ACB OHIO EVENTS AND ISSUES

AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND OF OHIO
EVENTS AND ISSUES

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EVENTS AND ISSUES

1 ARLENE COHEN ESSAY CONTEST

Reading Braille: the Touch of Wonder

A Program Developed and Conducted by the American Council of the Blind of Ohio

The Reading Braille Program includes children in Ohio who are blind or visually impaired between the ages of eight and sixteen. In order to participate in the program, you must fill out the attached form and send it in with your essay of between one hundred and fifty and two hundred words on the topic of "Why I Enjoyed Reading This Book." The book is any book that you chose to read and which gave you both enjoyment and a new insight into yourself and other people. You must read your selected book in Braille or large print. Each applicant who submits a completed application and an acceptable essay will receive a book of his or her choice selected from the Seedlings Catalogue, and he or she will be entered in an essay contest which may win him or her any one of three prizes. The essay contest is named the Arlene Cohen Braille Essay Contest in memory of Arlene Cohen, an outstanding and dedicated teacher and former president of the American Council of the Blind of Ohio. There are three prizes: first prize $150, second prize $100, and third prize $75 for each of two age groups, eight to twelve year old contestants and thirteen to sixteen year old contestants.
ACB-Ohio will accept applications between September 7 and October 27, 2010. Winners will be presented with their monetary gifts at an event in their honor in their home town. Please include the title and author of a book you would like to own from the Seedlings Catalogue on the application. A book will be awarded each month of the contest to each contestant who submits a satisfactory essay. Only one entry per person.

Send your completed applications and essays to
Arlene Cohen Braille Essay Contest
in c/o Joyce Rogers
1121 Morado Dr.
Cincinnati, OH 45238

If you have any questions, you may contact me via e-mail at jarogers@one.net or call me at (513) 921-3186.

Reading Braille: the Touch of Wonder

Name of applicant: ____________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

Phone number with area code: ____________________

Title and author of a book of your choice from Seedlings:

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

School: ________________________________________________________

Teacher's name: _________________________________________________

Age and grade level: __________________________________

Information on book about which you have chosen to write

Title of book: ___________________________________________________

Author of book: ________________________________________________

Year of publication: ___________________

Number of pages: ______________________

Please submit your essay on a separate paper and submit it with this completed application. The essay must be 150 to 200 words, and must be written in Braille or large print. It will be judged on originality, insight into human nature, and correctness of grammar and word usage.

We wish each applicant and contestant all the enthusiasm, skill, and persistence needed to successfully participate in the reading program and to become an essay contest winner.NOTE: Refer to Step1 of the essay contest.

2 2010 ACB-O CONVENTION - INVITATION

Join us for the annual state conference and convention of the American Council of the Blind of Ohio!

A - Accessibility and
C - Communication
B - Bring
O - Opportunities

November 5-7, 2010
Worthington Holiday Inn

There is no fee for first timers, all students, and all veterans. A fee of $70 per ACB member is due by October 29. Same day registration is $80. For non members, the fee is $85, which includes your membership for 2011. All non members attending for the first time will receive a 100% stipend.

Schedule of Events

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2010

1:00–6:00 P.M. Registration
Bring return address labels for tickets for raffle.
Bring old cell phones, and enter a drawing for a prize.
Bring your resume if you are seeking a job.
Be prepared to buy raffle tickets for the 50/50 drawing.

1:00–5:00 P.M. Visit the many vendors in the exhibit area.

3:30 P.M. First Timers Meeting and Orientation to the Hotel

4:00 P.M. Buckeye Chapter of Guide Dog Users Meeting
Doggie door prize drawing! (guide dogs must be present to win.)

(New this year!)
5:00—6:00 P.M. Shopping Tour with Convention Vendors, Brief presentations by Each Vendor—Make your shopping list

6:00-7:30 P.M. Dinner on your own

7:30 P.M. Welcome by Linda Wyman, President

7:45 P.M. Keynote Speaker: Max Edelman, Holocaust Survivor, ACB-O Member, Advocate, Motivational Speaker, Creator of the Max Edelman Scholarship Award

8:30 P.M. – Midnight Informal Hospitality

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2010

7:45 A.M. Breakfast Speaker: Dan Conners, Director BSVI

8:30–10:00 A.M. General Business Meeting
Agenda: (New this year to streamline the meeting!)
Election of Officers and Directors
During the elections: Reports, old and new business

10:15–11:15 A.M. SESSION 1: Three Concurrent Workshops

____ A. Perk Up Your Resume and Wow them in your Interview (bring your resume if you want individual help with it.)
_____B. Entering the World of Technology—You Can’t put it off any Longer. Learn about new NLS talking book players, digital book readers, and cell phones.
_____C. What is ACB doing on the national level?

11:15 A.M.-12:00 P.M. Visit the Exhibit Area.
Exhibit Area Open from 11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 1 p.m.—4:00 p.m.

12:45 P.M. Luncheon Speaker Blake Lindsay, author of Out of Sight Living, radio personality, recording and audio production engineer and motivational speaker

Drawings for Gift Certificates from Vendors
1:30–2:15 P.M. BREAK (Visit the Exhibit area to claim your gifts.)

2:15–3:15 P.M. SESSION 2: Three Concurrent Workshops

_____A. Advanced Technology
_____B. Leisure, Recreational Opportunities panel
_____C. Budgeting for Beginners
_____D. Parents Chat over coffee.

3:15–4:00 P.M. Visit the Exhibits

3:15-4:00 P.M. ACBO Diabetics in Action organizational Meeting

4:00–5:00 P.M. SESSION 3 : Three Concurrent Workshops

_____A. Fitting In With Your Sighted Peers
_____B. Tips and Tricks for Daily Living, Home Maintenance, and Organizing Your Life
_____C. Diabetes Today

6:00–6:30 P.M. Social Time, Cash Bar Available

6:30–9:00 P.M. Banquet
Speaker: Anne Hancock, Well Known Talking Book Narrator
Presentation of awards —
50/50 Drawing—

(New this year!)
9:00–11:30 P.M. Annual ACB-O Auction
Cash bar available
Informal hospitality room available

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2010

8:45 A.M. Presentation of scholarships

9:30–10:30 A.M. Three Concurrent Sessions

_____A. What’s on your bucket list: Achieving your dreams of a lifetime
_____B. Adjusting to vision loss
_____C. Ohio Alliance of Visually Impaired Students (OVIS) meeting

10:30–11:00 A.M. Convention Evaluation
Tell the convention planning committee what you liked, how we can improve the convention next year, and offer suggestions for other topics and activities. Last chance to win a door prize!

3 TANDEM CYCLING RALLY!!!

Save the Date: September 18, 2010

Takes Two to Tandem

ACB-Ohio Tandem Bike Rally to be held September 18, 2010
Nisbet Park, Loveland, Ohio

The American Council of the Blind of Ohio, (ACB-Ohio) is hosting its fourth annual tandem rally-fundraiser. Visually impaired stokers and sighted captains will begin and end their routes on the trail near Loveland, but there will be several distances and routes to choose from. Sighted tandem teams and single bikes are also welcome. Explore the area on back roads or stay on the flat trail, and meet the group for a picnic lunch.

Many Ways to Participate:

1. Bring your tandem and your stoker and enjoy a beautiful ride and meet some other folks who enjoy tandem cycling.
2. Bring your tandem and meet your stoker for the day, who might be visually impaired. Many blind folks love to ride, but they need a captain and/or a bike.
3. Volunteer for transportation, registration and/or the picnic.
4. Pledge on a rider or sponsor a tandem team.
5. Donate give-aways to promote your business.

The American Council of the Blind of Ohio is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality and equality of life for persons who are blind or visually impaired. We offer information and referral for resources for equipment, training programs, scholarships, emotional support, and seminars.

The proceeds from this ride will help support the fourth annual Building Blocks for a Brighter Future, a seminar for parents of children who are visually impaired, to be held September 25, 2010.

Sign Up Today!
Registration Donation--$30 or more, per rider
Snacks! Lunch! New friends! Great ride! Support a worthy cause! Free stuff!

How to Sign Up:

Contact Mary Hiland at mary.hiland@sbcglobal.net or call 614-221-6688 or 800-835-2226 to request registration forms. Registration packets will include directions to start and more information about ACB-Ohio.

4 Building Blocks for a Brighter Future

Save the date.

Building Blocks for a Brighter Future
September 25, 2010

The fourth annual Building Blocks for a Brighter Future is a full day of workshops and activities for families with blind or visually impaired children. The American Council of the Blind of Ohio and The Ohio Lions Foundation invite you to come to the Ohio State School for the Blind, 5220 N. High St. in Columbus, on September 25, 2010. Sign-in and exhibits begin at 9:15 a.m. The program begins at 10:00 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m.

Are you a parent of a child who is blind or visually impaired? Do you know how to work with school administrators so your child receives the services he or she is entitled to? Are you comfortable with the "Alphabet Soup" of Special Education such as LRE, FAPE, LEA, IEE, MFE, and IDEA? Do you know what kind of technology is best for your child? Do you know when to start orientation and mobility exercises for your toddler or pre-schooler?

The goals of this seminar are to give parents tools to work with; to encourage children to explore creative outlets through various activities, provide round table discussion groups for parents and/or grandparents, and for families and siblings to network with one another.

Our keynote speaker will be a high school student who has successfully navigated the process of education. There will be panel discussions, resource materials, and hands on technology demonstrations. The children will enjoy a day of games and activities, while the parents share and learn. A pizza lunch is provided. The fee is just $10 per family, which includes lunch, a full day of learning and sharing, and a gift from the National Braille Press worth $10 for each visually impaired child. Pre-registration is required by September 20. If you have questions or concerns, call American Council of the Blind of Ohio Executive Director Mary Hiland toll free at 1-800-835-2226 or e-mail at Mary.hiland@sbcglobal.net.

Use this contact information to request a registration form. Pre-registration is required, as space is limited, and you will need to be given directions for parking because of school construction. If you attended last year, the program will be similar, but we have taken your suggestions and incorporated them into this year’s event, so please join us again.

5 Two ways to help ACB-Ohio

Got an old cell phone lying around the house and you don’t know what to do with it? Don’t throw it away. If you do, toxic chemicals will leak into the soil and spoil the environment. If you hold onto them and bring them to your next chapter meeting, you’ll be helping the environment and ACB too. Your chapter representative will bring all collected phones to the next board meeting, where they will be collected and then sent in for a cash refund. We will get anywhere from 50 cents to $50 per phone. This is to be an ongoing project, so tell all your friends and family to bring you their discarded cell phones. No chargers or instruction books are needed. If you don’t belong to a chapter, bring them with you to the state convention, the summer retreat, the family seminar, or the tandem bike rally.

_____
Do you shop at Kroger? Wouldn’t it be nice if a portion of what you spend at the grocery store would automatically be sent to ACB-O?

When you check out, instead of using cash, a check, or a credit card, use your Kroger Plus Card which you have previously registered.
Simply register your Kroger Plus Card using the instructions below.

NOTE: If you belong to a chapter, the portion that you have earned for us, just by buying groceries, will be split between the Ohio affiliate and your local chapter. If you are a member at large, the whole portion goes to the Ohio affiliate. If you have questions, please call our toll free number
(800) 835-2226 or
(800) TEL-ACBO
Then, let’s go Krogering!
_______

Kroger Community Rewards Program.
ACB-O non Profit Organization number:
82077

Participants can begin enrolling online at any time by going to the appropriate website mentioned below and enroll using the ACB-O NPO number 82077.
Make a note of this number for future reference.

TO USE THE KROGER COMMUNITY REWARDS PROGRAM:

Register online at
krogercommunityrewards.com
Be sure to have your Kroger Plus card handy and register your card with the ACB-O eexecutive director after you sign up.

If one does not yet have a Kroger Plus card, one needs to know that that cards are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger store.

Click on Sign In/Register
Most participants are new online customers, so they must click on SIGN UP TODAY in the 'New Customer?' box.

Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering zip code, clicking on favorite store, entering your email address and creating a password, agreeing to the terms and conditions
You will then get a message to check your email inbox and click on the link within the body of the email.

Click on My Account and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step.

Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input your Kroger Plus card number.

Update or confirm your information.

Enter NPO number or name of organization, select organization from list and click on confirm. Since you already have the NPO number of 82077, enter that.

To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization's name on the right side of your information page.

REMEMBER, purchases will not count for ACB-O until after you have registered your Kroger Plus card.

Do you use your phone number at the register?
Call 877-576-7587 to get your Kroger Plus card number.

You must swipe your registered Kroger Plus card or use the phone number that is related to your registered Kroger Plus card when shopping so each purchase will count.

If you are interested in the alternate SCANBAR method of member registration, you should call 800-837-4483 and a SCANBAR letter will be mailed to you.

Thank you,

_________
The above set of instructions originated with The Kroger Community Programs Staff and was edited to fit herein.

For questions and comments, contact:
ACB-O Executive Director Mary Hiland,
(800) 835-2226 that is
(800) TEL-ACBO

(800) 835-ACBO