TOUCH
Newsletter of the
SILICON VALLEY COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
A Chapter of the California Council of the Blind
April 2018
EDITOR: Susan Glass, editor@svcb.cc
COPY EDITOR: Beverly Clifford, beverlyclifford@svcb.cc
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 493, Mountain View, CA 94042
DEADLINE: for the May, 2018 issue: noon, april 27
VOLUNTEERS: Naomi Grubb, volunteers@svcb.cc
MEMBERSHIP: Mike Keithley, membership@svcb.cc
LEGISLATION: Mike Keithley, legislation@svcb.cc
PHONE: 888-652-5333
EMAIL: svcb@onebox.com
URL: http://svcb.cc
Legislative Hotlines, current issues for blind persons:
CALIFORNIA CONNECTION: 800-221-6359, after 5 PM and weekends
WASHINGTON CONNECTION: 800-424-8666, 3-9 PM and weekends
DISCLAIMER: This publication contains announcements from the
Silicon Valley Council of the Blind and is also a forum for opinions relating
to blindness issues. Signed articles reflect the views, and research, of their
authors.
STATUS: SVCB is a 501(c)3 non-profit, tax-exempt organization
under the California Council of the Blind.
CHANGES OF ADDRESS: Contact Mike Keithley, database@svcb.cc.
MEETING LOCATION: SVCB's monthly meetings are held in the community
room of the Monte Vista Terrace Apts. at 1101 Grant Road, Mountain View. Meetings run 9:30 AM to 1 PM the third Saturday of the month
and are open to all. Monte Vista Terrace is one block from the intersection of
Grant Road and El Camino Real and is accessible by bus #22.
IN THIS ISSUE
* President's Message
* Program
* Meet Gabriela Aldana
* Membership Corner
* Fund-Raising Report
* Event Calendar
PRESIDENT's MESSAGE
by Susan Glass
It's Thursday, March 29 as I write this message, and it's 83
degrees outside, and lemon and almond blossoms are mixing their fragrance with
eucalyptus and redwood bark, all enriched by the sun's warmth. That's probably
a run-on sentence. I don't care. I don't want to do anything except loll in the
warm air. And write to all of you, of course.
John and I had an enjoyable, productive time at the CCB
convention. The Marriott Hotel proved easy to navigate, and to a person, its
employees were warm and helpful. My longest and most vigorous day was Thursday,
which began with several other CCB members and myself braving a rainy walk to
the Light Rail, followed by a 40 minute ride to CAPITOL Hill. We had excellent
interactions with our State Assembly members and Senators. We'll fill you in on
everything during our April business meeting. Back at the hotel, some of us
attended the Nominating Committee meeting, and then it was time for Dining in
the Dark. I was on my feet from 5 in the morning until 10 at night, which these
days is a lot of action for this little mare.
At the banquet on Saturday night, our
own Noel Runyan won a Publications award for his Blind Californian article
describing the Los Angeles County voting system. Noel also brought several of
his art pieces to the CCB auction and art show, and several of them sold.
Congratulations Noel.
On Sunday afternoon after the convention, some of us took a
leisurely walk along the American River Parkway. Think about meadows, and
swaths of quiet, grass-scented air. Hear the occasional passing bicyclist, and
the laughter of your friends and new acquaintances. Breathe. Spring is coming.
PROGRAM
by Bev Clifford
The speaker for our April program will be Liz Dietz,
registered nurse with the Red Cross, who lives near Vic and me in The Villages.
We met her last Friday night at a Seder given at a friend's house, and we were
impressed with her knowledge and her personality. She will talk to us about
Disaster preparedness.
MEET GABRIELA Aldana
When you arrive at our April 21 membership
meeting, make a point of greeting Ms. Gabriela Aldana, this year's Barbara
Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant winner. Those who attend Wednesday gatherings
at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center have already experienced Gabi's warm and
vivacious personality. A San Jose native, Gabi attended Independence High
School, and had planned to join the U.S. military, but then life threw her some
peculiar curves. In her senior year of high school, she was diagnosed with
diabetes. In 2008 her vision and her kidneys simultaneously stopped working.
She received both a kidney and a pancreas transplant, and now lives a
health-focused lifestyle complete with good food, exercise, and a positive
attitude. Her voice lights up when you ask her about the classes she's taken at
the Blind Center, and her experiences as a mentor there.
"The Blind Center is my second home," she says,
"and my friends there are like family. I love Ernie's classes."
Gabi is only 39 years old. At age 21, she worked at the YWCA
with at risk youth. She speaks Spanish and English fluently, and would like to
attend college in order to become an interpreter.
"I don't like to start things without finishing
them," she says, "and whatever I do, I always give 150 percent."
Her tech grant award of a new iPhone and computer will allow
her to give that 150 percent to her college studies and her work at the Blind
Center.
And what does Gabi do for fun?
"I share my home with a 7-year-old Russian Blue cat
named Buster, and I love to read thrillers. I like people. I like life."
MEMBERSHIP CORNER
by Mike Keithley
Well, I suppose the CCB convention was the big deal for me. I
went, of course, but John and Susan Glass, Rob and Alice Turner, John
Vandervort, and Lorraine Brown were also there. John G was instrumental in
getting the general session and banquet streamed via ACB Radio, I attended my
very first Dining in the Dark fundraiser, and let myself become President of
the Braille Revival League of California. Don't know what happened to Mr.
Vandervort, but Rob was re-elected as a Director on the CCB Board, and Alice
moderated a great guide dog luncheon. And the dogs! Someone barked during the
Pledge of Allegiance, King says; like, "what's all this?" Would have
made Trump happy!
We'll all be talking about the CCB convention at the April
meeting. And Susan Glass described her experiences at the ACB mid-year meeting,
Legislative Seminar, and adventures on Capitol Hill at the March meeting, which
you can hear at http://svcb.cc/psaudio/18/ps0318.mp3.
We met Ratha, an interesting fellow from Massachusetts, at
our last meeting. I understand he's moving here permanently, and I hope he
joins SVCB. And we're still the largest chapter in CCB, with CCCLV being a
close second.
Now let's wish happy April birthdays to Anna Bolino, John
McNulty, and Dawn Wilcox.
FUND-RAISING REPORT
by Michelle McGrew
Save the dates and spread the word! Please join us at our
next fund-raising event at Marie Callender's (751 East El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA
94087) any time Monday, April 23
through Wednesday, April 25, 2018 (11 AM-8 PM) for a meal, dessert or snack, or even to purchase a pie to
take home! Please call 408-245-3710 to make reservations if you have a party of
6 or more. Present one of our fund-raising event flyers to your server, and
Marie Callender's will donate 20% of each purchase (excluding alcohol, tax, and
tip) to SVCB's technology grant program! We'll have the required flyer at the
April meeting, or visit http://svcb.cc to download and print it from our website. (Note: Marie
Callender's will not have extra copies, and we will not receive credit for your
purchases if your party does not have a flyer.)
Thanks to all who donated items for our auction at the March
meeting! We auctioned two popcorn poppers, an Olympus digital voice recorder, a
rolling suitcase, a rice cooker, a TV screen magnifier, a bacon cooker, and a
snack/sandwich cooker. Thanks to all of our participants, and to our
auctioneer, Joe. Congratulations to our highest bidders: Carol, Michelle,
Tamara, Mike, Ratha, John V., and Rob. We raised $141!
In April, we’re having another 50/50 raffle! Tickets will be
$1 per ticket or $5 for six. However, if you have items you'd like to donate
for a future raffle or auction, or if you'd like to suggest ideas for possible
items for either event, please let someone on the Fund-raising Committee know!
Our March Cookies of the Month fund-raiser, benefiting our
tech grant, featured Biscochos baked by Mary Castellano and herNiece. The
recipe for these cookies was featured in the “Snack Shack” column of our May,
2017 newsletter. We sold 27 bags of cookies at our meeting, and another 23 bags
of cookies at the Blind Center. Thanks to all of our supporters! Altogether, we
raised $50!
For April, Bev Clifford will be baking Nieman-Marcus Cookies,
a very choclatey cookie containing oatmeal and lots of nuts. Each bag of
cookies will sell for $1. If you would like to volunteer to bake cookies this
year for this fund-raiser, please call 888-652-5333 (leave a message to be
forwarded to me (or look me up on our Membership List to call me directly), or
send email to fundraising@svcb.cc.
We still have some chocolate for sale! Meltaways from Bakers
Candies come in four-ounce bags containing about 13 individually-wrapped
chocolates, and sell for $4 per bag. I have the following flavors available:
four kinds of dark chocolate (plain, mint, orange, and cherry), five kinds of milk
chocolate (plain, mint, peanut butter, coconut, and raspberry), milk chocolate
wrapped caramel, and the assorted (mix of both dark and milk chocolates).
For candy bars, we’re sold out of the See’s, but at the time
of this writing we do still have some World's Finest Chocolate bars. These cost
$1 each, but please check with me for flavors and availability. To purchase or
help sell candy bars, or to order Meltaways, please contact me as listed above.
Or, choose one of our other snacks for $1 each! You may
purchase bags of Welch's Fruit Snacks (2.25-oz bags of chewy fruit-flavored
candies), or Kirkland Nut Bars (contains a sprinkle of salt and a little
chocolate). We’ll begin selling the nut mix again once we’re out of the
chocolate bars. To place an order for nut bars or Welch’s Fruit Snacks, please
contact me as listed above.
See you at the April meeting along with my new puppy!
EVENT CALENDAR: April Through May, 2018
Compiled by Mike Keithley
Notes
Tabard Theatre shows: To order tickets, call the Tabard box
office at 408-679-2330 and speak to Marilyn Watts, or visit tabardtheatre.org. SVCB members and Blind Center clients should use Discount
Code BC27 when ordering. Performances take place at Theatre on San Pedro
Square, 29 North San Pedro Street, San Jose.
Shows described by AudioVision: For all San Francisco
productions (Golden Gate and Orpheum theatres), tickets are generally on sale
four weeks before the production opens. To charge tickets and reserve
receivers, call 888-746-1799 (SHN Theaters), or fax your order to 415-581-2121
and ask for AudioVision tickets. If you have any questions, please email didisalvo@msn.com.
The monthly "Let's Talk Low Vision" conferences
from CCLVI can be accessed as podcasts at www.airsla.org/cclvi.asp.
Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors: Departs every Sunday at noon from Pier 40
in San Francisco. Call 415-281-0212 for information and reservations, or visit www.baads.org.
Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP): BORP
believes that everyone should have access to the unique challenges that outdoor
recreation provides, and makes every effort to accommodate each person's needs,
including providing transportation and volunteer support. For event listings,
call Lori Gray at 510-843-4398, or visit www.borp.org.
Calendar
Apr 5, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting. If you're not on the
Board but wish to attend this meeting, please contact President Susan Glass.
Apr 13-May 7: ADRIFT IN MACAO, Apr 14 pre-show (see
Notes).
Apr 17, 5:30 to 7 PM: Let's Talk Low Vision, Resources and Support Groups for
People with Low Vision, 712-432-3447 with ID 145330.
Apr 21, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB monthly meeting. Present award to recipient of 2017
Barbara Rhodes Adaptive Technology Grant, and hear convention reports.
Apr 27, noon: SVCB In Touch newsletter deadline.
Apr 27 and 28 at 8 PM, 29 at 2 PM: THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, TheatreWorks, descriptions
by the Visual Voice, MVCPA.
May: Healthy Vision Month.
May 1, 5:30 to 7 PM: Breast Cancer Support Group. Call-in: 605-715-4920; ID:
2776167. For questions, call Lori Scharff at 516-887-1336, or lorischarff@gmail.com.
May 3, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting.
May 19, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: SVCB membership meeting.
May 25, noon: June In Touch newsletter deadline.
May 26, 2 PM: THE COLOR PURPLE, Orpheum San Francisco, descriptions by
AudioVision.
May 27, 1:30 to 3 PM: Ye Olde Towne Band free concert, Shoup Park, 400 University Avenue, Los Altos. Come and enjoy a free, old-fashioned band concert in a
beautiful park setting. Each month, Ye Olde Towne Band of Los Altos provides an
enjoyable concert presenting music ranging from rousing marches to popular
musicals. Spend a lazy Sunday afternoon sitting on the grass listening to your
favorite concert music. A playground is available for the youngsters. Bring a
picnic lunch to enjoy.