by Melanie Brunson, Acting Executive Director
If you looked at the inside cover of your “Braille Forum” this month, you may have noticed some changes to the information that appears on it. On January 30, Penny Reeder resigned her position as editor of “The Braille Forum.” This was a sad development for all of us. Penny has many talents and during her tenure of nearly four and a half years, she gave us a magazine that was exciting and informative. Those talents will serve her well as she pursues her new professional endeavors. We certainly wish her well. Sharon Lovering has agreed to serve as acting editor until a plan is put in place for identifying someone to fill the position on a permanent basis. Sharon has worked closely with both Penny and her predecessor, and edited “The Braille Forum” for some time when Penny’s predecessor left ACB. She is committed to the work of ACB and has the confidence of the board of publications, so readers can be assured that “The Braille Forum” is in very capable hands.
ACB continues to experience change and it is sometimes difficult for us to know how to respond to it. But though some of it has been difficult, there are a number of positive changes occurring as well. For example, we have seen some increases in the number of ACB members who are taking advantage of programs that enable them to contribute to the financial well-being of their organization. During the holiday season, a number of us purchased gifts from Alaska Smokehouse.com. You may remember that Alaska Smokehouse.com will give a percentage of any sales proceeds to ACB at the request of the purchaser. They sell some pretty yummy items, including desserts and coffees, as well as meats and salmon. I hope readers will keep Alaska Smokehouse.com in mind for those birthday presents, thank-you gifts and other special occasions that arise throughout the year. It provides a great way to make a lot of people happy and support ACB at the same time. You can visit www.alaskasmokehouse.com or call 1-800- 422-0852.
We have also seen an increase in the number of people who are supporting ACB by signing up for our Monthly Monetary Support program. If you don’t know about it, this program allows subscribers to have monthly contributions deducted automatically from their bank accounts if they choose to do so and avoid the hassle of writing checks, and it’s easy to sign up. If you have access to a computer, go to the ACB web site and sign up online. If electronic forms aren’t your cup of tea, we have forms at the ACB national office and would be happy to send one to you. I encourage everyone who is a member or friend of ACB to request a form or sign up online for the Monthly Monetary Support program. Join the growing number of your fellow ACB members and friends who are contributing to positive change in ACB’s resources. Together, we will insure that ACB has the ability to do more than just respond to change. In fact, we will be responsible for change and it will be change that has a positive impact on the quality of life for people who are blind and visually impaired.