September-October 2007

DOLPHINS AND MANGROVES!

“I loved the boat tour. It was really exciting! What I thought was really cool was the red and black mangroves. Another thing that I learned was that we were destroying the grass beds where all the animals lived by going through them with boats. When we got to the island, after we ate lunch, we saw a lot of life consisting of hermit crabs, fish and dolphins.”—Brett Pertuch 

Brett summed up our fifth annual ecotour experience perfectly in his thank you letter to Captain Nancy Beaver of Sunshine Wildlife Tours. Nancy taught us a great deal about the plant and animal life that inhabit the Indian River Lagoon

 and how human carelessness is contributing to the destruction of the marine habitat. Thank you, Nancy , for another fun and informative tour!

The 20/200 Fellowship would like to thank the following additional individuals and businesses who made our field trips possible:

• The Community Coach of Martin County
• Stuart Lanes and Ed Tomerlin
• Martin County Fire and Rescue
• Linda Sistarelli of Sunnytime Stables
• U.S. Sailing Center
• Sue Palmeri and the staff of the Martin County Airport

DOT SIX KIDS CAMP A GREAT SUCCESS!

The 2007 Dot Six Summer camp was filled with a wide range of activities that were both fun and educational. Here are a few comments from the participants:

“The Rice Krispies treats were really good because we added Reese's minis and white chocolate to the mix.”—Brett Pertuch

“I liked feeling the planes, helicopter, the army uniform and going inside the planes and helicopter.”—Brianna Scerenscko

“I would like to learn how to use the cane so when my sister and I play blind school I could be able to learn how to use the cane properly.”—Daniel Brackett

  “What I liked most about summer camp was the

Eco-tour, sailing, horseback riding, paper Mache, and water day”—Garrett Carr

“I enjoyed helping groom and feed the horses.”—Kaylee Carr

“What I loved about camp was when we did clay.”—Kevin Pertuch

“The things that I liked about summer camp were the crafts and no assigned seats.  HIPHIPHURREY!”—Winona Brackett

UPCOMING EVENTS

The 20/200 Fellowship would like to thank Wal-mart for their generous monetary contribution and for allowing us to hold an upcoming fund raiser at their Stuart location. On Saturday, October 27, 2007 , members of the Board of Directors and staff of the 20/200 Fellowship will be outside of the Wal-Mart in Stuart to provide information about the services we offer. We will also be selling craft items made by our Dot Six Kids Camp participants. Please stop by and see us!

MY CONVENTION EXPERIENCE

BY BRIANNA SCERENSCKO, CONSUMER

A few months ago I went to the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Convention.  This convention, located in Tampa , Florida , offered a lot of seminars on topics related to blindness. I had a good time.  I liked going through the exhibit hall and looking at different things, like the different types of technology that are out there. I enjoyed seeing how the different machines work.  I saw Braille displays, a bar code reader, color identifiers, magnifiers, and much more. I bought a Braille bracelet.  It is cool. It is a bracelet that has the whole Braille alphabet on it. 

There was an independent living skills meeting that told you about all different living skills you should need to know and how to do them.  There was a guide dog sitting room for people who didn’t want to bring their dogs everywhere. I helped out in the dog sitting room with a bunch of other kids and adults. 

The science museum came and talked about the planets and your body and it was all tactile.  I learned what the earth feels like and what the inside of your head looks like.

We had the show Cooking without Looking come.  The Cooking Without Looking show teaches you to cook without seeing. We made cookies.  They were good. Those are some of the things I did at convention.

SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMS

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2007

SEPTEMBER 12 EYE OPENERS

1-3 P.M.

“LOW VISION TECHNOLOGY!”

SPEAKER: SEAD BEKRIC

During this Eye Openers, Sead Bekric of Visual Cortex Concepts will demonstrate a variety of products that are designed to be used by the blind and visually impaired. These range from voice recorders to handheld CCTV’s! Don’t miss this informative look at new technology!

SEPTEMBER 21 FRIDAY NITE P.U.B.

7-9 P.M.

”BRAILLE DISPLAYS AND MORE!”

SPEAKER: SEAD BEKRIC

During this Friday Nite P.U.B., Sead Bekric of Visual Cortex Concepts will demonstrate a variety of products that are useful to the blind and visually impaired both at home and in the work place. Please join us for this exploration into new technology!

SEPTEMBER 26 EYE OPENERS

1-3 P.M.

“WHAT CAN DBS DO FOR YOU?”

SPEAKER: SHARON LUCAS

This Eye Openers will focus on what is offered by the Division of Blind Services in its Independent Living program for adults. Sharon Lucas of DBS will describe how this program can help you to improve your independence in your home and community. Don’t miss this informative presentation!

OCTOBER 10 EYE OPENERS

1-3 P.M.

“WHAT CAN 211 DO FOR YOU?”

SPEAKER: TARA MARTIN

Tara Martin is 211’s Community Relations Representative for Martin County . During this Eye Openers, Tara will describe the services that 211 offers to the Treasure Coast Communities. Don’t miss this informative presentation!

OCTOBER 19 FRIDAY NITE P.U.B.

7-9 P.M.

“CRAFT FOR A CAUSE!”

This Friday Nite P.U.B. is your opportunity to craft for a cause. During our upcoming fund raiser at Wal-Mart, the 20/200 Fellowship will be selling crafts made by our consumers.

OCTOBER 24 EYE OPENERS

1-3 P.M.

“EFFECTIVE SELF-ADVOCACY”

SPEAKER: ANGELA VAN ETTEN

Angela Van Etten is the Stuart Advocacy Specialist with the Center for Independent Living Options, Inc. This Eye Openers will present the tools you need to speak for yourself on issues related to blindness in order to achieve equality and maintain dignity.  Come join us for a very informative meeting.

THANK YOU

BY RONALD ANDRINI,

PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD

I would like to thank The Division of Blind Services on behalf of myself, the Staff here at The 20/200 Fellowship, all our Dot Six Kids and the teens in The Transitional Program for making this years Summer Camp possible.

It was a great success.

There were independent living skills, crafts, educational games and a variety of field trips.

The teens in The Transitional Program were taught various employability skills such as the proper format for a resume, interview etiquette, job searches, and how to respond to questions about blindness.

A fun time was had by all.

We would like to thank the Dot Six Summer Camp volunteers for generously donating their time here at the 20/200 Fellowship. Volunteers assisted with craft and cooking projects, chaperoned field trips, helped out in the computer lab and much more. Their assistance made it possible for us to offer a wide variety of activities.

We would also like to thank The Fort Pierce Lion’s Club for their most generous contribution which helped to put us back on a five day PER week schedule.

It is support such as this that enables the 20/200 Fellowship to continue to serve the blind and visually impaired of The Treasure Coast.

A MOST GENEROUS DONATION

Jodi de Graaff teaches Sunday school at Temple Beth El Israel in Port Saint Lucie. Each week during the 2006-2007 school year, her pre-K/kindergarten class collected money in a cup to donate to a charity of their choice. This is known as Zedakah in Hebrew. During the school year, the students learned about blindness and the programs we offer at the Fellowship. On May 6, 2007 , the 20/200 Fellowship participated in a presentation at Temple Beth El Israel in which all of the Sunday school classes learned about each class’s chosen charity. Throughout the year, Jodi’s class raised over $100 to donate to the 20/200 Fellowship! We would like to thank Jodi and the following students for this most generous contribution: Cary de Graaff, Meira Laufer, David Perez, David Bass, Winston Bass, Alexis Russell, Alyssa Schwimer, Aaron Beauchamp, and Ethan Mais.