<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><div>I don't see anything in there that a brave blind person couldn't do. I say this because most of what he did was helping others with resources. However, I could easily see a blind person in a bucket brigade or picking up debris. I think he or she would do just fine sweeping a cane to find things that need moving and then storing the cane in a pocket when not needed. </div><div>Jewel </div><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Feb 16, 2014, at 1:12 PM, Darian Smith <<a href="mailto:dsmithnfb@gmail.com">dsmithnfb@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252">I was reading an article and ran across the below excerpt. <div> I want to ask do you think a blind person could do what this person did, if they wanted to? why? why not?</div><div> <span style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Ricky Matthews, who served in AmeriCorps in 1996, was working as a children's museum manager and teaching Youth Corps members in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 2001. Growing up volunteering with his mother through the church, he always took it upon himself to help in whatever capacity he could.</span></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">When the planes struck the Twin Towers, Ricky was at the museum. Everyone was told to go home. He saw on TV that Mayor Giuliani was asking people to help New York City. Ricky did not go on the first day, saying he was scared. But he went on the second day.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">For almost three months, Ricky went after work to help New York City recover. He first joined the bucket brigade at Ground Zero – starting on September 12 – and for about three week removed debris, helped with triage, and searched for bodies. (Ricky is EMS-trained.) For another month, he worked at the FEMA- and Red Cross-run Southeast Pier processing people displaced from Ground Zero, finding them housing, helping them with their obligations, taking claims. From there, Ricky spent another three weeks at JFK Airport sorting goods that Americans across the country sent to New York City. He even involved his AmeriCorps members from the museum.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Looking back, Ricky said that seeing the need and the devastation compelled him to keep coming back. “What really moved me were the dedication of the firemen and police officers who were there, working double and triple shifts” to find people, Ricky said.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Now a first and second grade teacher in Raleigh, North Carolina, Ricky is still helping his fellow man. When tornadoes recently his community, Ricky went out after the story to remove debris and help his neighbors get the help they needed.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">“Whenever there is a need, I feel that I am able to offer something,” said Ricky. “If it's not financial, it could be words of encouragement or a hug, but I'm able to give something because I'm able to empathize with that person, that region</p></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Community-service mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Community-service@nfbnet.org">Community-service@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/community-service_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/community-service_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Community-service:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/community-service_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/community-service_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>