| B1. RF | HOME | ABOUT US | OUR CLIENTS | SERVICES | CALENDAR | REFERENCE | DONATE |
| B2 NE | ART | BLINDNESS | BOOKS | FORMS | LINKS, WEB | MEDICINE | MUSIC |
| NEWSLETTER | POETRY | SCIENCE | TECHNOLOGY | THE JOURNAL | QUOTES |
Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired
|
July–September 2007 Newsletter There are people who are always there when you need them, and Sierra Services is blessed again. Recent illness kept two out for several weeks, and Program Specialist Frank Durham has still not been able to return. Filling in for the counseling and clients service job are a retuning David Ayala, who held the position for ten years, and Connie Bennett. Both are excellent counselors, and both are doing a wonderful job slipping in seamlessly. We also had several of our drivers take on some extra load. Frank should be back at the beginning of September, but the job done by David, Connie and the drivers is a testament to how this agency can, through the kindness and dedication of our volunteers, weather through and maintain our level of professionalism and service to the client and community. The 9th Abalone Banquet is September 1st We are again presenting the Abalone Banquet at the Foundry in Nevada City, and again we are joined by the finest of Nevada City restaurants and services. Board member Vern Kimmey is again in charge of gathering the abalone for the all you can eat benefit. The remainder of the excellent faire will be provided by Friar Tucks and Country Rose who will do side dishes, Stonehouse will provide the salad, and topped off with the excellent deserts of Las Katarinas. Wine will be provided by Nevada City Winery, coffee from Caroline’s, and all presented to the melodic strains of “Ragged But Right”. The SPD Deli will provide the Hors d’oeuvres and their excellent Cordon Bleu as the alternative to Abalone for those allergic, or the squeamish. Nevada City Rotary will provide their excellent service once more as you tour the culinary delights of Nevada City. There will be a raffle and door prize as well. The donation is $100 for this all you can eat event, and tickets must be purchased in advance. Abalone law does not allow tickets to be sold at the door. We serve at 6:00, but come early for the music and Hors d’oeuvres. Call the office, or come by to purchase you tickets before September first, the sooner the better. Hope for Wet Macular Degeneration in New Study We have just learned that GenVec, Inc. in Maryland has announced in the February 2006 issue of Human Gene Therapy that a new gene therapy for the treatment of wet Macular Degeneration. The tests were conducted by Peter Campachiaro, M.D. of the Wilmer Institute at Johns Hopkins University Medical School. Known as AdPEDF, tests on humans designed to test safety had a secondary finding that the disease was halted when larger doses were administered. Also significant was that the progression of the degeneration was halted for 12 months with a single injection to the macula. Age related Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over age 55. More than 9 million people in the United States are affected, and one in four will be legally blind at age 80 from Macular degeneration alone. Larger tests are scheduled before the treatment is released for more widespread use. Seasonal nature of Donations to Non-Profits One of the things we do is follow the seasons and economy when putting a budget together. Summer months are slow as people are vacationing, or just have other things on their mind. It is human. Tax time is another slow period, the holidays and the fresh air and flowers of spring improve things. The rise in gas prices is a double issue, people need those extra funds and our expenses for transportation go up considerably. This all adds up to a feast or famine budget for a non-profit. This is why those individuals who give regularly are among the volunteers we appreciate so much. The newsletters have drawn some to give when they see the slip, and they come usually at a time when most needed. Thank you for the help at whatever time of year. We are 94% self funded, and each donation is how we are able to serve the 386 clients now receiving services from us. The bird song has no word beyond the joy of his soul Its single refrain tells all there is to know of him… Why the Short Newsletter? If businesses can have sensory overload like people do, we have it. For us the June Golf Tournament is followed immediately by the organizational side of the Abalone Banquet. At the same time we have the closing of the fiscal year, and the related audit activities, and the extensive reports for the grant are due. Being small, we close the first week of July so we can get vacations. These happen each year. That is the nature of a non-profit business. This year we also had two of the four of us out on medical leave, and Mr. Durham still is. And then there were the things we got ourselves into. A recent “Better Half” cartoon in the Union asked the ultimate computer question, “It’s time to upgrade, but I am not sure which part has become obsolete…the computer, the software, or me!” For us it was all three systems. We were so far back in the software department that things would not convert very well. When we called Symantec for support on or version of Q&A, they laughed. They had no idea someone was still using that version. A famous man once said, “To err is human, but it takes a computer to really foul things up.” We are again guilty of both. Andrew would seem to now be the full time converter of things unconvertible, and things created by our own obsolescence. The goal is that we will be real members of this century, and soon. In the process we have pride in the fact that we have done as W. C. Fields recommended. We have taken “the bull by the tail and faced the situation.” We will be the better for it. To help we need 3 types of people to volunteer. Those who know golf to assist us at Golf Tournament time, January to June. The same is true of the Abalone Banquet in the summer months. These committees can do far more than the office can because they can concentrate on a single aspect without the distractions of the every day, and they have expertise we do not have. If you have a little time, especially if you have worked for another agency and have planning experience with a non-profit, we need your assistance. Drivers are the most active and we need more here as well. Travel to our program, and to doctors is critical in a rural area. The last group are the members of the Board of Directors. They meet once a month, and they are the backbone of management for the organization. Presently we have 6, we need as many as 18 which would allow us to form the committees internally. If you have the time, we have the task, and hope you can join us in service to the community. … Some would seek time away from troubled lives they hope were left behind There are those who simply go fishing Gentle, friendly sorts who give to the mountains as much as they take in inspiration Some who are as refreshing as the streams they inhabit Those who take from the stream only to give it back in kindness And it is they who give credence to the term humanity. January – March Newsletter, 2007 You have to get it right the first time. Margaret Mead At Sierra Services we have talked about the changes in our community for quite a while now. It is our responsibility to know what is changing so we can change with it. One of the things we have seen is the society that permeates our cities is coming with the new residents, and the rural nature of the community they sought is disappearing. People thinking they can have a vote to bring in Trader Joe’s, and the public discussion of how many Starbuck’s we can have is a symptom. Bumper stickers that say not to “Roseville Grass Valley” are also. It takes something for others to also take note. The leveling, and some would say drop in real estate recently has caused some to say, “Now what?” The influx of seniors coming to our community for retirement seemed to be an endless flow, and now we must face a lack of new building sites for construction of the dream home, or growth to a point where we are no longer the community people came here for. “New concepts” in housing are a change in more than design, it is a change in lifestyle and the character of the community. We need to discuss more than what color to paint them. Those who have already arrived will give us new challenges in just a very few years as health issues begin to take the stage over the activity our community has afforded newer retirees. At the same time there is talk of closing schools. We need to see not only who is coming, we must address who is going. The economy of the new retiree must be replaced by a new economy. Downtown areas need to attract the tourist again, and industry needs to provide a suitable living. Traffic must be dealt with in a manner more directed at what we need to do, and less toward endless expense and argument about a single intersection. More significant is the need to deal with the doctor shortage. Health issues will increase dramatically in the next ten years. These are the big issues. Bigger issues than the color of a building. They, like everything else have ripple effects. Transportation to and from medical appointments is almost impossible if you can’t drive any more. If you are one of the one in four who will become blind by age 80 from macular degeneration alone, you will have to quit driving. If you can’t maintain your self in your home because there are no services to train you to live independently with vision and other health problems, there will be a glut of homes on the market. The economic effects will be dramatic, and negative. Transportation receives a lot of attention, and is not just an off ramp on highway 49 to provide hospital access pushed aside by a roundabout and the problems of one intersection or funds for a new hiking or bike trail. (Funding spent on just the study of the roundabout would fund Sierra Services for well over a decade.) Transportation is the backbone of the services we provide the blind at Sierra Services, it is Telecare, and it is a form of medical transportation we do not even have yet. Like the counseling and training specific to vision Sierra Services provides, the hospital is now involved in training and counseling, county health nurses can’t handle the load they now have, and home health nurses and care organizations can’t pay what they need to in order to retain good people. As our cities and county talk about the future, and plan for it, they need to discuss the consequences in human terms. The quality of life they talk about is not how long you sit at an intersection, it is as much how we care for each other. Do we support people like the client of Sierra Services for the Blind at a cost of around $350 per year to retain independence, or place them in a facility at a public cost of over $30,000, or simply hope they leave and the problems go away? If they leave, what are the economic effects? Who or what replaces them that will retain a vibrant community? Remember as well, the young are leaving because there is no suitable employment, and schools are thinking closure. A decade from now we need to be talking about what we have done for the people of our communities, and the quality of life we offer those who came here looking for something and found it. We have already experienced times where we talked of what we once were, and could point to little more than the buildings they left behind to prove it. Everyone has deep in their heart the old town or community where they first went barefoot, got their first licking, traded the first pocket knife, grew up and finally went away thinking they were too big for that Burg. But that is where your old heart is. Will Rogers We asked you to let us know how you felt about saying thank you for donating to Sierra Services for the Blind. The response was evenly mixed. However the comments were not. It was the general feeling that should we spend some of the funding on paid thank you notices like some put in the newspaper we would violate the intentions of the funding. We also heard from many that they gave because they like what we do, and don’t want recognition beyond taking care of the client. A few, mostly clients giving what they can, expressed some sense of embarrassment if their lower donations were published. Most of the donations we receive are $25 or less. Most are to say thank you, not receive one. The Board of Directors agrees that we can not afford publication, nor have we had the staff time to produce the list properly. They have decided that the policy of using the newsletter to recognize larger and regular donors of both financial contributions, and including critical volunteer efforts that would not be on the listing. An example is Ray Lassing. Ray has been with the organization for years, as a Board Member for a time, but mostly he is at every event as a volunteer. He collects the coin in the stores for us every month, without fail. He is tireless in his effort to help wherever he can, and works hard whenever asked. Recently we have received donations from several other organizations, again mostly smaller ones who are directly involved in service to the community and see us as partners in that effort. Since January organizations like the Nevada County Woods Riders, Auxiliary Grass Valley Rifle, Rod and Gun Club, Sierra Pines United Methodist Church, and United Methodist Women have joined us. Company Donations from the corporate matching programs at Microsoft and Washington Mutual allow people to double their donation, and remain anonymous if they choose. Then again, we never know when someone like Wayne Garten will walk in with a donation, or Doctor Norsell from Auburn will suddenly show up with $100. Each will be recognized as an individual by letter. Each becomes a part of the over all picture of a small local agency and the support they receive from their community. Each will know the entire donation went directly to the process by which we will serve the client. Recognition with an endowment such as one left by Christine Freeman will provide monthly income for as long as we continue to serve the community. Progress often is a three-step process. You change something, which changes something, which causes you to have to change something and progress more slowly than you had hoped. Who would have thought cell phones would cause so many pedestrians to get run over when drivers are talking rather than driving. It has recently come to light that the blind who are dependent on traffic sounds to negotiate our streets can’t hear the new hybrid cars. Dog training has had to change because the dogs use the same techniques to some extent. The present solutions seem interesting as well. The national Federation for the Blind suggested a noisemaker in the wheels. Sort of the playing card held on with a clothes pin idea. The President of the San Diego Prius club said he doesn’t see the problem. “Hybrid drivers are more aware of things around them than other drivers. They can see a blind person because they carry a white cane with a red tip. They are more careful.” I guess they don’t use cell phones. They also don’t seem to know most canes no longer have the red tip, or that some people who are legally blind don’t use a cane. They have limited vision, especially peripheral vision which they may have lost completely. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle would seem to indicate the blind know they have a problem and need to adjust somehow. We hope the Prius club and the auto industry will also make an effort to adjust before we hang a sign that says, “Progress: footnote attached”. Until then, if you own a hybrid, think playing card and clothes pin before someone wants to pass an expensive law that all crosswalks must have a “blind crossing” sign. If you have been in the office lately you have discovered a distinguished looking new addition. Andrew Tidwell comes to us after a long and impressive career in business. He will be responsible for office and record keeping functions for the most part. He will also have the ability and chore of picking up some of the functions of the now part time Executive Director's responsibilities. More significantly, he knows what we do and why we do it. He will bring a level of care for the needs of the client that we have made our reputation on, and our clients have come to expect from those that preceded him. But America’s problem as to “where to invest my money?” is unique. The whole world would give their right leg to be bothered with that problem.” Will Rogers It is again that time of year for us to begin the membership drive. We are a corporation, and one of very few that have an active, and voting membership. While many memberships are simple fund raising events, ours is different because of the members voting right. Each year we must have an Annual Meeting of the Membership. Similar to a stock holders meeting, the membership must approve of any changes in the bylaws recommended to them by the Board of Directors. It is also an opportunity for members to make recommendations from the floor to make a structural change in the organization. Should the Board of Directors take the organization in a direction contrary to the purposes of the organization, they can be recalled at that meeting, and a new Board of Directors elected. However, there must be cause, and members can not involve themselves in the overall running of the organization. Items such as personnel matters are an example of areas the members may not call to a vote. The reason for this style of membership traces back to Marilyn Beckwith and the concept that it is the client that must dictate the direction the agency takes. While the Board must see to the operational side of the agency, the philosophical purposes and activities of the organization must meet the need of the client and community. It is also why the membership dues are only $10 per year, so that the client can afford to have a voice in the agency. There is also a $100 Life membership which does not require annual renewal. It is also made clear that clients do not have to become members to receive services. Membership is a corporate function, not a client function. At the same time, it is also a time when we raise funding. Many of the Life members donate at this time, renewals often have a few dollars more added to them, and there are always a few new members. It has become one of the largest fund raising events of the year, and a critical one because of the time of year. February and March are lean times for any agency. The holidays are over and the bills came in, taxes are due, and there are vacations to save for. Yet many use the time to dig a little deeper, and it is most appreciated. For more information, letters are on the way for present members. Clients receive a little different letter making it clear they do not have to join, but giving them the opportunity to have a say in the organization. You may also call the office at 265-2121, and ask for Andrew. The Annual Meeting this year is again a dinner meeting, and will be held May 1st at the Love Building in Condon Park, Grass Valley. You will have a chance to hear about the progress we are making in terms of client service, our financial state, and meet the clients and board members in a setting more conducive to conversation than most corporate meetings. We tend to admire trees, as well as men, who bear the stamp of their successful struggles with a certain amount of adversity. Joseph Wood Krutch This year the 4th Annual Golf Tournament will be held at The Ridge on Tuesday, June 12, 2007. Again “Hooked on Golf” radio and television star Mitch Juricich will serve as organizer, MC, and all around event leader. Dick Kramer and the Chrysler Corporation will also be there with the “Hole In One” car, and offer a sleeve of balls to anyone who signs up or wants to take a test drive. The cost is the same, $125 if you have it in by May 16th, which is a point where we have to commit a number to The Ridge. After May 16th it will rise to $135. This is golf, lunch and a banquet, with an exceptional raffle and auction. We hope you can join us with a foursome, and look forward to the awards where skill is emphasized, and the ultimate putter goes to the worst of the worst. We have a high return rate as this is an exceptional tournament. There are some people who leave a legacy that is measured in dollars, some by the edifice that bears their name. Marilyn Beckwith left a quiet legacy measured in human terms. I doubt anyone can come close to finding a number for the people that have been served by Sierra Services for the Blind in the 26 years we have been fulfilling her vision for us. Add to that the 21 years of community service provided by her second endeavor as she was one who helped create F.R.E.E.D., or the many that attended her Grief Recovery Support groups, and those who she personally touched with her clear sense of humanity and positive advice. Sierra Services for the Blind was formed with money she gathered from individuals, and from a walk from Sacramento to Auburn along Highway 80 with a number of other blind individuals. She had made longer walks to draw attention to the issues faced in the blind community, which was almost a shadow issue at the time. You remember them, they were the people who sold their brooms and light bulbs by phone. Though she was less active with Sierra Services the last few years, and unable to attend our 25th anniversary for health reasons, she kept close track of what we were doing and how we served the client. Her legacy is not only in our continued service to the community, but the standard of service she established for us 25 years ago. Our conversations were always directed forward, rather than back to some long resolved issue. She once marveled at our ability to “bend in the wind” during difficult financial times. We who came later marveled at her. Not just a founder, an inspiration that will continue beyond those of us who knew her personally, for the legacy is written in human terms. “Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes happiness. It isn’t attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. Happiness should be a means of accomplishment… …Your success and happiness are in you. External conditions are the accidents of life, its outer trappings. The great, enduring qualities are love and service.” Helen Keller The world doesn’t make sense, why should I paint pictures that do? Pablo Picasso If my husband ever met a woman who looked like one of his paintings, he would faint. Mrs. Pablo Picasso April–June, 2006 Newsletter June 14th Golf Tournament Has New Sponsor Sierra Services 3rd Annual Gold Country Classic Golf Tournament is already known as unique in the mountain area due to the exceptional talents of Mitch Juricich. Mitch is the host of radio and television’s "Hooked on Golf", and is an entertainment by himself. His assistance in development of the tournament has been as valuable as his participation. We are again sponsored by B&C Home and Garden Center, KNCO, KAHI, and the Union. This year adds Chrysler Corporation as a sponsor in conjunction with Magnussen’s in Auburn. Chrysler will be at the event with the car for the hole in one event, but will also have cars available for a test drive, give each visitor a sleeve of golf balls if they fill out a simple form, and donate $5 to Sierra Services for each participant. Sponsoring T-Signs are available for only $100, as well several other levels of sponsorship. The June 14th event itself is typical in many ways from others in that there will be a car for hole in one, putting contests and other events. The $125 entry fee includes the cart, a bucket of balls for practice and warm up, a box lunch and the tri-tip or chicken banquet at the end of the day. Tee time is 1:00, but we are having sign up and recommend coming at 11:00 to visit the Chrysler booth, warm up and run through registration. If you play golf, this is the event to get to this year. As the little guy we have to do things better to attract attention, and like the Abalone Banquet, this golf tournament has become that event thanks to Mitch Juricich and Chrysler, as well as our other major sponsors like B&C Home and Garden Center, KNCO and the Union. For more information, sponsorships and entry forms call the office at 265-2121 _________________________ o0o _________________________
At a recent Senior Group meeting we discussed those aspects of history that you were taught wrong, or those things that were never put together in the history class you took. Here are some examples. Man did not invent fire, just how to make it. Man did not invent the wheel, the invention was the axle which carried the load. Roman cities had speed bumps at intersections because the kids were racing their horses and chariots in the streets, it also slowed down drunk drivers. Gutenberg did not invent the printing press, he invented movable type which allowed the printer to make books faster and more of them. Galileo tried and convicted of saying the world was not the center of the universe dies in 1642, the year Newton is born. By age 24 Newton completes laws of physics. At the 1876 Centennial the Transcontinental Railroad was 7 years old, Bell introduced the Telephone a year before Edison’s phonograph, and George Armstrong Custer went to the Little Big Horn. Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb, he did invent the socket, switch and the workable system. 1903, Ford’s first car and the Wright Brothers fly at Kittyhawk. 1905, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid go to South America. 1906, Einstein develops Theory of Relativity, and publishes it in 1907. _________________________ o0o _________________________
Once In A While Thank You Is Not Enough We have a little 25th Anniversary fact we hope you support with your patronage. Lou of Luigi’s Little Italy in Auburn, former owner of Pasta Luigi’s in Grass Valley, has provided the dinner for our Annual Meeting of the Membership for 14 years now. Luigi’s Little Italy is located at, 750 Lincoln Way, Auburn. This is also true of Paul Dean and Grass Valley Host Lions who have provided the Love Building at Condon Park and so graciously done the dishes. _________________________ o0o _________________________
Sponsor Recognition One of the things most agencies use their newsletters for is to recognize those individuals and organizations who sponsor the agency by their donation. Like our web site, we have used our newsletter primarily for news. Even after major events we have been unable to afford to use precious funding to purchase a page in the newspaper like larger agencies. We have always preferred a personal letter to thank our donors. Starting in the July issue of the newsletter we will include a second sheet recognizing those who have contributed to our community effort. We will do this twice a year. It was the feeling of the Board of Directors that we were often remiss in our quiet approach. Organizations such as B&C Home and Garden Center are always there for every event. Their participation is far more than simple funding. The same is true of volunteers like Vern Kimmey who made the Pirate Ship and now the Flying Machine, and who is responsible for the Abalone Banquet. We have drivers we can count on, folders of newsletters, and donations like Luigi’s Little Italy Restaurant who has donated the meal for the Annual Meeting of the Membership for fourteen years. There is SPD who donates to the Annual Client Holiday Dinner as they have for fifteen years, or Friar Tucks at the Abalone Feed. There are many more, and you will learn of them. We will use this venue so you know who they are, and ask you to reciprocate and support them as well. _________________________ o0o _________________________
Agency in Need of Newer Van for Transportation Like all smaller local non-profit agencies we work hard to accomplish two things. One is to serve the clients we have in the best possible way, and the second is of course to fulfill the need to fund it all. Once in a while something comes along that is bigger than those two. For us it is the need for a new van for the critical transportation part of our client service. Our present 1994 van came to us as a used vehicle through a one time funding from Area 4 Agency on Aging. It now sports 154,000 miles, and many things like the heater, rear doors and the windows no longer work. Simply, we can afford to run it, but not the significant cost it would take to replace or repair it. We need a newer one. It needs to be a 7 passenger, large enough that clients can get in without having to enter bent over or climb through a small opening like they would on some smaller mini-vans. Or, we need funding specific to fix this one, which would almost exceed the worth of the van. If you know someone who is trading one in and could donate it instead, it would be most appreciated. _________________________ o0o _________________________
Annual Meeting of the Membership Celebrates 25th Founded in 1981 by Marilyn Beckwith and others in Auburn, and moved to Grass Valley in 1984, we have been a staple for both the young and old for one quarter of a century now. Originally focusing on younger adults and children, we have changed over the years to reflect changes in our community. That is one of the functions of the Corporate Membership, to assure community and client participation on the agency and make sure we do what is needed in the community. It was Marilyn’s vision that the agency be of the community, not simply for a few. That mission has been successful. We now serve almost 90% seniors. Almost 45% over age 85, and 7% over 95. Partly through our efforts, the schools are now doing an excellent job with the children, and we continue to work with them on an individual child’s case. Younger adults now get their services from the Department of Rehabilitation and usually need us for advocacy or advice, mostly when dealing with a bureaucracy. Should the community change again, so will Sierra Services for the Blind, now also known as Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. _________________________ o0o _________________________ There’s an element of truth in every idea that lasts long enough to become corny. Irving Berlin _________________________ o0o _________________________ _________________________ o0o _________________________ Statistics Tell a Community Story One of the things we are bombarded with in every media outlet are the statistics compiled for every reason on earth to make a point someone wanted to make. Unfortunately, some are based on loaded or simplistic questions and are so slanted that we can’t take much stock in them. Others are like stereotypes, something has become obvious, and someone looked into it. From these studies we can gather a better look at who we really are, and make some sense of where we need to go to improve. The stereotype of a blind person is that of the few who are totally blind. They represent only about 2% of the blind. Most of them are blind from birth, an accident, or a few rare diseases. This stereotype overlooks those that we consider, legally blind. Legally blind, and even that definition has some variation, is an individual who has 20/200 corrected vision in their best eye. It also includes those who have less than 5 degrees of vision. These might have 20/20 vision, but in a very small tunnel. Seeing them walking down the street you may have no idea they are blind. Most of the blind have some vision somewhere. Peripheral vision being the most common may allow them to see the ground they are walking on, but not you in front of them. There are also those who will be blinded by either retinal bleeding caused by Diabetes, or wet Macular Degeneration. These individuals might lose their sight very quickly. Dry type Macular Degeneration could cause blindness in a few months or years, or it may take over a decade. This dry type is what hits virtually all of us as we age. Where statistics come into the picture of blindness comes mainly from a twenty-year study done by Dr. Crews at the University of Mississippi. He found that one in four will become legally blind from Macular Degeneration alone by age 80. One in sixteen by age 60. Three independent studies, one in America and two in Europe came up with statistics so identical they were within fractions of a percent of each other. It was then reported in the Journal of American Medicine that smokers are more than twice as likely to become blind as contract cancer. This remained true even for those who had quit smoking twenty years earlier. We live in a community with the states highest concentration by percentage of seniors over age 85. Only Placer County has a larger percentage of all age seniors, and Sierra Services serves the Auburn area as well. Simply stated, this community has an issue it must face with blind seniors. For twenty five years Sierra Services for the Blind has filled that need. As the community changed from a 16% to an over 30% senior population we had to change dramatically. At this point we have a 90% senior clientele. 44% are over age 85, and 75% are over age 95. We have six over 100. They often have children who are 70 or more. How rare is it for a rural community to have a direct solution for such a direct problem? Six years ago a national study found Sierra Services for the Blind to be the only full service agency for the blind in a rural community in the nation. Since then an office has come, gone and come back in Placerville. By now there may be others. Why so rare? The "come to our class, and then go home again" model used by large metropolitan agencies does not work here. We need to treat each individual as a case onto themselves. Counseling and transportation are as important as the education. And, of course, funding does not flow out of the big cites like seniors who move to rural communities to retire. Rural agencies of all types are virtually on their own just like the person losing vision who finds they are not covered by their health insurance. Until the nation faces the issue of senior blindness, and the cost of institutionalization that it incurs, we will continue to "Bend in the Wind" financially. We want to be here for another twenty five years, or until the medical community makes vision loss something for the history books. _________________________ o0o _________________________ The Laws of Probability and Everyday Events When you dial a wrong number you never get a busy signal The severity of the itch is proportional to the length of your reach When your hands are covered with grease your nose will itch or nature will call Anything is possible if you don’t know what you are talking about As soon as you find a product you really like they will change it The sound of the shower makes the phone ring _________________________ o0o _________________________ Sierra Services has sponsor for Newsletter Sierra Services for the Blind if proud to announce that Silver Oak Property Group has agreed to become the sponsor or our quarterly Newsletter. New to town, they have expressed their dedication to supporting local services and agencies who provide direct client services to a unique need, and we are proud they have selected us for their support. We hope you can return the favor and support their efforts as well. _________________________ o0o _________________________ It is Membership Time Again Each year in February we remind members that it is time to renew the unique membership in the corporation that forms Sierra Services. It is a voting membership, which is extremely rare in the nonprofit world. Should the Board of Directors wish to make a change in the bylaws, or in the direction of the agency they can not do it without the consent of the membership. In this way, it is the membership that controls the agency. Why is the cost so low, and who are the members? The annual dues are only $10. Lifetime dues are $100. The reason for the low cost is because we want our clients to have access to the organization and a voice in the service we provide. The same is true for the community, we want as much participation as possible. Should for whatever reason the agency begin to stray from the stated purpose to serve the needs of the blind and visually impaired, the client and the community can pull it back through the voting membership. Dues must be paid by April 15th for new members, and prior to the May 2 Annual Meeting of the Membership for renewing members. This is our 25th year celebration, and this meeting looks to be a milestone for both the agency and for the blind and visually impaired community we serve. _________________________ o0o _________________________ Golf Tournament Set for June 14th This years 3rd Annual Gold Country Golf Tournament will be held June 14th at The Ridge Golf Course in Auburn. Mitch Juricich will again join us as the organizer and MC, and is sure to make it one of the premier golf events of the year. We have held the cost at $125, which includes golf, putting contest, a hole in one contest, as well as all of the events typical of such an event, and lunch and a chicken or tri-tip banquet. You can also buy into the dinner for those that can not join you for golf. Call the office for forms and sponsorship at 265-2121. _________________________ o0o _________________________ CHW Grant Does Two Things for the Agency Sierra Services has received a $15,000 grant from Catholic Healthcare West for the second year, and while the funding is a significant part of our ability to continue serving our clients, there is a second reason the grant is significant. Catholic Healthcare West, and the Sisters of Mercy have recognized that there are significant health ramifications to the loss of vision beyond vision itself. Diseases such as macular degeneration will cause legal blindness in one in four at age 80. However, the disease itself causes no other physical problems unless the loss of vision causes the individual to change their lifestyle. The individual can not let vision loss keep them home and in the house, it must not cause them to change their diet and not eat like they should, or keep them from seeing their doctor when needed. A lack of exercise, nutrition and medical care will have a negative effect on the individuals general health. And, do it quickly. This is where the counseling, education, and transportation to medical appointments provided by Sierra Services becomes critical. This is also the critical difference we see being noticed by CHW recognition. _________________________ o0o _________________________ A Little Place in Time The History of blindness gives us pause to consider what it means to be civilized. Early blind lore is limited to Homer and his tales of Greek heroics, or tales of Samson who proved you can still get things done. Glasses for low vision or the elderly flounders in and out until Franklin invents his bifocals. Most blind were either allowed to die at birth, or joined the "Deaf and Dumb" in an asylum or institution. Losing one eye was heroic, and guaranteed someone would call you Colonel, or save a position at the helm of a pirate ship. As doctors began to improve their ability to heal, we also began to look at disability. A broken leg didn’t mean death, a foot could be fixed so a child could walk. Helen Keller alone changed how we look at blindness, and disability as well. She proved the deaf, and the blind were not "Dumb". She challenged Melvin Jones to form the Knights of the Blind, now called the Lions, to do something. Today Lions clubs all over the world are providing glasses, surgery and training to the blind. Recent history has taken on a new level of care for the blind. Now we do something the blind have known about since Homer told his stories, we adjust. We also have an aging society that brings the issue into almost every family, and we know what causes it though it will be decades before solutions become viable. Agencies who provide the education the blind need are in every major city. There are still some problems. 46% of the senior blind are put in facilities. Due to inactivity the blind are more likely to have other health problems. The unemployment rate varies in the 75% to 80% range. Three things are not covered in a health policy unless you pay extra; dental, hearing and vision. Guess what happens as we age? As we celebrate 25 years we hope we add a little something to the history of our service area. It is a history of the success of our clients, many of whom retain their independence and remain contributing members of the community. We hope our small part in their lives has made as marked a difference as they have to ours. _________________________ o0o _________________________ Good Response Helps at a Most Critical Time The last two newsletters came out together with a stronger plea for funding than we usually put forth. The explanation of the drop in general donations since we were hit by several natural disasters seems to have hit a chord. So too the explanation of how it only costs Sierra Services around $300 per year per client. One of our clients had a bit of good fortune and donated $10,000, and the response to the donation card yielded another $1,650. The Newsletter usually receives a response from $250 to a previous high of $800. Simply, thank you. Winter is always a critical financial period for small agencies. We have to generate just over $8,000 a month to support our service to the community, and the general flow of funding still remains well below the level before several natural disasters occurred. It is spring before the fund raising season for the non-profit community really kicks in. By then most of us find our Holiday bills are paid, and the IRS has finished with each of us by the April 15th deadline. For us the next event is the Golf Tournament on June 14th, and the Abalone Banquet is set for September 23rd this year. We hope you can join us as a sponsor or player, or both. There will also be a raffle for home grown peddle planes done all in wood by Vern Kimmey, the former Board member who did the Pirate Ship. We are a purely local agency, and as mentioned, 100% of our funding stays in the community. Funding which stays local will circulate in the local economy ten to twelve times a year. That which leaves the community, leaves. We are not the only agency for which this is true. We hope you support them as well. Like most rural communities, we need to care for our own first, if for no other reason than they are often our own families and neighbors. _________________________ o0o _________________________ …He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder If I could put a notion in his head: … …Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down… Robert Frost, from "Mending Wall" _________________________ o0o _________________________ Sierra Services Turns 25 this Year On May 22, 1981 Sierra Services was recognized as a non-profit by the State of California. Our founders included Marilyn Beckwith, who with several others walked highway 80 from Sacramento to Auburn to raise funding to start the agency. The sight of the group with their canes and dogs must have attracted attention, for they were able to start the agency she envisioned for the mountain area. They were also careful that the agency continues in a manner that would keep it on track, and developed the voting membership. It hasn’t always been easy, and our financial ups and downs are almost legendary in our community. Marilyn recently marveled at how we continue to "bend in the wind". What she didn’t realize is that our ability to continue bending in the wind is her legacy. _________________________ o0o _________________________ Sierra Services for the Blind January – March 2006 – Newsletter …Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost, from "The Road Not Taken" _________________________ o0o _________________________ Abalone Banquet a Success The 8th Abalone Banquet held September 3rd proved to be one of Sierra Services most successful events. The bottom line was just over $10,000, a level we have hoped the event would reach. And, the success was due to the low cost. The dinner itself cost next to nothing. As always, Vern Kimmey and the Kimmey family provided all the Abalone you could eat. Friar Tucks, the National Hotel, Dupre’s Bakery, Carolina Moon and Hollywood Sweets provided the meal. Caroline’s Coffee provided their fare, and Port of Subs the hors d’oeuvres. Iron Mountain and Nevada City wineries provided liquids. This event was different in that the entertainment of the "American Old Time String Band" "Ragged But Right" kept feet bouncing, and the watercolors of Sandy Brown decorated the eye. The Raffle was exceptional, featuring restaurants from all over the area, as well as a few interesting items. As usual, the sponsorship of the Fowler Family and B&C Home and Garden Center, and the organizational skills and volunteers gathered by Laurie Powell made the event one of the smoothest we have ever had. Look for next years 9th Abalone Banquet in September. Surprise, surprise. Cost of Gas Effecting Transportation Would anyone be surprised that the cost of gasoline has increased our transportation costs. What is interesting is that many people still think of it as an administrative cost when in fact it is a direct client service. That is one of the things about a non-profit that confuses some. Rent is an overhead, yet part of the facility is strictly client service. If we didn’t have the need of the conference room for peer counseling we could move to a smaller site. One local member of the legal community was disturbed we spent "too much on staff". We are a human service, and it is the staff that is the service. It is the same as saying teachers are not part of the educational program provided by the schools. With a fixed budget, which is fixed more by income than need, we have to take away something when something takes more of the pie. With the several cuts we have made in the last few years we are running out of places to make up the difference. We are then left with few options. One is to charge for some transportation. In the almost 25 years of our agency we have never charged for services. Another option would be to gain a grant for our services, and grants are few and far between for an agency this small. We are also serving a virtually unfunded disability. The third is to find a way to increase the level of donations for the services we provide. If you have any ideas, or would like to donate, let us know. The Media is Asking, "Who Gets the Money" With the string of natural disasters hitting the world, and now the United States itself, the media is increasingly asking where the money goes that is donated by a generous nation. For us it is the interest in non-profits that is most notable. Clear differences appear between organizational style and services they provide. There are "Faith Based" and other agencies like the Salvation Army who quietly appear in the middle of everything with a hot meal, and the Red Cross who has feduciary responsibilities and garners the most attention as they drive hard to raise funds. There are also fund raising organizations like United Way who then fund other organizations who concentrate on specific unmet needs after a disaster. Thanks to media attention the pubic now has more information to make their decisions than ever before. Millions donated to agencies are added to millions of tax dollars, which are supported by millions of hours of volunteer time, and become the cost of a national emergency. Following that keeps the media busy for years and is elusive at best. However, one thing is missing. What happens to the local agencies away from the disaster with all that giving going to one event? It has been quite public that the local Red Cross chapter is cutting programs while hundreds of thousands of local dollars leave town. So too reports the local cancer society as we generously give to outside agencies. National organizations for the blind also fund raise in our service area, and none of it returns to Sierra Services where 100% of the funds remain to not only provide a direct service, but to circulate in the local economy. This is not to say these events are not worthy of our support. They are. Coming together in an emergency is what Americans do best. Sustained local giving is how we define ourselves as a community. What we just want you to remember that is the local agency you will turn for services when you need them. We are the one’s that need your support most directly for our financial survival. A ten thousand dollar donation to a multi-million dollar program is significant. To an agency like Sierra Services it is almost ten percent of the annual budget. We were found a few years ago to be the nations only agency for the blind exclusively serving in a rural community. It has to do with funding and the decisions a community makes by giving their donation to one agency over another. Once the national disaster is over, we again have to choose between football fields, park monuments, senior health issues like blindness, youth programs, building projects or hiking trails. It is through our sustained local giving we define ourselves as a community. Annual Client Holiday Dinner to be held December 7th For almost two decades Sierra Services for the Blind has had a holiday dinner for the clients, and this year is no exception. The meal is a mix of Thanksgiving and the Holidays held at the Love Building in Condon Park, and features either turkey or ham and all the "fixins". As with everything we do, there is no charge for the clients or their drivers. Look for more information in November. Sierra Services is about to be 25 Years Old On May 22, 1981 the California Secretary of State issued corporate standing as Marilyn Beckwith and several others created Sierra Services to fill a void in the Auburn area. With it they created our unique voting membership which gives the client the opportunity to direct the services and the agency. Though the process of the membership has changed over the years, the ability of the client to control the agency has not. In 1984 the office moved to Nevada County. Now almost 25 years later none of it has been easy, which is all the more reason to celebrate. As Marilyn recently put it, we have an amazing ability to "bend in the wind" and survive. Always optimisitic about our future ability to bend in the wind, the Board of Directors has already made plans for a special Annual Meeting of the Membership in May, and is working on a special event to celebrate with the community. Like so many or the purely local agencies Sierra Services is in critical need of both donations and new Board Members, as well as volunteer drivers. How critical is it? You will notice you just received two newsletters. This was due to the cost of postage, which is not that large an expense, just one of the extras we can no longer afford. If you can help with a donation use the slip we have included, if you can help as a Board Member of volunteer, please call the office at 265-2121. however humble Washington Irving ____________________ oOo ____________________ The same is true of donations. A ten thousand-dollar donation, or a remembrance from a client or their family to a million-dollar agency is significant. To an agency like Sierra Services for the Blind with a budget just over one hundred thousand, the ten thousand-dollar donation may be the largest of the year, and will keep the agency open for an entire month. Sierra Services is managed by a Board of Directors which has several openings. We are looking for individuals who can represent various aspects of the community we serve, help with fund raising activities like the Abalone Banquet, Golf Tournament, and Dinner Dance. We are always open to new ideas, new faces, new perspectives, and new ways to serve the community we have served for the past 24 years. We have something of a reputation for "bending in the wind" and surviving tough times. It is done with people who are willing to lend their hand, their expertise, and their financial assistance. We hope you, or someone you know can join us. The number of new devices and the scope of research on vision is impressive The media is beginning to find some fascination in the technology if you know where to look for it. Retinal implants of several varieties, stem cell research, the discovery of a genetic link to macular degeneration, and any number of new ideas all hold promise. They are all also careful to say that the general public will not see the benefits for at least twenty years, and in many cases more like fifty. The danger is that some will see the progress and think the problem is solved, blindness is a thing of the past. We need to remember, having the technology, and having it affordable are two processes. Having it affordable, and having insurance or medi-care pay for it is another issue. Most who lose vision in later years are retired with fixed incomes. As to younger blind, the unemployment rate is over 70%. Still, we have every right to get our hopes up. Technology will solve the problem in time. Sometimes we just need to remember it is a hope for our children and grandchildren. It is another legacy this generation leaves as a statement to what we have accomplished with what we were given by our parent generations. Until then, Sierra Services will need to continue to provide education, counseling and transportation to those in our community who have lost vision. It is how we learn from our mistakes and move on. Have you ever noticed it also seems to make people who weren't there feel the need to comment. The recent donation to the agency of a 1994 Cadillac is a definite plus to our ability to transport clients. It will replace the older Dodge station wagon that 190,000 miles finally took. Clients find the extra room better, and the far better gas mileage fits the agency budget. When you see it, it is not extravagant, just a wonderful gifted addition. The donation of the station wagon made a significant contribution to our transportation program. The Cadillac is a very nice replacement. Edgar Allan Poe Annual Meeting to Update Bylaws The Board of Directors is recommending a few minor changes to the Bylaws at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Membership May 4th. While most are grammatical, and bring the document up to date, some are intended to make the agency more responsive. In the past it took 20% of the membership to call a special meeting. With almost 394 members, the number became too high. The new recommendation is 25% of the number attending the last Annual Meeting. Rather than nearly 100, around 20 could now call a special meeting. Other changes include statements identifying legal positions the board felt should be spelled out for clarity. Remember to have your dues paid up, or if you are new join by April 5th. As always, the Annual Meeting is your opportunity to meet with the Board of Directors and find out what has happened within the agency during the last year, and what we plan for the coming year. It is a dinner meeting, and we need to know if you are going to attend. All bylaw changes will be explained in detail at the meeting before a vote is taken. To get a copy of the Bylaws for early review call the office, or visit the website at sierraservices.org Memberships remain at $10. Keeping the cost low allows more clients to become a member and through their vote direct the agency. The $100 Life Membership is also the same again this year. This voting membership is extremely rare in the non-profit world. The purpose of voting membership is so that the community and the client can direct the agency should it stray from the original purpose, or keep it from becoming irrelevant should the needs of the community change and the agency remain stagnant. It is a public meeting, and non-members are welcome to see what we are about. Vern Kimmey Leaves Board After 9 Illustrious Years. Vern Kimmey holds a rare place in Sierra Services history. He has served the Board of Directors for over 9 years. He first completed the 6-year term of his wife Katherine, then the 6-year term of his own. During that time he has been our number one volunteer as both driver and fund-raiser. He started and has maintained the Abalone Banquet, developing it into a major community event. He built the Pirate Ship, and manned it all over the region last summer. He and Katherine created and raffled several items such as the dollhouses, and never missed an event. While he will remain a volunteer, and continue the Abalone Banquet, we would venture a year from now his arm will be twisted to rejoin the Board of Directors. Meanwhile, Vern Kimmey, Thank You for your dedication and for the example you have set for service to Sierra Services, and the agency you have made possible. 2nd Darkhorse "Gold County Golf Tournament" June 15th Once again Mitch Juricich, star of Television and radio "Hooked on Golf", will bring his considerable talents to our golf tournament at Darkhorse Golf Club. More accustomed to putting on tournaments in such places as Pebble Beach, Mitch does two a year for charity, ours, and one for the Blind Golfers Association in Gilroy. Joining us again for the hole in one contest is Weaver Auto and Truck Center, and Patrick Yates will demonstrate his "Model T" and other equipment for the disabled. You will see and have the opportunity to do things at this tournament you will find at no other mountain tournament. All is designed for the fun of it. Again this year the cost is $125 for golf, which includes box lunch and tri tip or chicken dinner, putting and other contests, a bucket of practice balls, and the cart. But be early, after May 15th the price goes to $140. We have lowered the cost of tee signs to $100 so more can participate; other sponsorships at various levels are available as well. B&C Home and Garden Center has again joined us as a major sponsor, and Sue Bergesen is the volunteer driving the event. For more information, to sign up for golf or sponsorship, call the office at 265-2121. Because of the tremendous return rate from those who came last year and know how Mitch makes the event unique to our area, this one will fill up soon. Grab your foursome, and make a deductible contribution from your advertising account, and act early. As always, 100% of the funding raised stays in the community to assist the blind and visually impaired. WEB SITE DISPLAYS SIERRA SERVICES TO BROADER PUBLIC Our Web site, sierraservices.org is now up and running with complete information on the agency, bylaws, history and purpose, the latest medical information, events, and other information in a format suitable for talking computers. It will also change now and again as new information becomes available, so visit more than once. Gene Identified in Major Cause of Blindness Recent studies at Yale University, Rockefeller University in New York, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have completed preliminary studies on a genetic link to macular degeneration, AMD. As we age yellowish waste deposits called drusen accumulate around the macula. They kill cells in the macula, affecting central vision. While smoking, obesity and a high-fat diet are known to raise the risk of AMD, we know family history plays a major part. Caucasian AMD patients are at least four times more likely to have one particular alteration in the gene. While these studies have not led to any possible solution, it gives direction to further research. The study also indicated that diet has an effect on development of the disease, some steroids may help, and something as simple as aspirin might make a difference in dry macular degeneration. Vitamin D Shows Greater Health Benefits Than Thought New studies at the Stanford University School of Medicine indicate that Vitamin D is far more complex, and effects blood flow which may be a cure for the muscle loss which causes weakness in seniors. A Swiss study of leg strength showed seniors, especially in America, need to get more time in the sun. Seniors who did only had half as many falls. The University of Pennsylvania found a relation to autoimmune diseases and Diabetes, even cancer. All found Vitamin D strongly effects the immune system. The American Foundation for the Blind, AFB, has excellent resources to help with any questions related to persons who are blind or visually impaired. The easiest way to reach them is via internet at www.afb.org An advisory panel for the Food and Drug Administration is reviewing data for a new drug called Macugen. If approved the drug should become available during the first half of 2005. Macugen is used to help prevent the growth of new blood vessels in the macula, one of the features of "Wet" macular degeneration. Helen Keller is a name synonymous with the founding of blind services, and singularly responsible for present day programs and recognition for the blind. She did it with the strength of her character, which she described: "Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through exposure of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved." This is the human goal of Sierra Services, to take the exposure to trial, and inspire ambition to use the tools of success we offer to strengthen individual character. Once done, our job is easy. Monday, January 24th, Robert LeBlond of Assistive Technology Center will set up shop at Sierra Services to demonstrate the latest devices for persons with low vision. This is part of the ongoing services offered by Sierra Services to its clients. Demonstrations will be scheduled throughout the day to permit small groups to see the equipment, try it, and ask questions of Mr. Lablond. If you wish to attend one of the demonstration sessions call the Sierra Services office at 265-2121 and make the arrangements with Carol. During this visit Mr. Lablond will demonstrate two new devices. The Prisma is a small, full color, mini desktop, closed circuit television camera (CCTV), and mounted on a fixed stand with cabling for connection to a television set or a computer monitor. Neither the television nor the computer monitor is included with the Prisma and must be provided by the user. The Prisma is collapsible, fits into a 2 1/2" high assembly in a briefcase provided for easy transportation. The Quicklook is a hand-held, full color, electronic magnifier with an integrated, full color, 4" display. It can magnify text, photographs, just about anything and is small enough to fit into a pocket or ladies handbag. Magnification level is up to 5.5X, weight is 10 ounces, and if reading ordinary text gives you problems the Quicklook should be very helpful. In addition to these units there will be other vision aids and you will have the opportunity to ask questions. What is it about friendship that makes being among friends so much richer than being among the most accomplished and interesting strangers? Sandy Sheehy October - December 2004 |
| “Whatever your years, there is in every being’s heart the love of wonder, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing, childlike appetite for “what next”, and the joy and the game of life.” Douglas MacArthur. |