SVCB IN TOUCH

Newsletter of the SILICON VALLEY COUNCIL OF THE BLIND

A Chapter of the California Council of the Blind

March 2021

EDITOR: Susan Glass, editor@svcb.cc

COPY EDITOR: Beverly Clifford, copyeditor@svcb.cc

ADDRESS: P.O. Box 4116, San Jose, CA 95125

DEADLINE: for the April, 2021 issue: noon, March 22, 2021

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 to 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.

Monthly meetings are held at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center (Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired San Jose). Meetings run 9:30 AM to 1 PM the third Saturday of the month and are open to all.


IN THIS ISSUE


PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: March 2021

by Rob Turner

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. We spent the weekend in Half Moon Bay visiting friends. It was nice just to get out of the house for a couple days.

Our Program Committee is looking for new ideas for meeting topics and speakers. Please contact me if you have suggestions.

Until we can meet in person again, SVCB's only fund-raising income is through our bimonthly auction and other donations. If you have items to donate to our auction, please contact Carol Silveria. Otherwise, you may want to donate using our PayPal page.

Stay safe and stay well, everyone. Maybe six months from now we won't have to keep wearing these crazy masks.


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MEMBERSHIP CORNER

by Mike Keithley

"Hey, Master, get off the floor. Spring is almost here!" But King, I fell as I "sprang back" from Daylight Savings Time to Pacific Standard Time, and now I have to work to get up. "Well, if you had been in bed when Pacific Standard Time happened, you wouldn't have fallen." Okay, okay, just a minute! "There ya go, I knew you could do it!" Just don't knock me over in your joy.

So with all that, welcome to the March Membership Corner.

We had a very informative program during the February meeting. Dr. Anne Ferguson, from the community-based organization Bay Area Older Adults, told us about tours that are set up specifically for elders and visually impaired people. This organization has worked with Vista Center, and in 2020 their tours have been virtual due to COVID. But it seems that touring virtually has benefitted many people, and this mode will probably remain viable into the future. You can hear Dr. Ferguson's presentation at:

http://svcb.cc/psaudio/21/ps0221.mp3

SVCB member Donna Sanchez's father passed away early in February. We heard at the February 24 social hour that Donna is doing well.

John Vandervort is selling calendars from the American Printing House for the Blind for $9 apiece. They are the same as the calendars we've sold in the past, except these are not customized. If interested, call him at 408-275-1977 to learn more.


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FUND-RAISING REPORT

By Carol Silveria

Hello, everyone!

As I prepare this report for the March 2021 newsletter, we are already halfway through February. I hope many of you have been fortunate enough to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and that the process hasn't been too difficult.

The Fund-raising Committee had a meeting on February 8, 2021 at 7:30 PM. We decided on which items to list for the March virtual auction. The items will be listed later in this report. My supply of suitable auction items is dwindling. So if you have something that you would like to donate to our auctions, you can call me at 888-652-5333 to leave a message that will be forwarded to me, or look me up on our membership list to call me directly. You can also send me an email at fundraising@svcb.cc, or check the membership list and email me directly. Our next Fund-raising Committee meeting will be on Monday, March 8, 2021 at 7:30 PM.

On January 30, 2021, Joe and I delivered all the items that were bid on at our January meeting. When I contacted Gail Roe to let her know what time to expect us with her auction item, she said she was interested in the two sets of 20-piece Finlandia crystal dinnerware service for four. These items received no bids at the meeting. So we included them in our delivery. Gail decided to take them and gave us the $40, which was the total starting bid. SVCB earned a total of $100 on the January auction.

We will be holding another virtual auction at our SVCB meeting to be held on March 20, 2021. The list of items to be auctioned is as follows:

  • A braille Checkers game. The board is light blue, and it has wells in which to place the Checker pieces. The game pieces are made of wood, shaped in squares and circles. There are twelve each of the regular game pieces, and three each of the king pieces, all in a handy storage box. The starting bid is $10. This item was donated by SVCB.
  • A braille Double Six Domino game. The game pieces are twenty-eight plastic off-white tiles with raised black dots. The game comes in a black plastic storage box. The starting bid is $10. This item was donated by SVCB.
  • A vintage porcelain figurine of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice. This is from the Disney Collection called Disney Magic Memories "Fantasia," designed by Walt Disney Artists, Limited Edition 7.605/15,000. The starting bid is $30. This item was donated by Joe and Carol Silveria.
  • A vintage porcelain figurine of Dopey with a green coat on, while standing on Doc's shoulders so they can dance with Snow White. This is from the Disney Collection called Disney Magic Memories "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," designed by Walt Disney Artists, Limited Edition 3,809/15,000. The starting bid is $30. This item was donated by Joe and Carol Silveria.
  • A 4 by 4-1/2 foot throw that would be good for covering up while watching TV or reading a book. I'm not positive about the material, but it feels like woven cotton. The throw is fringed on four sides, and the picture appears to be a replica of a seed company's label. In order for you to have a better understanding of how beautiful this throw is, I'm going to describe the picture in detail.
  • The picture has a border on four sides, in the colors of slate blue and off-white. Across the top, on an off-white background, is the word McCLESKEY, in orange lettering. Below that, on a dark green strip, are the words PREMIUM SELECT, in off-white lettering. Centered between the words "PREMIUM" and "SELECT" is a head of lettuce, in two shades of green, inside a diamond shape. Centered across the lower half of the diamond is the word SEEDS, in slate blue lettering, with what looks like a peach on both sides. Under the word SEEDS, in smaller letters, are the words SUMMERVILLE GEORGIA, in slate blue. In the center of the label is a picture of a farmer on a tractor. Above and to the right of the tractor, on a light blue background, is the word MONARCH, in very large off-white letters, and the words SEED COMPANY SINCE 1910 JASPER AL, in slate blue lettering. Below the tractor, a variety of vegetables is pictured. Under this picture, on a slate blue background, is the word LOUDERMILK, in large off-white letters, outlined in orange. Centered below the word Loudermilk are the words QUALITY SEEDS, in orange lettering. Under all of this, and across the bottom, is a variety of even more fruits and vegetables.

    I know that was a lot of information. The starting bid is $20. This item was donated by a friend of Carol Silveria.

We will continue to keep all of you informed of changes as they occur. As always, please stay safe and well!


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UPCOMING MARCH TOURS OFFERED BY BAY AREA OLDER ADULTS

Editor's note: This information is provided by Dr. Anne Ferguson, our February program speaker. She begins by providing us with a link to recordings of Bay Area Older Adults previous virtual tours, and then follows with information about two upcoming tours happening in March. We plan to feature announcements about Bay Area Older Adults tours in our future newsletters.

Anne writes:

Here is the link to the prior recorded programs:

https://www.bayareaolderadults.org/bao-vip-walks

I add new video links as we finish them. Thank you!

Bay Area Older Adults is a nonprofit organization that improves the health and well-being of more than 42,000 adults age 50+ each year through health education, lifelong learning, and physical activity programs. We trek on nature trails, learn about different cultures, explore historic sites, experience new culinary flavors, and help connect you to people with shared interests. During the pandemic, we are offering virtual park tours for visually impaired persons that start with a live, interactive, educational presentation about the history and/or nature of the park, followed by a virtual tour of the park where we hear the sounds of birds, creeks, frogs, and more. The park tours will be hosted using Zoom. During the month of March, we have two tours described below. To register for either or both tours, please contact Dr. Anne Ferguson from Bay Area Older Adults by email

share@bayareaolderadults.org

or call 408-774-0593 and leave your full name, which program you want to register for, and your phone number and email address, so we can send you the Zoom link and phone number to call in. We will call you if there are any unexpected changes to the program.

Wildlife Habitats of Don Edwards Refuge

Thursday March 11, 2021 from 3:30 to 4:30 PM: Discover the diversity of wildlife that makes its home at Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge. We will learn about the endangered species that make their home here, the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Project, and ongoing South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project supported by Santa Clara Valley Water District. Our tour of five different refuge habitats will be led by Interpretive Specialist and Watershed Watchers Coordinator of the San Francisco Bay Wildlife Society.

Anderson Lake Waterways

Thursday March 25, 2021 from 3:30 to 4:30 PM: Join us for an educational walk by Coyote Creek and Anderson reservoir in search of birds and other wildlife. Along the way, we will learn about the reservoir and the dam, the seismic retrofit project led by Santa Clara Valley Water District, and the wildlife supported by the lake.

Cheers!

Anne Ferrguson


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EVENT CALENDAR: March to April, 2021

Compiled by Mike Keithley

Notes

A weekly SVCB Social Hour is scheduled for 4 PM every Wednesday afternoon until sheltering at home has ended.

  • Call in number: 408-638-0968
  • Meeting ID: 739825688
  • Passcode: 222638
  • When prompted for a participant code, press the Pound key.
  • Join Zoom Meeting us02web.zoom.us/j/739825688?pwd=bk85ZUVmZ3UxUjEzVHN5aG1NRWZjUT09
  • One tap mobile +14086380968,,739825688#,,,0#,,222638#
  • Note that the above call-in information is used for SVCB's virtual membership meetings as well.

San Francisco LightHouse

To hear weekly events at the San Francisco LightHouse, call 415-694-7325.

Let's Talk Low Vision

The monthly "Let's Talk Low Vision" conferences from CCLVI for 2020 can be accessed as podcasts at http://ltlv.cclvi.org/2020-archives.

If you want to participate in these conferences, visit ltlv.cclvi.org/lets-talk-low-vision-schedule.

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

March: Eye Donor Awareness Month.

March 4, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting. If you're not on the Board but want to attend this meeting, contact SVCB president Rob Turner.

March 8 through 12: 36th Annual CSUN Conference will be held online. Visit www.csun.edu/cod/conference/ for details. You can still register for a free Expo Visitor Pass up until the closing of the Exhibit Hall on March 13th.

March 15, noon: April newsletter deadline. Publish Spring membership list.

March 16: Let's Talk Low Vision, Jenine Stanley Guide dogs, see notes.

March 20, 10 AM: Virtual SVCB membership meeting, see notes, auction. Discuss resolutions for CCB Convention.

April, 2021

April 1, 7 to 9 PM: SVCB Board meeting.

April 6, 5:30-7 PM: Breast Cancer Support Group meeting; call-in: 605-715-4920; ID: 2776167. For questions, call Lori Scharff at 516-887-1336, or lorischarff@gmail.com.

April 16 through 17: The 61st Annual CTEBVI Conference, Tipping Point, will be held online.

April 17, 10 AM: Monthly SVCB meeting.

April 19, noon: May newsletter deadline.