Out With A Roar!

Last year ended with a great, low-cost, but fantastic Christmas luncheon on December 5 for members of the Low Vision Club and their families.

Thanks to partial sponsorships by Humana MarketPOINT, Molina Medicare, and FirstMark Credit Union, plus a concession by Bill Miller Catering, we were able to combat rising food prices and hold the cost to a reasonable level.

Also we benefitted from free rent by the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church for the use of their gymnasium on a somewhat cool day.  (We did make an unsolicited donation to the church to help with their heating bill.  With the doors opening so often, the building required a lot of heat.)

The entire event was arranged and supervised by Cindy Garcia, our do-everything LVC coordinator, assisted by Elia Pardo, Robin Keenum, Pegi Gonzalez and many other volunteers, including our club drivers, who served the food and cleared the plates.

We were entertained by the same great group of church singers as last year, and a repeat performance by their combination singer and keyboard player… all without charge.  Thanks, thanks, thanks.  And then there was Santa Claus who greeted everyone and posed for photos.  Wasn’t he great?  A copy of each photo with Santa will be available free at our club meeting on February 20, 2010.

Upcoming Programs

January 23, 2010

As you know from our flier mailing, we are leaving our usual meeting place at Warm Springs, and participating in a Low Vision Symposium conducted by the San Antonio Low Vision Coalition.  Your club is a participant in the Coalition, and we are substituting this presentation for our normal January club meeting.

The symposium will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in the Conference Center Building at the Region 20 Education Service Center, 1314 Hines, in zip code 78208.  The program will be open to the general public, and advance registration is requested by calling Prevent Blindness at 210-220-2360.

The keynote address will be by Dr. Calvin Mein from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. during which he will present the latest research on eye diseases.  Before and after his presentation, you may choose from a selection of panels.

February 20, 2010

Back to our usual meeting place at Warm Springs Resource Center for a special presentation at 10 a.m. about our Owl Radio Reading Service.  (Preceding it will be our normal social hour with refreshments from 9 to 10 a.m.)  Believe it or not, Owl Radio will celebrate the end of its 8th year in March.  What a record of service by more than 100 volunteers.

This Low Vision Club program will feature an all-star cast including our Executive Director Bill Phelps, Volunteer Coordinator Sally Wiskemann, maybe the Owl itself, and a demonstration by two long-time readers of how they do a typical session every Monday morning.  You’ll also have a chance to ask questions and sign up for a dedicated-channel radio to hear the daily broadcasts, if you qualify and don’t already have one.

March 6, 2010 (Change from normal 3rd Saturday)

Our 12th Annual EXPO in the gymnasium at Colonial Hills United Methodist Church, 5247 Vance Jackson, just north of Callaghan (same EXPO location as the past few years).  No speeches or program, but displays of low vision aids and agencies to help you.  Open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Come and go as you please.  This is a MUST meeting for everyone interested in maintaining his or her independence.  Sighted guides will be available.

Who is Eileen Foley?

Every month you receive a flier in the mail about the next club program.  The fliers all end with the same message about transportation…”if you need a ride, call Eileen Foley and leave a message on her recorder.”  Well, she does exist and has been doing this (as well as many other things for both the club and Owl Radio) for many years.  I asked Eileen to tell us about herself.  Here are excerpts from her biography.

“I was born and raised in New Bedford, MA.  I entered Truesdale Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1952.  Following Board exams, I was licensed as a registered nurse.  I graduated from the University of Colorado in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.”

“In 1956, I was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force (Nurse Corps).  Assignments were mainly in mid and southwestern U.S., with 2 years in Anchorage, Alaska, and 3 years in Wiesbaden, Germany.   With increase in rank came an increase in responsibility… staff nurse, charge nurse, supervisor and chief nurse of many hospitals.  I retired with the rank of colonel in 1978 after 22 wonderful years of service.”

“Following retirement, volunteer activities included Elf Louise, Meals on Wheels, administrative duties at Coker Methodist Church, manager at Owl Radio and coordinator of transportation for the Low Vision Club.”

And we appreciate you so much, Eileen.  You are in our debt.

I see I’m running out of space.  I also wanted to introduce you to Diana Bloodgood, who has been serving as facilitator at meetings since Bonnie passed away.  She has an interesting story to tell, too, but I will save it until our next newsletter.

A Special Thank You

The Low Vision Resource Center would like to thank all of our many friends who have contributed to our support in 2009.  This includes memorials recognizing Bonnie Truax, Buddy Robichaux, Gemma Sanders, and many other club members or workers for Owl Radio.  As you know, we do not charge dues or sell anything.  We exist because of your generous tax-deductible contributions and the annual donations of others.  We also want to thank the many volunteers who help us to serve the visually impaired.