edited by Cynthia Hawkins
The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB E-Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
Summer Adventures at Oral Hull
The Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind offers two summer retreats for those over the age of 21, the Moderate Adventure Retreat and the High Adventure Retreat. The Moderate Adventure will take place Aug. 12-18 and is for those who want a more leisurely pace in a summer adventure. Activities may include horseback riding, kayaking, hiking, field games, fishing, winery tours, and visits to local museums.
The High Adventure will be held Aug. 24-30, and is geared to those who want more physically challenging adventures. Activities may include kayaking, rock climbing, white water rafting, hiking to an alpine lake, live music, and brewery and winery tours. We have a beautiful 22-acre park in the foothills of the Mount Hood National Forest with a lodge, commercial kitchen and chef, comfy dormitories, spa, indoor pool, gardens and walking trails. For more information, contact the Oral Hull Foundation at (503) 668-6195.
Candle in the Window Retreat
Candle in the Window will hold its annual retreat Oct. 7 through 11, 2020 at the Dogwood on Lake Norman Meeting & Retreat Center located in Sherrills Ford, N.C., not far from Charlotte. This year’s topic is “Competition: Playing the Game of Life.” We will be considering such questions as: What might drive us to be competitive? As blind people, do we feel we need to compete, and for what? Is competition healthy? How can we find balance?
The retreat fee includes round-trip transportation from the Charlotte airport to the retreat center, all meals and your room per person. Fees are as follows: double occupancy (sharing a room with another person) is $400; single occupancy, $550. Due to space constraints, the retreat is limited to 20 participants, so make your reservations early. A $40 deposit (non-refundable) will reserve your spot. All registration fees must be paid in full by Sept. 15th.
Payment through PayPal should be sent to [email protected]. If you’re paying by check, send it to: Carlos Taylor, 925 S. Luick Ave., Muncie, IN 47302. Make check payable to Candle In the Window.
For more information, contact one of the following individuals:
Kathy Szinnyey: [email protected]
Phone: (502) 759-1288
Patrick Votta: [email protected]
Phone: (718) 797-2475
Becky Davidson: [email protected]
Phone: (914) 393-6613
National Braille Press Announces Winners of the 3rd Annual Braille Poetry Contest
The chosen theme for 2020 was “Freedom.” The winners of this year’s contest were: “Freedom of my Heart” by Hayley Thibodeaux of Riverside, Calif. (K-2nd grade), “Freedom to me is…” by Oliver Reyes Mondragon of Garner, N.C. (3rd-5th grade), “The Way Out” by Airel Reyes Mondragon of Garner, N.C. (middle school), “Where My Freedom Lies” by Amy Liu of Warrington, Pa. (high school) and “Freedom from My Grief” by Dena Polston of Muncie, Ind. (adult).
In celebration of Poetry Month, each poem was published on NBP’s blog throughout the month of April. To read the winning poems, visit https://info.nbp.org/3rd-annual-braille-poetry-contest.
Santiago Wins BSCB Community Access Award
Karen Santiago is the winner of the Bay State Council of the Blind Community Access Award. She has been working at Easter Seals in Worcester for several years now as a fundraiser.
Karen is the lead member of the editorial team for “The Blind Perspective” newsletter, a free online, email, and audio monthly informational publication for blind and visually impaired individuals. It started publication in January of 2015. Karen writes the Movers and Shakers column. She has interviewed nearly 75 movers and shakers in the blindness community for this feature. There are also feature columns on such topics as braille, book reviews, accessible craft projects, healthy living, computer tech for PC and Apple devices, and much more!
To sign up for “The Blind Perspective,” visit www.theblindperspective.net, or send a blank email message to [email protected]. Or you may listen to the newsletter at this link: BlindPerspectiveAudio. The newsletter is also available on Newsline. To access it there, do the following:
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