[tabi] AS WE SEE IT, Summer 2009, Lighthouse of the Big Bend Newsletter
- From: Lighthouse of the Big Bend <lighthousebigbend@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: tabi <tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 11:41:56 -0400
AS WE SEE IT, Summer 2009, Lighthouse of the Big Bend Newsletter
Articles in the issue:
1. It’s Summer (Transition Program) Time!
2. Meet the Board: Jamie Ito
3. Florida Disabled Outdoors Association Activities
4. Mobility Tips: Using Cardinal Directions
5. Top Ten Ways To Go Green & Save Money
6. Practical Tips for Living
7. How Many Copies Did You Get of This Newsletter?!
8. Save the Date! Dining in the Dark: 10/18
9. Lighthouse Summer 2009 Classes
10. Frequently Called Numbers
11. About Lighthouse of the Big Bend
1. It’s Summer (Transition Program) Time!
Starting June 8th, the halls of the Lighthouse will be filled with
teenagers, here for the Summer Transition Program. For the next two
months, these students will learn to be active participants in their
world, gaining career awareness, independent living skills, social
skills, and self determination. As a part of the program, the students
will participate in mock interviews, weekly work experiences, and a
community service project at Second Harvest. They will learn assistive
technology skills through blogging, home management skills when
cooking at the Lighthouse and at the new FSU daily living skills lab,
and they will be exposed to recreational activities through
participating in exercise classes—and even horseback riding. Some
students will experience the beach for the very first time when the
group visits St. George Island!
To create awareness about blindness and the Summer Transition Program,
it will be the subject of Dr. Liz Holifield’s National Public Radio
show named 411 Teen. It airs on WFSU 88.9 from 2-3pm on Sundays, and
our show will most likely air on Sunday, July 18th. Dr. Holifield will
interview a panel consisting of three Lighthouse staff members, a
Summer Transition Program student, a parent and a college student who
is visually impaired.
At the end of the program (to demonstrate the skills they learned
throughout the summer) the teens will be conducting a fundraiser at
Bruster’s Ice Cream on Wednesday, July 22nd from 7-9pm. They will be
taking your orders and serving ice cream. There will be a live band
playing on the deck. The transition students will keep 25% of the
profits and 100% of the tips made that night. This will give them the
opportunity to use their skills to plan and budget for a trip with the
funds they raise. The FSU Visual Disabilities program will be on hand
to educate folks about blindness. Please tell your friends and come
support the transition students on July 22nd!
2. Meet the Board: Jamie Ito
I am Jamie Ito and have been a board member of Lighthouse of the Big
Bend for just over one year. I originally learned about the
Lighthouse (at that time FIRE) through a co-worker at my old job with
the Florida Department of Health. My co-worker, who had been a
supporter for a number of years, invited me to attend Dining in the
Dark with her. I was amazed at the experience of eating dinner in
complete darkness with only my senses of sound and smell to guide me.
I realized how my senses all work in harmony – it was difficult to
trust what I heard or smelled without the accompanying sight to which
I was accustomed.
At about the same time as my first Dining in the Dark experience, my
very good friend Jeff English began working at the Lighthouse. He
couldn’t say enough wonderful things about the organization and a
little over a year later recommended me for a vacant position on the
board. I was glad to become involved and am thankful for the
opportunity to be a part of such a great group of people.
My first experience with individuals with vision loss was as a young
child when my dad, a social worker with the Unites States Department
of Veterans Affairs, worked in the Visual Impairment Services of the
VA in Pensacola. I recall an occasion when the coordinator of the
program came home with him. He had lost all of his vision when he was
shot in the head during the Vietnam War and I marveled at his ability
to navigate our home with the use of a cane.
I currently work as an attorney at the North Florida Center for Equal
Justice, a legal services office based in Tallahassee. We represent
indigent citizens primarily in housing and consumer law cases. My
organization has a number of visually impaired clients with legal
issues ranging from disability discrimination to unfair lending
practices. In one case, my organization compelled a local county
government to repair a badly damaged sidewalk along a street where an
apartment complex houses individuals with disabilities. The residents
had complained for months that they were forced to drive their
wheelchairs in the street because of the condition of the sidewalk,
but had no response from the county officials. In another case, my
organization is fighting to save the home of an elderly gentleman with
vision loss from foreclosure. Our client was given and signed loan
documents that he could not read because of his vision loss, and
misled about the terms in the documents. Many of our clients are
referred to us by Legal Services of North Florida, our “sister
organization.”
My husband Marc and I both attended the FSU College of Law and enjoy
hanging out with our two and a half year old son, Max. Max was born
with a cleft lip (which was repaired when he was three months old).
My experience with Max’s birth defect has led me to become a supporter
of a number of organizations such as the March of Dimes and the Smile
Train, which trains doctors in developing countries to perform cleft
repairs on children who otherwise would not have access to such
surgery.
I am happy to be a member of the Lighthouse Board and look forward to
watching the organization grow and evolve.
3. Florida Disabled Outdoors Association Activities
Do you ever find yourself just sitting around the house with not much
to do? Why don’t you consider some activities with the Florida
Disabled Outdoors Association (FDOA)? Each month the FDOA is helping
to coordinate ongoing activities in our community. We would encourage
you to come and participate. If fear or uncertainty is a barrier,
please call one of the staff members at 201-2944 ext. 3 to help
overcome those barriers or to express your leisure interests. All
events or activities listed below have no charge.
FISHING, Hands Helping Anglers, Saturday, June 13—FREE
Enjoy fishing provided by volunteers with the North Florida Gulf
Fishing Club (NFGFC), Tallahassee Northside and Capital Rotary Clubs.
The event includes lunch and transportation. You may bring an
assistant with you. Please register ASAP by calling 850-201-2944 ext.
3.
SAILING clinic, Saturday, August 22 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm @ Shell Point—FREE
Come out and see if this sport might be for you; no prior experience necessary.
Please pre-register by August 19 at: kcarter@xxxxxxxx or 850-201-2944 ext. 3.
TENNIS, Every Monday 6:30 pm @ Jake Gaither Tennis Courts (801 Tanner
Drive)—FREE Up - Down Tennis practice; Wheelchair Tennis Champion,
Suni Patel, will help you learn to play! Contact Suni Patel at
Sunil4fsu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
POWER SOCCER—FREE; Power soccer excitement and interest keeps
stirring! Power Soccer is the first competitive team sport designed
and developed specifically for power wheelchair users. Contact David
Lowe for more information at 850-544-2037.
4. Mobility Tips: Using Cardinal Directions
Implementing the use of cardinal, or compass, directions in your
mobility adventures can enhance the efficiency and reliability of your
routes. The term cardinal direction refers to the directions north,
south, east or west.
When a traveler is learning to use cardinal directions, a compass is a
useful tool. Compasses are available in multiple designs for
accessibility to people with all degrees of vision loss. A compass
will provide the most accurate reading when a traveler stops walking
and positions the compass flat in the palm of the hand and
perpendicular to the front of the body. In addition to Braille and
print or tactile compasses, talking compasses are also available.
Using cardinal directions can assist a traveler in problem solving
when he finds himself off-course. Cardinal directions provide the
traveler a means to concretely describe her current location or
desired location. The use of cardinal directions in street travel is
also invaluable. While traveling on sidewalks through city blocks or
neighborhoods, knowing your direction of travel and the street
intersections you will encounter can help determine your progress and
estimated time of arrival.
A traveler can even use cardinal directions without a compass.
Learning the direction traffic flows on specific streets (i.e. north
to south, east to west) will enable the traveler to analyze his or her
position in relation to the flow of traffic. For example, a traveler
might begin a journey at the corner of Copeland and Jefferson, going
to Kleman Plaza. However, the traveler could be uncertain of the
specific address. From previous experience, the traveler knows that
Kleman Plaza is between two streets with traffic flowing in opposite
directions. The first two intersections the traveler encounters has
traffic flowing in two directions. The next intersection has traffic
flowing one way, going south. The traveler can now anticipate arrival
at Kleman Plaza and that then, the next intersection would have
traffic flowing one way, going north.
A traveler who uses cardinal directions as part of daily mobility will
experience the success of effective problem solving and the resolve
that s/he knows where s/he’s going and where s/he’s been.
5. Top Ten Ways To Go Green & Save Money
10. Unplug your appliances when you are not using them; many actually
still use energy when they are supposedly off.
9. On long trips wrap your favorite food in aluminum foil & place on
the engine of your vehicle—ready to eat upon arrival!
8. Switch to energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs when your old
incandescent bulbs burn out… &/or dine in the dark!
7. Buy locally grown produce from the farmers of this area or even
better, start your own garden.
6. Plant a drought-tolerant shade tree for your home.
5. Defrost food before cooking, as cooking from frozen uses twice the
electricity; also turn off your oven 10 minutes early as ovens retain
enough heat to finish the cooking.
4. Car pool to the grocery store with friends and make a day of it.
Buy in bulk and split it up.
3. Skip the bottled water and drink our high-quality tap water from
the faucet in a reusable container.
2. Borrow from libraries instead of buying books or movies.
1. After a bath or washing dishes, bathe your pet or offer the water
to neighborhood children for water balloons or slip-n-slide!
6. Practical Tips for Living
Cleaning artificial flowers: Pour some salt into a paper bag and add
the flowers. Shake vigorously and the salt will absorb the dust and
dirt, leaving your artificial flowers looking like new.~ Bess Bradley
Easy mixing: Use a ziplock bag to mix anything! For example, put flour
and chicken in a plastic bag and shake them together to put on flour.
You can put eggs, onion, green pepper, cheese, etc. in a bag and shake
it all together to make an omelet. ~ Sally Benjamin
Slick solution: Instead of measuring cooking oil use solid shortening,
it won’t spill. ~ Elizabeth Bowden
7. HOW MANY COPIES DID YOU GET OF THIS NEWSLETTER?!
The Lighthouse now has one new mailing list for the whole agency,
combined from many different lists. We attempted to delete duplicates,
but you may still be on the list more than once — or if you had asked
to be off the list, you may mistakenly be back on it. Please let us
know and we will correct the mistake—and our apologies.
8. Save the Date!
5th Annual Paula Bailey Dining in the Dark: Sunday, October 18, 5-8pm,
University Center Club
The 5th Annual Paula Bailey Dining in the Dark event is a unique
dinner to raise awareness about blindness and raise funds for the
local non-profit serving the blind, Lighthouse of the Big Bend
(formerly FIRE.) We are honoring Paula Bailey, a former client and
Board member, who was both blind & deaf from meningitis, and passed
away in 2005.
Experience food, drink and conversation as you may never have before –
without your sight. Your other senses are stimulated to savor the
smell, taste and texture of your dining experience. This year we will
have an exciting new menu, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team
will once again wait on you with their night vision goggles, and after
dinner the Paula Bailey “Inspirational Community Member Award” will be
presented.
We have eight opportunities for you or your business to receive some
publicity and partner with the Lighthouse to support our work in
assisting people who have lost their vision:
Scholarship: $55
* Reserve a ticket for someone who can’t afford to go.
à la carte Angel: $100
* We will thank you in our event program.
Table for Eight: $600
* You will receive tickets for a private, named table of eight.
NEW! Table for Ten: $700
* You will receive tickets for a private, named table of ten.
Silver Spoon: $1,000
* You will be recognized in two ads in the Democrat, on Lighthouse’s
website, newsletter, and on event signage.
* You will receive a framed certificate of appreciation. (Plus all the
benefits above)
Gold Goblet: $2,500
* We will name one monthly Computer Class that takes place in the
coming year in your honor. (Plus all the benefits above)
Platinum Platter: $5,000
* We will name one weekly Independent Living Class that takes place in
the coming year in your honor. (Plus all the benefits above)
Diamond Dining: $10,000
* Your contribution will be recognized on the event’s annual award and
we will guarantee a photo of the presentation in the Tallahassee
Democrat. (Plus all the benefits above)
Simply send in your donation, or donate online at
www.lighthousebigbend.org through Guidestar & Network for Good. Thank
you!
9. Lighthouse Summer 2009 Classes
Braille Class: Every Wednesday, 9:30am-3pm
Computer Class: 1st Fri. & last Saturday of month, 10am-2pm
Dog Guide Group: 3rd Thursday of each month, 5:30-7pm
Independent Living Class: Every Friday, 10am-3pm
Perry Braille: Every Tuesday, 10am-3pm (in Perry)
Summer Transition Program: June 8 - July 30, M-Th, 9am-3pm
10. Frequently Called Numbers
211 Big Bend (24 hours) 211
Dial-A-Ride 891-5199
DBS 245-0370 800-672-7038
Elder Care 921-5554
Lighthouse of the Big Bend 942-3658
Insight Support Group 878-1923
Magnifiers & More 671-3936
Medicaid 921-8474
Octopus Club 894-9025
Project Insight 24-hr Helpline 1-800-267-4448
Senior Center 891-4000
Talking Book Library 1-800-226-6075
VA Low Vision Clinic 878-0191 ext. 2086
Yellow Cab 580-8080
11. About Lighthouse of the Big Bend
1286 Cedar Center Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: 850-942-3658
Toll-free: 1-888-827-6063
Fax: 850-942-4518
Email: info@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lighthouse of the Big Bend provides free services to individuals who
are visually impaired or blind in Franklin, Gadsden, Hamilton,
Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor &
Wakulla Counties.
Lighthouse Board
President: Norris Coster
Vice President: Lynda Breen
Treasurer: Evelyn Sewell
Secretary: Jamie Ito
Members:
Sharyn Davidson
Norine Labitzke
Sila Miller
Kim Peaden
Elizabeth Ricci
Fred Sanguiliano
Susan Whaley, OD
Lighthouse Staff
Executive Director: Barbara Ross, ext 201
Assistant Director: Evelyn Worley, ext 203
Assistive Technology: Liz Bowden, ext 214
Data Entry Specialist: Joyce Warner, ext 213
Early Intervention: Jennifer Crowder, ext 202
EI / O&M Specialist: Amanda Bernath, ext 216
Independent Living Supervisor: Jeanine Kane, ext 215
IL Specialists:
Roderick Palmer, ext 209
Eva McElvy, ext 205
Toni King, ext 211
Transition Specialists:
Shannon Carollo, ext 206
Amanda Kan, ext 208
Sharon Scherbarth, x 206
Billy Badeau ext 206
Vocational Services: Wayne Warner, ext 210
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