Blind Coloradan Blog
May 25, 2023
Writer, aggregator: Kevan Worley
Contributors: Dan Burke & Erin Daley. With assistance from Lisa Bonderson.
National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, President, Jessica Beecham
My apology
From the aggregator: Long time no post. Sorry folks, it’s been one of those springs. Running between the raindrops things just got crazy for your intrepid aggregator. The last few months have found our great affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind with even greater resolve than ever. Even with the tragic losses of longtime leaders as well as some incredible more recent members of the cause. This affiliate remains strong, innovative, and vibrant. Many of our chapters are doing better than ever. The chief program of this affiliate is our Colorado Center for the Blind. They have added new staff, continued to grow the senior’s program, embarked on an ambitious strategic planning process and they are set for one of the most robust summer programs for youth in our history. We recently held a highly successful seminar for guide dog handlers and those interested in guide dogs. We were proud to find that one of our own, Dan Hlavinka, has won an NFB national scholarship. Dan is a graduate of the Colorado Center for the Blind and currently teaches our industrial arts curriculum. We are planning our September 9 annual NFBCO 6 Dot Dash event and we have again secured state support for our NFB Newsline. Our Mile High Chapter competed in a Chamber of Commerce Shark Tank exhibition to raise money for our youth programs. There is much much more to report. You will find some of it in this blog. I’m sorry it has been so long. I hope you find the wait worth it. We look forward to your comments and questions. Enjoy your summer! And I hope to see many of you at our national convention July 1-6 in Houston. Online register has closed but you can still register onsite at the hotel. If you are unable to secure a room, reach out and we will see if there are some extra rooms still available. There may still be some assistance available from our state affiliate for those who need some extra support to attend the convention. For info about that contact our president, Jessica Beecham. jbbeecham@gmail.com
At your service, Kevan Worley
From the aggregator: As mentioned in the last newsletter, Mountains & Plains At Large Chapter President and close friend of Traci Jones, ReNae Anderson has provided a lovely, moving tribute to her dear friend and it follows.
Dr. Traci Corano Jones, Ph’d
During the pandemic, as the Colorado affiliate of the NFB held meetings virtually, Traci never missed an opportunity to participate and attend meetings or events. During the 2021 Washington Seminar, Traci joined from her hospital bed in the intensive care unit, where she struggled with respiratory distress. She testified on the importance of making medical equipment accessible for the blind. She knew firsthand the importance of this bill and wanted to share her lived experience.
Before moving to Colorado, she started a nonprofit in Virginia. Rise Phoenix Rise rose from personal tragedy, where she experienced the profound healing that can come from animal interaction. Seeing how lived experience through peer support, combined with animal assisted therapy, bringing forth personal growth for those struggling with mental health and substance use disorders. Despite her own physical health struggles, she offered others the opportunity to rise from the ashes and soar to greater heights.
Her greatest joy was her family, especially her two granddaughters who lived in Virginia. Wanting to build a strong relationship with them, she often Facetimed daily, seeing what they were doing and planning. Her daughter and two granddaughters were never far from her mind, wanting the best for them. This was her legacy, knowing that everything else brought her happiness, but these two little girls brought her great joy.
Despite her health issues, that often resulted in no voice, Traci always communicated her thoughts. When she spoke, through her whispers, it was often profound, wanting to ensure others also had a voice. Her Diversity, equity and inclusion was of upmost importance to Traci, wanting equity for everyone. When she saw an injustice, she called it out, wanting to make that change, always educating in the process. Self-efficacy was vital, and Traci wanted all to discover that for themselves.
Traci became very active in the NFB, holding the office of vice president for the Mountains & Plains At Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado. She was co-chair of the DEI committee, wanting to develop great change and understanding for everyone. Her goals always focused on what others needed, not what she may need. Despite her continual hospitalizations, Traci continued working on her dissertation, editing while having breathing treatments, holding meetings with advisors with numerous medical devices around her. This did not stop her from achieving her dream of becoming Dr. Traci Corano Jones, Ph’d. With the completion of her doctorate degree in December 2021, she was finally able to attend the hooding ceremony in October 2022, where she walked proudly across the stage, alongside her leader dog Jessie, and received her doctorate degree. This accomplishment was a dream that finally came to fruition, due to her hard work, tenacity and never giving up, rising from the ashes and soaring like a phoenix.
On January 28, 2023, Traci’s body couldn’t fight anymore. Although her spirit soared, her physical body gave up. Traci fought until the end, never wanting to give up on helping others with their own struggles. Dr. Jones, you are greatly missed. Your continual rising from the ashes has set others on new heights, seeing how you continually rose, seeking new heights and always making life better for others.
From the aggregator: Over the past several issues we have posted updates from Chaz Davis. I encourage you to get to know Chaz. He is a dedicated and bright member of our Colorado Center for the Blind management team. He is leading the effort to continue our quest to reach families of blind children. Here is what our director of youth services has to say about our upcoming busy summer at the Colorado Center for the Blind.
The Colorado Center for the Blind’s Youth program is gearing up for a busy summer ahead!
Our youngest participants will be kicking off the summer with our two-week NFB BELL® Academy day program from June 12-23 at our Colorado Center for the Blind. The theme of this year’s camp is transportation. Each student will have the opportunity to improve their Braille literacy skills while also working to improve independence and self-determination through challenging outings like rock climbing and exploring the country’s largest airport.
The Colorado Center for the Blind, In partnership with cyber.org, Is offering a coding/robotics program for kids in the Metro Denver area this summer! From June 13-15, students will develop their coding skills through the use of MicroBit, a pocket-sized computer designed to educate the beginner coder or bolster the skills of the confident user. Oh yeah, and on the last day of camp, participants will hit the water for a kayaking adventure!
To round out the summer, CCB will be hosting seventeen high schoolers and transition-aged young adults from around the country for our four-week residential program from July 9-August 4. Students will learn about the world of work and meet blind people who work in all kinds of careers. A highlight of the program is the integration of challenge recreation activities like rock climbing, goal ball, boating, ziplining, and much more. The emphasis of the program will be to improve the core skills of Braille, technology, home management, and cane travel no matter the student’s background. Each student will strengthen their skill set in STEM fields with hands-on experiments using accessible, nonvisual tools and strategies. Participants will learn what it takes to be successful in college, including how to navigate the unfamiliar new landscape of higher education.
Deal with it
By Jo Elizabeth Pinto
From the aggregator: Readers of this blog know how much I enjoy the writing of NFBCO member and successful author Jo Elizabeth Pinto. She is kind, generous, thoughtful, and sometimes outspoken. Here is her latest contribution to the Blind Colorado. We hope you like it. If you don’t, “deal with it.”
I recently spent an afternoon with my ten-year-old daughter at her end-of-year picnic and fourth grade field day activities. I'd love to wax rhapsodic about hanging out with my kid in the sun, munching hamburgers and cheering her on as she won ribbons and had fun with her friends. Unfortunately, fate pitched something more disturbing my way.
The fifth graders ran the field day events, and I must say, those young helpers were marvelous. One relay involved the kids scooping golf balls from a bucket onto plastic spoons at one set of cones and running to another set of cones and back, then dropping the golf balls in the bucket again for other kids to scoop up. The race encouraged teamwork and cooperation as well as speed and coordination. I mingled with the kids, while several parents stood off chatting in a knot by themselves. Pretty typical. I often get along with children better than I do with their parents. Children are usually more accepting of people with differences than adults are.
Anyway, the kids started cheering on their own teams. But as the race got more competitive, the cheering degenerated into insults about how slow some of the runners were and how bad their balance was.
"Come on, don't be mean," I said, firmly but amiably. "You can cheer each other on and still be respectful."
"Mom, don't tell other kids what to do," my daughter warned me under her breath. "Two of the moms are giving you mean looks."
I shrugged that off. I hadn't done anything wrong. It takes a village, right? At least in my day, if kids needed to be reminded about respect, it was acceptable for any parent to be the messenger. When the race heated up again and my own daughter got out of hand and made a crack about some other kid's hair rather than cheering on her teammates, I told her to watch her negative comments and stay positive, just the way I would have with any other child.
The race ended. My daughter ran off toward the long jump pit with a couple of her friends. But as I lagged behind with my guide dog, I heard two mothers having a vicious conversation between themselves. I was glad my little girl didn't overhear it.
"Our government gives blind people like her money every month," one of the women snapped. "I don't know why that's not enough for them, why they can't stay home and not get in the middle of things."
"I know, right?" the other one chimed in. "They have to get those dogs of theirs and come out in public like they're as good as anybody, have kids, strut around the schools and everything..."
I turned my head in their direction, ready to say something, then changed my mind. It would have been inappropriate for me to make a scene at my daughter's field day event. There's no point in trying to open small minds anyway. The women must have seen me looking in their direction because their tirade ended as quickly as it had begun.
But I'll say this much, here, and now, to the whole world. We blind people aren't about to stay home, out of the middle of things. Deal with it. We'll get our dogs and our white canes and come out in public because we *are* as good as anybody. Deal with it. We'll strut around the schools, the world, wherever we choose to ... deal with it. Hate speech won't stop us. Negative attitudes won't stop us. Intimidation won't stop us. Lack of access won't stop us. We've faced that and more for decades--centuries--and we're still here, still fighting, and not going away, not staying home, not backing down. Deal with it.
Oh, and my daughter and I had a great time. She won three ribbons--fifth place in the 75-meter dash, fourth place in the standing long jump, and third place in the ball toss. I'm very proud of her.
https://www.facebook.com/authorjepinto/
Denver’s Area Agency On Aging
Neither Transparent Nor Responsive
By Curtis Chong
From the aggregator: Some of the most important and timely content we post is very often provided by longtime federation member and fierce advocate Curtis Chong. In this blog, we are informed by three timely articles from Curtis. Here is what Curtis relates about DRCOG.
The Denver Council of Regional Governments, otherwise known as “Doctor Cog,” provides funding to the DRCOG Area Agency on Aging (AAA) that can be used for transportation services. These services include $400 per month that can be used for transportation via Uber and an equivalent amount of funding to use a service called HopSkipDrive. These transportation services are supposed to be available to seniors who are 60 years or older and who reside and require transportation within eight counties in the Denver metropolitan area: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin, and Jefferson.
Many seniors are blind or have other disabilities which make it impossible for them to drive. In the past two years, I myself have used the Uber and the HopSkipDrive services with positive results. In March of this year, with little or no fanfare, the DRCOG Area Agency on Aging implemented a significant policy change to this transportation program. An updated policy document was emailed to program participants on March 3, under the subject of “Transportation Services Survey.” There was nothing in the email to emphasize a significant change in program policy. Program participants were told that a policy document was attached for their review, but there was no information in the body of the email to alert program participants that policies governing the provision of transportation services had been restricted. Thus, most people who received this email were likely not to read a document which, from their perspective, they had read and signed before.
According to the updated policy, “…HopSkipDrive and Uber cannot be used for transport to bars, casinos, dispensaries, liquor stores, Denver International Airport, work or dialysis.”
I am at a loss to understand the rationale for these restrictions. If an agency of government is going to provide an eligible person with funds to subsidize his/her transportation, why would the airport be out of bounds? Why would “work” not be a destination or a pickup location for a senior who is fortunate enough to be employed? Why are bars off limits? Don’t seniors want to drink from time to time or meet up with friends or colleagues in an environment that supports positive social interaction?
I find it interesting and more than a little concerning that there is no information available online which describes the transportation services and the policies related to these services. I have also learned from some of my friends and colleagues in the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado that the DRCOG Area Agency on Aging is putting all new applicants on a waiting list with absolutely no indication as to when new applications will be processed.
Malorie Miller is the program manager for transportation services at the DRCOG Area Agency on Aging, and she tells me that she is the person with whom these restrictions and other issues with the Choice Services policy and guidelines should be discussed. Malorie Miller and I have corresponded several times by email. To be fair, she has sent me every document that I have asked her to send, including the document which describes how a program participant might challenge specific program policies or procedures. According to the documentation sent to me, complaints, grievances, and appeals can be submitted either to the DRCOG Area Agency on Aging or the State Unit on Aging.
People in the Denver area who might want to communicate with Malorie Miller might want to know the appropriate email address and phone number to reach her. Here they are.
Malorie Miller
Email: MMiller@drcog.org
Main DRCOG Telephone: 303-455-1000
While the issues discussed here are not specifically targeted at the blind, they certainly will have a negative impact on blind seniors. Now is our chance to do what we in the National Federation of the Blind have done with other problems--that is, work actively and effectively to resolve them. I urge anyone living in the Denver area who wants to weigh in on this issue to send emails to Malorie Miller or to give her a call.
You Can Now Hail An Uber By Calling A Number
Information from Curtis Chong
From the aggregator: I’m sure some readers have seen this information on Colorado Talk. However, many of our Denver Meto residents may benefit from this new opportunity. We always get the most interesting and up-to-date information from Aurora Chapter member Curtis Chong.
Uber’s making it easier to hail a ride — no app required.
The company announced Wednesday at its annual Go-GET event in New York City that it’s launching a new ride-hailing option for people who aren’t as familiar navigating a smartphone. By dialing the toll-free number 1-833-USE-UBER (1-833-873-8237) in the U.S., customers can speak with an agent in English or Spanish to request a ride on-demand or reserve one for a future trip.
Uber has piloted ride-hailing via phone before. It launched the program in select regions around December 2020, specifically Arizona and Florida. But the company temporarily paused the service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the feature is back and more widely available.
When calling, people who have an existing Uber account can tell the agent and use an existing payment method on file. If they don’t have an account, they can pay with a credit card by phone and the agent can create an account for them.
Here’s how it works:
•Customers call Uber from a phone to talk to a team member.
•Once the ride has been confirmed, Uber sends information via text message about the ride, including the driver’s name and picture, license plate number and their estimated time of arrival.
•Finally, the customer receives another text message when the driver arrives at their pickup location.
•What about tips? Booking an Uber via phone doesn’t provide a way to do that — surely to the chagrin of drivers. But Uber points out that riders can give cash tips if they choose to do so.
“Providing customers with more ways to use Uber remains top priority and we’re excited to nationally expand this updated offering,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch via email.
Federal Judge Is Refused Lyft Ride Due to Guide Dog
From the aggregator: One of the most impassioned discussions at the recent Great Western Guide Dog Show and Seminar was the continuing struggle with transportation network companies who refuse to carry our guide dogs. While The National Federation of the Blind continues a variety of efforts in collaboration with our guide dog division the problem remains. We thought you might enjoy reading this article from the Washington Post. We know of some guide dog handlers who, from time to time, leave their guide dogs at home, knowing that if time is of the essence, one or two ride refusals will cause them to be late for work or miss an appointment. This travesty of justice must cease.
A federal judge was refused a Lyft ride with his guide dog. He's not alone.
U.S. Judge David Tatel had hailed a ride to court, but as soon as he got into his Lyft, he said the driver got out and began shouting that he would not take Tatel's guide dog.
By Rachel Weiner
https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/rachel-weiner/?itid=ai_top_weinerre
Important Survey to Support Colorado Accessibility Effort
From the aggregator: Curtis Chong is and advocate he is also a man I refer to as one of our tech gurus. Here is another note we received from Curtis.
Hello everyone:
As you may know, our State of Colorado has made a commitment to improve the accessibility of digital products and systems across state government—both for state employees with disabilities and the general public. The Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) has been especially active and forward-thinking in this regard. I serve as a member of the Technology Accessibility Advisory Board, representing the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado.
People with disabilities, including the blind, are being asked to participate in an accessible online state technology accessibility survey. I have looked at the survey, and I believe it to be fully usable and accessible to screen reader users. Please take a few minutes to fill this out. Here is the link.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdYHzZX7YQG2bQWt2uHYY957UicFqYmgWzwdyuszJTpvTh8EA/viewform
Blind Students Visit the City By the Bay
From the aggregator: We are not always able to post everything we receive from our friends at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. There is always much excitement at our state school. We will note that they are now in the midst of a search for a superintendent. There are also seats available on the Board of Trustees. But here is what our friend, Dianne Taylor, manager of community development at the school, has to say about a recent student trip.
Over Spring Break, five students and a staff member from the School for the Blind traveled to San Francisco California for an unforgettable experience. In partnership with the Lighthouse for the Blind, San Francisco, and the Enchanted Hills camp, CSDB was granted funding from the Harvey Family Foundation to cover all expenses. Students experienced many modes of transportation – planes, trains, automobiles, sailboats, cable cars, buses, trollies, and more. Students practiced their Independent Living Skills continually while having new experiences. From sailing on the San Francisco Bay, learning about what it takes to have a guide dog, woodworking, yoga, hiking, nature listening, and bop-it competitions, this group stayed busy! Students reported their favorite parts were socializing with students from Missouri’s Southeast Kids in Action and challenging themselves to try new things. Memorable moments included learning to start a campfire, first airplane rides, using power tools, sailing, and learning about the sounds of nature.
NFB Newsline
Note: NFB Newsline is for all blind, low vision and print disabled people. A great chapter activity is to sign up members and teach all members a little about how to take advantage of all that NFB Newsline has to offer. Let us know if your chapter decides to center an activity around NFB Newsline. Let us know if we can help.
Not Your Average Dolly
By Peggy Chong
From the aggregator: We are so fortunate to have The Blind History lady in our affiliate. We are fortunate to have regular articles from her for The Blind Colorado Blog. For those of us who enjoy history. For those of us who love learning about our, “blind ancestors” if you will? These posts from Peggy are always a delight.
Greetings to All:
It is a wonderful Spring! Here is a story of a lady that blossomed all her life.
Dorothy “Dolly” Glass sat at her typewriter on a cold February day in 1947, in her home in San Francisco, writing to a friend.
I opened my 24-hour, Professional Answering Service business on the first of January and set myself a personal goal of sixty new clients in sixty days. Dear friend, I am here to tell you that 1947 is a good year. I have already met my goal.
Dolly, almost fifty years old, was still beautiful, with honey blonde hair and vivid blue eyes. She showed no trace of the hardships the Depression years put her through. Now in her third career, she was ready to take on the world, this time sitting in the comfort of her chair.
Dolly was born December 6, 1897, with weak eyes. By the time she was six, she was totally blind. Her parents knew nothing of blindness, yet worried how their daughter would support herself when she grew up. They decided to treat her just like they did their other children, assigning Dolly the same chores on their California ranch that they expected of their other daughters.
She kept house, cooked, mended, and tended the farm animals. She also rode horses, climbed trees, and played all the games her friends did.
At age twelve, Dolly was sent to the California School for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind in Berkley, more than seventy miles from her home. During her time at the school, the students went home only for long breaks as travel took much of a day, one way. She quickly caught up academically with her classmates. She learned Braille, typing, and how to travel as a blind person.
She expressed an interest in cosmetology to her blind teachers. Classes in massage were provided for her through a local public massage school for the sighted. Massage was an occupation blind men and women were succeeding in. Later, the Blind school found a school that allowed Dolly to take classes in basic beauty and scalp massage. Dolly had to pay for these classes on her own. Sometimes she felt as though the sighted students in her outside classes thought of her as a novelty and did not take her seriously. In no time, Dolly demonstrated that she could learn just as well, and in some cases, better than they. She completed an additional full course in massage therapy before graduating from the school for the blind in 1919.
After graduating, she applied for positions as a massage therapist at several local hospitals. All the people who interviewed her were very nice but pointed out that she had no experience. They expressed concern that a blind person could not do all the work required of a massage therapist in their hospitals. The rejections hurt, more than she would admit to herself at the time.
“Well, if no one will hire me, I will hire myself,” She told herself. That meant more training. She went back to study beauty culture at a cosmetology school, specializing in scalp treatments, facials, and shampooing. She had no difficulty with the classes, the hands-on assignments, or the school.
When she graduated, Dolly again found no salon that wanted to hire her. She opened a small shop in Manteca, California, where her parents lived, employing one sighted operator to help her with permanent waving, finger waving, manicuring and other specialties she did not do herself. She got an apartment a few blocks from her shop so she could independently walk back and forth to work.
Dolly gave facials, shampoos, comb-outs, personal makeup, massages, and did all the bookkeeping. One of the best advertisements for her salon was Dolly herself. Her honey blonde hair was always done in a stylish coiffure that she styled herself. She tastefully applied her makeup every day. When customers came into the shop, Dolly sold them on her abilities by pointing out her new hairstyle, saying, “I did it myself.”
Dolly had an energetic personality. Dolly chose topics of conversation of interest to her clients while they sat in her chair. When clients walked through the door, she greeted them by name, after hearing their voice. Then commented on something personal. If they wore a nice dress to an event earlier that week, she noted how they looked very good in the dress. Often, she told the client whose dress she commented on. that she had asked so-and-so about their new dress, in order to explain how she could “see” their new outfit or hair style.
Her blindness was not the characteristic that stood out to her friends and clients. Dolly walked erect and quickly around town, without a cane in her younger years. She moved around her shop with ease. Conversations included the words “see,” or “look,” or other words commonly used in everyday conversations that put her clients at ease with her blindness.
After a year and a half, about 1928, she moved to Sonora, where she opened her larger shop. Unlike many salons, Dolly kept the shop open through the Depression. Her business grew through the 1930’s and at one time she had eleven employees. After the beginning of World War II, women spent their money on necessities, not frivolities.
Dolly told reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle in 1937, "There were many strenuous days at the beginning," Dolly said, "but I have built up my business gradually and securely. During 1934, I have installed the most modern equipment used in beauty shops and have just completely remodeled the interior of my store, and at present employ three operators. I enjoy the work and carry on my business without any difficulty. It is very interesting to meet the public, and I derive a great deal from that.”
All her adult life, Dolly was active in community and women’s groups, and organizations of the blind. In the fall of 1942, Dolly was asked by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) if she was interested in being a solicitor/public relations representative for the NFB. The salon was doing well, so after some thought Dolly said she would take on the job.
Her task was to make contacts with the labor unions of California, asking for their support on state and federal legislation and to give a financial contribution. Dolly worked for a percentage of the money she brought in. This was a common practice at the time.
As salon business was slow on Mondays, Dolly took trips early in the week to San Francisco. She traveled via bus. She stayed at inexpensive hotels as her expenses came out of her commission. Most trips were information gathering. She visited the offices of the unions, getting the correct contact information and applying for credentials. Before speaking or asking for support, either financial or political, an organization and its representatives were vetted by each union or trade group to ensure the union’s funds were not given to just any charity. Dolly went home and typed letters from her Braille notes to those union officials after putting in a day’s work at the salon.
The message of the NFB’s was not as dramatic as other blind organizations. But the message was compelling to the unions. Dolly, as a professional businesswoman and employer, gave a strong, self-assured impression of herself. Dolly’s persona matched the message that the NFB was a movement, not a charity.
The demands for speaking presentations, interviews over radio, travel, and correspondence were taking up more and more of her time and financial resources. She found a friend to stay with to cut costs when traveling to San Francisco. She hired a secretary to manage her mail.
Dolly was successful in getting union representatives and members to send letters of support to state legislators, congress, and other public officials supporting NFB sponsored legislation. That also meant that the NFB had to give something in return. After vetting her language for testimony with NFB leadership, Dolly lent her support to the union’s opposition to the “Right to Work” legislation and promotions. Just as the unions and labor leaders were concerned that their name not be connected with something not supported by their members, the NFB was just as concerned that the NFB support to the labor community was consistent with the policies of the organization.
When she opened Professional Answering Service, Dolly called on her old labor union friends for leads. Her switchboard was manual and needed little adaptations for the blind. She had her clients and their line numbers in braille at her desk.
They were happy to help their respected friend. She sold her answering service in 1974 and finally retired. The last fifteen years of her life were filled with friends and leisure activities like reading books which she had no time for in the past.
Lions Camp Cleanup
From the aggregator: I recently received this from the downtown Colorado Springs Lions Club. This is one of the clubs that supports the Colorado Lion's Camp in Woodland Park. This expression of love and good works is why Lions Clubs continue to live up to their motto, “we serve.” We have had many members of NFBCO be Lions Club members over the years. And many of us have benefited from the work of Lions Clubs. My first Braille watch was given to me by a Lions Club when I was 7 years old. It was one of the greatest things. I’m a member of the downtown Lions Club. I thought you all might be interested in learning a little about what clubs do to support the Woodland Park summer camp for people with disabilities.
Special thanks to the following members.
Brad & daughter Echo
Bonnie & Darren
David Niedringhaus
Camp Director Erin had planned on 24 attending, and she
was pleased that 36 showed up. There were 14 different Lions Clubs represented.
Tasks performed included raking pine needles (this helps the fire rating from the insurance company), staining picnic tables, cleaning dormitories, and washing windows.
Erin tells me that they have 9 weeks booked at 26 campers per week.
I delivered our Foundation check to sponsor 4 campers and we unloaded the GaGa Ball Pit our Club purchased.
The hammocks were not out yet. A group of 12 to 14 deer have been frequenting the Camp and Erin was afraid they might be tempted to make a meal.
Thanks to everyone.
Terry
S.T.R.E.S.S.
By: Gail Hamilton
From the aggregator: Gail Hamilton is one of our members. Gail is a motivational speaker and author. She is also active in her local Lions Club. It seems like there is never a bad time to share strategies to deal with stress. Everyone knows the past few years have been a series of challenges for our society. Our affiliate has lost incredible leaders in recent months. School is out. Our Colorado Center for the Blind will be overflowing with our youth programs. We thought it was a good time to post this from a recent Gail Hamilton blog.
Stress! Everyone has experienced it sometime in their lives and everyone wants to get rid of it!!!
This reminds me of a game we used to play in college called “Under the Blanket Game.”
An unsuspecting participant would sit in the middle of the floor with a blanket on top of him/her. Others around the person would say, “You have something, we want it, give it to us!” The person in the center of the circle would squirm while the people on the outside would keep on repeating their mantra, “You have something, we want it, give it to us!”
The person under the blanket would start removing their glasses, jewelry, socks, and shoes and pass them under the blanket. The people on the outside would keep repeating, “YOU have something, we want it, just give it to us!!”
If the participant was savvy, they'd finally understand what the group wanted and remove the blanket with much laughter! If not, then, they would remove various pieces of clothing until it became evident that the thing the group wanted was the blanket!
Isn't Stress similar? Stress is something to have! You don't want it! And all you have to do is simply give it away, i.e. give the energy zero attention!!! . . . But how?
Simply, by taking the outer unnecessary layers off, you can alleviate your stress just like the blanket. Let’s illustrate this with an anagram:
1. S Stop what you're doing and take stock of what's on your plate! What things on your plate bring you joy, and what things don't? What things do you have to do, and what things can you delegate to others?
2. T Trust that what you decide to remove from your plate is the right thing to do! You know best! No one else can tell you what you Should or Shouldn't do. You are the master of your domain.
3. R Relax and rest. Even a spinning top has to stop spinning before it can begin its twirling motion again. It's okay to pause, breathe, and take some time off for yourself. Put your phone down, turn off your TV, and just sit in silence. If you're a praying person, pray, meditate, and breathe. There's nothing that has to be done right here right now! Take a break!
4. E Exercise and eat. Are you exercising regularly and eating what you should? If not, putting these back on your plate will help reduce anxiety, worry, anger, and depression. Make a date with yourself to exercise or do something active at least once this week! Make another date to check your refrigerator and cabinets to see what has found its way inside.
5. S How much sleep are you getting per night? According to experts you need 7 to 9 hours—no more, no less—per night of sleep. Short-changing yourself can lead to Alzheimer's disease! And, make sure you go to bed at the same time every night. And, if you still can't sleep, try a magnesium supplement with dinner; this will surely help*!!!
6. S Believe you have the power to take off the STRESS “blanket” and replace it with a lighter calmer Spirit blanket. This Spirit blanket is easy to maneuver in, is transparent, and can protect you—yet, it can be permeable and translucent.
I challenge you to take off your STRESS blanket, stop and look at your plate, trust yourself, relax into the moment, exercise, eat something nutritious, get some sleep, and pay attention to your spirit in order to discern your truth! In those ways, you will let go of stress and embrace Spirit. All is in divine order! You choose the type of blanket you want to wrap your Self in! In choosing your own blanket, not someone else’s, you will change the way you see, and you will change the way you live!!!
*I am not a medical doctor. Please consult a medical professional before adding any supplements to your regimen.
