SVCB IN TOUCH
Newsletter of the
SILICON VALLEY COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
A Chapter of the California Council of the Blind
December 2018
EDITOR: Susan Glass, editor@svcb.cc
COPY EDITOR: Beverly Clifford, copyeditor@svcb.cc
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 493, Mountain View, CA 94042
DEADLINE: for the January, 2019 issue: noon, December 26
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
* Membership Corner
* Apply For A Technology Grant
* Fund-Raising Report
* Snack Shack
* Event Calendar
President's MESSAGE
By Susan Glass
Let me begin this column by heartily thanking one of our morning volunteers,
Daksha, for providing the day's snacks at our November membership meeting, and
for doing so on a last minute basis. What a gracious gesture! I also want to
thank Rob Turner and Noel Runyan for their delightful and interactive sports
presentation at our November meeting. It's great to know that there are so many
inexpensive ways to be physically active. I for one, had a blast playing
basketball and Bop It. The next time we have a recreation program, I'd like us
to aim for a day when we have many sighted volunteers who can guide people from
activity to activity. I bet we'll get more participation that way.
I'd like to recommend a book to any of us interested in broadening our
recreational activities. It's called The Encyclopedia of Sports and Recreation
for People With Visual Impairments, by Andrew Leej. DB7649. It's narrated by Jo
Fox, one of my all-time favorite NLS readers. Its chapters describe how blind
and visually impaired people participate in any sport you can think of: tennis,
cycling, swimming, wrestling, basketball, rowing, skiing (both downhill and
cross country), dart playing, archery, target shooting and hunting, horseback
riding, golf, hiking, rock climbing, baseball, dancing.... Each chapter
provides resource lists for places throughout the country where you can access
these sports. The book also contains interviews with blind paralympic athletes,
and directors of sports programs. Check it out.
Writing about this book brings to mind a new column that I'd like to suggest
for our newsletter. We could call it The Book of the Month Recommendation
column. If you read a book that you like, you can send a brief paragraph about
it (5 to 7 sentences) to editor@svcb.cc. Don't worry if writing isn't your
strong suit. Even the book's title, author, source where we can access it, and
a one sentence description will do. Wouldn't it be cool if we received such a
recommendation every month. Then, in December of 2019, we'd publish a column
listing all of our year's book picks. We'd all be set up for great holiday
reads.
And speaking of holidays, don't miss SVCB's holiday party! It will be at the
Silicon Valley Blind Center on Saturday, December 15, from 11 AM to 3 PM. You
can register by sending a check to the following address: P.O. Box 493, Mountain
View, CA 94042. Put "holiday party" on the memo line. Registration is
$20 for CCB/SVCB members and $25 for friends. IMPORTANT! Your check must reach
the SVCB post office box by December 12. This is the absolute deadline since we
must finalize our food order with Armadillo Willys. John Glass will entertain
us with some Old Time Radio shows that are just perfect for the holidays. See
you there!
MEMBERSHIP CORNER
by Mike Keithley
O my, the thanksgiving weekend is finally over. I've got so lazy that I forgot
the newsletter deadline. I could blame visiting family, but King says that's
too easy. So hope Susan puts away her whip!
But now comes the SVCB holiday party. I hope you've registered and are looking
forward to a good time. If you haven't registered yet, check out the
President's Message in this newsletter for details and contact Joe Silveria
before Wednesday, December 12.
We hear that John Vandervort has had many problems. He had a house fire and is
now living with Carol and Joe Silveria. The interior of his old house needs to
be rebuilt. So give him a call and cheer him up, he needs it, and be sure he
gets to the party.
Our November meeting was playtime! Rob Turner brought his dart game, and I hear
that Naomi Grubb made several cheered bulls-eyes. Noel Runyan had his target
riffle and several other game, including the Parker Brothers audio baseball
game, which I haven't seen in 20 years. And there was the Bop-It game that used
to make John Glass crazy. You can hear the business meeting and raffle at http://svcb.cc/psaudio/18/ps1118.mp3.
SVCB's 2019 administration was elected. It is:
Susan Glass: President
Alice Turner: Vice President
Naomi Grub: Corresponding Secretary
Rob Turner: Recording Secretary
Victor Clifford: Treasurer
Mike Keithley: full-term Director
Before we close, which happy birthdays to Celina Carey, Ruben Armenta, Lorraine
Brown, Milton Quenzer and William Tipton.
APPLY FOR A TECHNOLOGY GRANT
By Susan Glass
We are now accepting applications for our 2018 2019 Barbara Rhodes Adaptive
Technology Grant. For several year's now, this grant has been SVCB's community
service project intended to benefit blind and visually impaired individuals who
are at least 16 years old, and who live in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Bonito,
and San Mateo Counties. And of course, any SVCB member is eligible to apply.
The deadline for submitting a completed application is the last day in February
of 2019. The committee will deliberate and select a winner during March and
April. The winner will be notified in April, and will be awarded at the May
SVCB General Membership meeting. The value of this year's grant is $1500.
Please help us spread the word, and please apply for the grant yourself if you
think you have a technology need that qualifies.
FUND-RAISING REPORT
by Michelle McGrew
We had a raffle featuring donated items at our November meeting. Prizes
included a mini handheld vacuum for auto care, a black handbag, blueberry
Russian herbal loose-leaf tea, some Christmas gift tags, a pair of Christmas
mugs, a new plaid winter scarf, and two lace handkerchiefs in a box. Our
winners were the Hoags, Mike, and Roger. Thanks to all who donated prizes and
to those who purchased tickets. We raised $73!
Our November Cookies of the Month fund raiser, benefiting our tech grant,
featured Berry Chocolate Chip Cookies baked by Suzanne Smith. You can find the
recipe for these cookies in the "Snack Shack" column of this issue of
the newsletter. We sold 10 bags of cookies at our meeting, and plan to sell
more at the Blind Center at the end of November or early December. Thanks to
all of our supporters!
Thanks to all who purchased calendars! We're currently sold out, but hope to
receive another order in mid-January. Most of this order is already reserved.
However, we did order a few extras, so please check with me if you are
interested in purchasing any calendars should they be available. They cost $10
each. You may contact me by calling 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.
Need some great gifts for Christmas? SVCB has four-ounce bags of Meltaways from
Bakers Candies in Nebraska for $4 each. Each bag contains about 13
individually-wrapped chocolates. We have the following flavors available: five
kinds of dark chocolate (plain, mint, orange, cherry, and sea salt caramel),
six kinds of milk chocolate (plain, mint, peanut butter, raspberry, coconut,
and mocha), milk chocolate wrapped caramel, and the assorted (mix of both dark
and milk chocolates).
We also have World's Finest Chocolate bars. We have four kinds of milk
chocolate: with almonds, caramel, crisp, and plain, and a very limited amount
of plain dark chocolate. The World's Finest sell for $1 each. To purchase or
help sell candy bars, or to order Meltaways, please contact me as listed above.
Or, choose one of our other options! We're selling bags of nut mix as part of
our Holiday Sale. These come with either sweetened dried cranberries or with
chunks of dark chocolate. You can also purchase Kirkland nut bars (contains a
sprinkle of salt and a little chocolate) and bags of Welch's Fruit Snacks
(2.2-ounce bags of chewy fruit-flavored candies, in the following flavors:
Mixed Fruit, Island Fruit, Apple Orchard Medley, Strawberry, and Berries 'n
Cherries). The nut mixes, nut bars, and Welch's Fruit Snacks are all $1 each.
To place an order, contact me as listed above.
See you at the Holiday Party!
Snack Shack
Berry Chocolate Chip Cookies
Submitted by Suzanne Smith
This is a recipe of my own creation. I started with the recipe for the Lemon O.
V. Cookies (see the "Snack Shack" in the July issue), and made some
changes to come up with this new creation.
2 boxes strawberry cake mix, any brand
2 eggs
1 (8-ounce) container Kool Whip
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1-1/2 to 2 cups fresh blueberries, halved (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.
2. Mix together eggs and Kool Whip until well blended.
3. Gradually mix in strawberry cake mix until well blended.
4. Combine chocolate chips and blueberries. Stir into cookie dough.
5. Form dough into small balls and place 1-1/2 inches apart on greased cookie
sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until firm but not
overdone.
6. Cool slightly on baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool.
EVENT CALENDAR: December through January, 2019
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 The Tabard THEATRE, 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/cclvidd.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
Dec 4, 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.
Dec 6, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting, call-in 800-662-6992 with ID code
1184109. If you're not on the Board but wish to attend this meeting, please
contact President Susan Glass.
Blind Center (see President's Message in this newsletter).
Dec 16 at 2 PM: A BRONX TALE, descriptions by Audiovision, Golden Gate, see
notes.
Dec 18, 5:30 to 7 PM: Let's Talk Low Vision, iPhone apps and JAWS, 712-432-3447
with ID code 145330.
Dec 21 and 22 at 8 PM and 23 at 2 PM: TUCK EVERLASTING, TheatreWorks,
descriptions by the Visual Voice, Lucie Stern.
Dec 22 at 2 PM, BAT OUT OF HELL, THE MUSICAL, descriptions by AudioVision,
Golden Gate, see notes.
Dec 26, noon: January, 2019 newsletter.
Dec 29, 2 PM: DEAR EVAN HANSEN, description by AudioVision, Curran Theatre, see
notes.
January, 2019
Jan 3, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting.
Jan 19, 9:30 AM to 1 PM: Anniversary SVCB membership meeting. New
administration takes office.
Jan 25, noon: February newsletter deadline.