[Colorado-talk] Introduction, and few questions

[Everett Gavel]

Hello & Welcome to both Terri and Johnnie Jean!

It's good to have new members speaking up on the 
list. My name is Everett. I moved here to Colorado 
Springs last summer, from Ohio.

Terri, as far as Canon City goes, here are a few 
resources that might offer some help:


There are some interesting links about Canon City 
when you search the following phrase on Google:
"Canon City, CO" (with the quotes)
(www.google.com/#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22Canon+City%2C+CO%22&oq=%22Canon+City%2C+CO%22&gs_l=hp.3..0l4.4890.4890.0.7531.1.1.0.0.0.0.219.219.2-1.1.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.6.psy-ab.z1yBoAyo69w&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43828540,d.aWc&fp=72683ac87027b8b2&biw=1024&bih=659)


Also, in case you don't already have it, your 
local paper's link might offer some help with 
finding answers:
www.CanonCityDailyRecord.com


It's probably not such a bad thing having the 
Royal Gorge in your town, huh? When I looked into 
whitewater rafting for this summer, I believe 
Royal Gorge was mentioned in the mix.

Here are a couple of sites listing your town's 
offerings...


Things to do in Canon City: Check out 9 Canon City 
Attractions ...
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. Ranked #3 of 9 
attractions in Canon City.
www.tripadvisor.com

Things to do in Canon City with kids -- on 
FAMILYdaysOUT.com
www.familydaysout.com/kids-things-to-do-usa/canon%20city
30+ items - Fun things to do in Canon City for 
kids


Now, here are a couple of resources for help in 
finding work...

Colorado Workforce Center
3224-B Independence Road
Canon City, CO 81212
Phone 719-275-7408
Hours: Monday to Thrusday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm; 
Friday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
http://www.connectingcolorado.com/
Email: canoncity at cwfc.net

Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation 
(DVR)
172 Justice Center Road
Canon City, CO 81212
www.dvrcolorado.com
How to apply for vocational rehabilitation 
services:
call 719-544-1406 the Pueblo office schedules all 
appointments for the Canon City area.
Tell the person who answers:
I want to apply for vocational rehabilitation 
services
I live in (name of town you live in) Fremont or 
Custer County
Give your mailing address, telephone number, 
e-mail if you have one
Please inform the phone operator as whether or not 
you receive or have applied for social security 
disability benefits.
You will receive an application packet and an 
appointment time to meet with Peg Mangan in the 
mail.


Now, Terri, or anyone else, you ask about 
"opportunities for the blind." Opportunities are 
always there. Most people, blind or sighted, don't 
grab hold of the few they recognize, quite 
honestly. Here are a few great quotes I try to 
keep in mind, to stay rightly focused:


"Opportunity is missed by most people,
because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like 
work."
  -- Thomas Edison

"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work,
so most people don't recognize them."
  -- Ann Landers, columnist

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every 
opportunity;
an optimist sees the opportunity in every 
difficulty."
  -- Sir Winston Churchill


That being said, do you know yet whether you 
actually want a job, a career, or your own 
business? They offer 3 distinct paths, depending 
on what it is you actually think (or know without 
a doubt) you want.

If you want a job, beyond using that workforce 
resource above, my suggestion would be to start 
looking through the Craigslist listings for Canon 
City or the region. The city-section for Pueblo 
might be your closest (but there are also other 
areas listed on the left side of the main page, 
here: http://pueblo.craigslist.org/

If you want a career, there are multiple choices 
to achieve such a thing. Colleges, online or off. 
After 17 years of making excuses, I just began 
attending college again myself. Anyway, that's 
always an option. DVR can help pay for that. DVR 
can also help put you through a Colorado program 
to become a vendor, with your own food stand or 
deli or whatever, in a Government building in your 
city or perhaps elsewhere in Colorado. I'm not the 
one to ask for more details on that option, but 
it's definitely a viable option. Kevan Worley 
would probably be the best one to talk to about 
those possibilities. Last I checked, he could be 
reached at this address: 
kevanworley at blindmerchants.org

Now, if you dream of having your own business of 
some kind, having a store location in town selling 
some product or service, online or off, there are 
a few resources that can help give answers and 
inspiration:

The National Association of Blind Entrepreneurs 
(NABE) E-mail List, titled, "nabentre," can be 
found on the page containing probably a hundred or 
more blindness-specific lists now, on the "Drop or 
Add" page, here:
www.nfbnet.org

Also on that page containing the list of lists, 
there is a discussion list called, "eBay-talk." 
That can offer help with selling online.

Anyway, that's a start. Hope some of this helps, 
somehow.

Again, "welcome" to both of you. Great to hear 
from you.


Strive On!
Everett
In Colorado Springs, CO
everett at everettgavel.com