[Nfb-greeley] FW: CCB Fall Newsletter

[melissa R green]

Warmly,

Melissa R. Green and Pj

It is 'where we are' that
should make all the
difference, whether we believe
we belong there or not. 

 

From: Christina Buehler
[mailto:cbuehler at cocenter.org]

Sent: Thursday, October 08,
2015 8:27 AM
To: CCB
Subject: CCB Fall Newsletter

 

COLORADO CENTER FOR THE BLIND

2233 W. Shepperd Ave.

Littleton, CO  80120

303-778-1130   800-401-4632

ccb at cocenter.org    www.
cocenter.org

 

Fall 2015 Newsletter

 

Take charge with confidence
and self-reliance

 

Message from the Director

Yesterday we gathered together
to hear some of our students
present speeches that they had
prepared for their public
speaking class. Each student
is required to take this class
while attending our
Independence Training Program.
I was struck by the variety of
the speeches and by the poise
that each student radiated as
they presented.  Curtis from
Missouri told us how important
it is to have a good attitude;
Jenny from Kansas talked about
how enriching it is to travel
and let us know that she plans
to travel to the Four Corners
area in the next year,; Haylee
taught us all about
synesthesia; and Vicki
described the love that she
has for the people at the
Center and how being here has
opened up her life.  I will
keep these speeches close to
me, because each student that
walks in our doors gives all
of us so much as they learn
and grow.  We will be putting
excerpts of student speeches
on our website.  Enjoy them!  

 

In the past year we have had
full access to our gym at all
times.  The fitness programs
have dramatically grown as a
result of this.  There is a
variety of exercise equipment
in the gym.  Classes offered
at the Center for all of our
students include aerobic
dance, yoga and Zumba.  We
also have goalball at least
once each week.  

See the calendar to get an
idea of the upcoming events.
Thanks to all of you for your
support.  

 

Summertime at the Center

By Dan Burke

The Last Week of July:

It's the last week of July,
and at the Colorado Center for
the Blind we're fighting the
feeling that summer is almost
over. We know that there are
still weeks of hot weather,
lovely warm Colorado evenings
to enjoy.  But that vague
anxiety is fueled as the last
week of July saw our 22 summer
students graduating on
Wednesday, cleaning and
packing on Thursday and
leaving on Friday. Many of
them are starting school in
the first week of August. For
them, summer truly is about
over.

It was a big week, and a big
summer. Eighteen students flew
out from DIA Friday, and these
Face Book posts give a sense
of the momentousness of the
last week of July - and the
last two months:

>From Shay: Here at the
airport, waiting to go home.
Thinking about this summer,
and how great it was. I met a
lot of really amazing people
this summer that have really
helped me and challenged me to
do the best that I could. I am
leaving here with so much. New
friendships, amazing memories,
and the ability to do more
than I ever thought I could. I
will never forget the memories
or the people I met this
summer. Hope to come back next
summer and to see all of you
sometime again.

>From Sami: So I got on that
plane and had to say a
temporary goodbye to some of
the greatest individuals I've
ever met. It was the hardest
thing I could've done. You
guys have changed my life and
taught me so much. Thank you
for everything.

 

More Summer Highlights:

In their last week, the 17
Earn & Learn students picked
up their last paychecks. For
many of these students, these
were their first paychecks
ever!  Three students worked
at
<http://www.therightstepinc.or
g/> The Right Step, feeding
horses, hauling sand to level
the riding arena, and lots
more. Sure they got paid, and
then on Tuesday they also got
a riding lesson!  The students
finished up by cooking a meal
Wednesday for the entire
Center and guests, which
included family members and
employers for some of the kids
in the Earn & Learn Program.
They cooked a delicious baked
ziti for more than 100 and
then many performed in the
talent show.  Their departure
left a void, and the Center
was pretty quiet without them
on Friday. One of our nine
awesome summer counselors
posted on Face Book, tagging
the two students she lived
with, taught and came to love
this summer: 

"I don't know what to do with
myself!" she posted Friday
evening.

As you can tell, more than
just skills happen, even more
than just the confidence and
self-reliance of our tag line.

 

And yet.the Center wasn't
quiet this week for our other
programs either. On Friday,
the seniors made a trip to
Golden and the Coors Brewery
for a tour. RTD's W and C
Lines provided the designated
drivers.

 

There were three dinner
parties given at the
apartments by Independence
Training Program students -
Marcus, Gwendolyn and J.J. all
cooked and served great meals
to five or more guests.

 

On Friday Curtis had his
mini-meal - a meal for 15
guests, and served a delicious
and abundant meal of homemade
macaroni and cheese with
barbecued chicken and green
beans from our garden. 

There were two Monster Routes
on Friday - Carolyn and Sarah
both completed the requirement
of visiting four places they
had never been before in four
different cities in the Denver
Metro area - all in one day.
The real challenge of this
grad requirement in cane
travel is in the planning it
takes to pull it off. Both are
scheduled to graduate next
week.

 

And another of our "summer"
students finished up on
Friday. Robin House came with
the summer youth and left
about the same time. She is a
past NFB Scholarship winner
and a school counselor in the
St. Louis area, and spent her
summer vacation under
sleepshades during the week.
On her own time, she hiked and
biked and even climbed a 14er!
On Friday night a dozen of her
classmates and six staff
members sent her off with a
dinner of Thai food. and a lot
of love.

"I planned for the skills, but
this ." Robin told the group,
meaning the connections,
friendships and support that
grow between students and
staff, "this was something I
simply could not have
anticipated."

 

Now at the start of August, we
have two graduations this
week, and another student,
J.J. finishes another "summer"
ITP program before heading
back to CSU for her junior
year. 

 

Then comes
<http://www.westernwelcomeweek
.org/> Littleton's Western
Welcome Week. The Center is
offering interactive tours to
the community, we'll walk in
the parade on Saturday, August
15 and many of us will help
out with the Denver Chapter's
booth that day in the arts and
craft fair.  There's so much
yet to do before Labor Day!

 

 
<http://coloradocenterforthebl
ind.org/im-not-staying-in-my-r
oom-anymore/> I'm Not Staying
in my room anymore!:

Six remarkable women made up
our late-summer Seniors in
Charge the week of August 31
to September 4. Ranging in age
from 58 to 90, it didn't take
long to figure out that each
of them were accomplished,
dynamic people, and had been
all their lives. They came to
Seniors in Charge because they
intend to remain that way.
Three of the women came from
the Grand Junction area and
one returned from Mexico,
where she retired after living
and working in Denver. It was
an intense and demanding five
days and six nights, of course
including Braille, cane
travel, assistive technology
and home management skills.
Though sleepshades are
optional during Seniors in
Charge, they are encouraged,
and each student took on the
challenge at least part of the
time during the week.

"I sliced my tomatoes better
with sleepshades on than I do
with my remaining vision," one
student marveled about her
kitchen experience.

"I learned that I love
Braille!" said Vickie. "I
thought I was just going to do
the class because it was
required, but I really love
it!"

"I'm not staying in my room
anymore," Alice announced at
the closing Friends and Family
Seminar. From Grand Junction,
she still has the Brooklyn
accent of her youth. "I had
everything worked out,
everything I needed in my
room, and I wasn't going to
leave that room unless someone
came to take me, but I'm not
staying in it now!"

 

Duncan, Anahit, Wayne and Petr
devoted their entire week to
the program. Duncan, Wayne and
Petr stayed at the Center's
McGeorge Mountain Terrace
apartments, traveling back and
forth with their students
every day.  And special thanks
to our two trusty volunteers,
Diane McGeorge and Janet
Williamson, who tag-teamed the
Braille instruction.  There is
talk, probably just idle talk,
of a class reunion in Mexico!

Program Notes

Youth Program

The Colorado Center has been
buzzing with activity all
summer long and September has
not slowed down. I want to
thank each of you for taking
the time to learn about what
we have been doing.  Our
summer youth program was a
great success. Thanks to the
Verizon Foundation, we will be
developing and offering
several programs to blind
youth and their instructors in
the areas of science,
technology, engineering and
math.

 

Independence Training Program

At this time we have over
thirty students enrolled in
our Independence Training
Program.  We have students
here from all over the country
and the world.  We are excited
to have Poonam here from India
and Lian from China.   We
currently have four students
with us who use guide dogs.
They are pleased to have the
opportunity to work hard on
developing more skill using a
cane during their training
day. The students just
completed our rock climbing
sessions and enjoyed going to
clear Creek Canyon and
Eldorado Canyon.  Being in the
mountains and hearing the
river run and breathing the
fresh air while climbing is
spectacular.  

 

Senior Program

Our Senior Program has grown
as a result of a grant that we
received from the Denver
Regional Council of
Governments.  We are serving
blind seniors in an eight
county area. We have hired an
outreach specialist and will
be offering tactile art and
sewing classes in addition to
the discussion groups and
blindness skills classes that
we are teaching.

 

Senior groups are available
weekly.  For more information,
please call Duncan Larsen at
303-778-1130 extension 226.

 

Upcoming Events

October 15 Youth:  1 pm - Join
us as we partner with the
Colorado School for the Deaf
and the Blind at Acacia Park
in Colorado Springs to
celebrate White Cane Day.  Our
very own Brent Batron is the
keynote speaker for this
event.  

 

October 15 Seniors:  We will
be starting our first
afternoon support group on
Thursday, October 15, from
1:30-3:30. 

 

October 17 Youth:  5 to 9 pm -
FAST Saturday at the CCB
invites you and your kids to
join us for an astronomy
workshop in partnership with
ACC's Astronomy Club.  We will
meet at the Center at 5:00 pm
for dinner.  We will then walk
over to the observatory at ACC
and spend about two hours
observing the night sky.  We
will return to the Center at
about 8:30 or 9:00.  We know
that it is later than most of
our activities but we will
have so much fun!  Please RSVP
to Brent Batron at
303-778-1130 x 222 or
<mailto:bbatron at cocenter.org>
bbatron at cocenter.org.

 

November 13 Youth:  10 am to 1
pm - Shark Dissection with
Arapahoe Community College at
the Colorado Center for the
Blind.  This is an annual
favorite.  We will work with
Terry Harrison to once again
provide the opportunity for
blind and visually impaired
students who are in middle
school and high school to
dissect a dogfish shark.  

 

November 14 Youth:  10 am to 2
pm - FAST program.  We will
preparing a small Thanksgiving
dinner with all the fixings.
Learn how to carve, mash
potatoes, bake a pie and
everything related to this
fantastic and festive
holiday!!!  

 

For youth activities, please
contact Brent if you have any
questions or to RSVP
<mailto:bbatron at cocenter.org>
bbatron at cocenter.org or
303-778-1130 x 222    

 

To refer someone who is
interested in training, please
call Robert Dyson at
303-778-1130 extension 249.

 

If you have items for the
newsletter, please send them
to  <mailto:ccb at cocenter.org>
ccb at cocenter.org.

 

 

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