[NFBC-SFV] Growing our Dreams

[Hearts For Sight Foundation]

New Program for Visually Impaired People  HFS Newsletter September 2021 Sharing our Dreams For a Healthier & More Independent Visually Impaired Community The photo above shows Hearts for Sight member Jason with his prize catch from the recent HFS deep sea fishing trip.     "People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." -Rob Siltanen Table of Contents President's Message Halloween Monster Bash Fundraiser Upcoming Activities Volunteer Testimonial We Need Your Help ... ‌ ‌ Donate September's Presidential Note: Dream Big Hello NFB SFV Chapter, Can dreams come true? Back in 2015 Hearts for Sight was just a dream that Racquel and I (Joseph) were discussing. It was a conversation that was focused on how to help support a healthier and more independent VIP community. We talked about creating a space where people with visual impairments could come to work on their health and wellness goals. We envisioned the Hearts for Sight Community Wellness Center- a universally designed gym facility equipped with 100% accessible equipment and support staff. As members of the Visually Impaired community, Racquel and I discovered that there is no such space like this for the blind. We committed to making the FIRST wellness center for the blind. Our grassroots effort has indeed propelled us forward. Our dreams are helping others. Because of YOUR SUPPORT and PARTICIPATION, Hearts for Sight has grown!!  Although we have not yet secured our dream facility, we have still provided life-changing services that support the multiple facets of health including physical, mental, and emotional health. Services like: a variety of hikes with sighted guides surrey bike rides where you don’t have to see, but you share pedaling yoga instruction with verbal cues rather than watching the instructor therapeutic group and individual counseling for VIPs plus unique and interesting recreational outings and events All which have all been made possible thanks to our supporters and increasing program participation.  Our dreams are now leading us to exciting new developments! One which we are really excited about is our initiative to “Make Nourishment Happen” for the VIP community. With our partnership with Everytable, we will help 50 VIPs have access to nutritious, freshly prepared meals.  As it is equally important to teach our community sustainable nutritional practices, the future of this program will also be educational. Learn more about this program in future newsletters!!  While HFS’ dreams continue to grow, we invite you to journey with us and our VIP community as we make more opportunities to better VIPs quality of life. Please continue to support our programs/activities, share our newsletters, volunteer at one of our upcoming outings and invite friends to our events. And if you are feeling extra generous, perhaps make a reoccurring donation to support our work with people who are blind and visually impaired. Any way you do it, your support is valued and will help Hearts for Sight grow into these new and exciting opportunities that directly impact our VIP friends. As always, thank you for your participation and your support! Sincerely, Joseph Burton, MSW President and Co-founder Hearts for Sight Foundation In the photo above are HFS participants (left to right): Darren, Jose, Betsy and Jessie sitting on the Betty O as the boat travels out to the deep sea. The photo above shows Holman holding the fish he just caught on the Betty O. To his left is Nora and Hanssy.  "In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I’m going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here’s a chance to grow.” -Carol S. Dweck Upcoming Hearts for Sight Activities We hope to see you at any of these Hearts For Sight activities. Please don’t forget to share this information with your friends and family or anyone that may be interested.  Halloween Monster Bash Fundraiser Friday, October 29th ~ 6 to 10 PM Regis House Community Center 2212 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90057 It's Back! Food, Fun and Fundraising for a good cause - Funding Hearts for Sight Programs for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Covid friendly with an outdoor taco cart and eating areas, as well as increased cleaning and plenty of room for social distancing. Balloons, lighting and greeters outdoors. DJ Saxy Jeff will be returning for your listening and dancing pleasure. Decorate Halloween sugar cookies. Candy bags for the kids. Will your costume win you a great prize from Trader Joe's or others? Raffles, Games and more..... Sighted friends: Experience temporary blindness through a few fun games Tickets: Adults $30 which includes tacos, beans and rice and all the fixin's plus two alcoholic drinks  Children under 21: $10 which includes tacos, beans and rice and all the fixin's plus two non-alcoholic drinks Extra food and drinks can be purchased for an additional fee. *Alcohol must be paid for in advance Click on this link for the full Monster Bash Flier Can you help? We are looking for donations and sponsors (donation letter can be provided). Buy tickets and invite friends. To meet our goal we need to sell 100 tickets. Volunteer before, during or after the event for one or more hours. Equipment loan needed - Heat lamps, lights, extension cords, etc. To purchase tickets for yourself or as a donation click here Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday, October 2, 2021 SOLD OUT Thanks to You!!! The National Federation of the Blind, San Fernando Valley Chapter and the Hearts for Sight Foundation collaborated again for a baseball game outing. Dodgers versus the Brewers on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 6:10PM. The photo above is from a HFS Surrey Bike Ride pre-covid Surrey Bike Riding - Powered by You! Saturday, 10/16/21 Wheel Fun Rentals Location - El Dorado Park 7550 E. Spring St. Long Beach With two steering wheels, and four to six people pedaling together, these covered bikes are perfect for people to safely get out and engage in physical activity while enjoying a great social event too. The bike route is paved and fairly wide. Our journey takes us around a small lake and has lots of trees. Needed: Five sighted volunteer captains. Seating is limited. To RSVP or for those interested in volunteering to be sighted captains, please reach HFS staff at: hearts4sight at gmail.com or contact Racquel Decipeda at 818-457-1482. Suggested donation - $10 Hearts for Sight invites you to Adrienne’s Invigorate Yoga Flow in the comfort of your home via Zoom. Join us for an energetic class meant to be challenging yet accessible. Expect to move through a gentle warm up, before moving through a series of standing postures, some core work, and finish with some restorative stretches before savasana (rest). Here are the next dates of sessions scheduled:  Wednesday, October 6 at 7:00 PM Sunday, October 17 at 5:00 PM Wednesday, November 3 at 7:00 PM Sunday, November 21 at 5:00 PM  You will be provided the Zoom link to access the class several days before the scheduled session. Just email or call to sign up. Hiking at El Dorado Park October 23, 2021, 8:30 AM 7339 E Spring St, Long Beach   Join HFS at the El Dorado Nature Center, a lightly managed wilderness area in northeast Long Beach. Most of our route will be on good quality dirt trails that are marked “one way” to avoid pedestrian traffic jams. After we have toured the wild area, we’ll head back to the civilized park for our picnic lunch. The round-trip distance is about four miles, with no significant ups or downs.    The group will gather at El Dorado Park Archery Range. There is a parking fee of $8 per car.   SIGHTED GUIDES NEEDED so that every VIP gets their own guide. No experience necessary. We will "guide you" through the training. Hearts For Sight Individual Therapy Program Are you struggling to cope with your loss of eye sight, challenges at work or a relationship? We can help! Hearts For Sight (HFS) is now providing individual therapy. HFS is offering an opportunity for adults 18 years old and up to sign up for this therapy program. Therapy sessions will be pro-bono (for free) for now. To sign up for individual therapy program, please contact HFS staff via email, hearts4sight at gmail.com, or by calling 818-457-1482. The HFS staff will assist you with the registration and intake process. Save the dates of these other activities in your calendar: Hiking - Sunday, 11/28/21 - Malibu Creek  Special bus trip from Alhambra to this famous park near Calabasas. Moderately easy route includes an actual Braille trail, along with a Creekside picnic spot. Two miles, 200 feet of gain, plus longer option.  Surrey Bike Riding - Saturday, 12/11/21 - Lake Balboa Park Hiking - Sunday, 1/2/22 - Claremont Wilderness Park Start off the new year with a moderately hard route in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in eastern Los Angeles County. Five miles, 550 feet of gain.  Hiking - Saturday 1/19/22 TBD Have a favorite place to hike? Let us know. Volunteer Testimonial This month one of our regular volunteers wrote an article for another organization, Parks California, and we wanted to share her experience with you. By: Firoza Jhabvala Parks California August 13, 2021   Do you know what it is like to be out in nature when you are missing one of your senses? At the Sierra Club’s Inspiring Connections Outdoors/Central Group, we are finding out. We recently partnered with an agency called Hearts For Sight that encourages blind and visually impaired people (VIPs) to participate in physical activities. We arrange buses and lead nature outings for our new VIP friends. Joseph Burton of Hearts For Sight has called our collaboration “a perfect marriage.”   A Sighted Volunteer Many participants from Hearts For Sight come to enjoy the hikes we sponsor. Together, Hearts For Sight and Sierra Club ICO/Central Group gather a mix of sighted and visually impaired people for monthly outings to our state and local parks. We enjoy the gifts of nature: the birds chirping, the wind blowing and the water flowing by. Walking with my unsighted companion, I describe the flora and fauna that I see. VIPs use their sense of touch, smell and hearing to experience it for themselves. Joseph tells me that many VIPs are not born blind and have a visual memory of the things that we describe to them. Sharing the nature trails with VIPs, I continue to be impressed by the strong sense of self and resilience of my unsighted companions. Equal Access To Nature “VIPs are an afterthought of the community. We expect that they are to remain indoors and not have access to public goods, like parks and nature preserves. The Sierra Club gave us an opportunity to [discover the] accessible trails and natural habitats LA has to offer.” These are the words of Joseph Burton who, along with Racquel Decipeda, founded Hearts For Sight. He is so right—our parks and trails are for everyone to enjoy, and we are proud to help give access to these areas (with the assistance of a generous grant from Parks California).  A Route To Health Being in outdoor spaces improves health and well being for all of us. To quote Joseph, “The feeling of isolation in our population is a real thing. What better way to engage with other people than to do it outside, and do it while you are exercising? That is eco-therapeutics.” The Hearts For Sight/Sierra Club outings allow us to engage as a community and be healthy while enjoying the gifts of nature out on the trails." HFS Newsletter September 2021 Our Mission Hearts for Sight is committed to continuing our mission of breaking down barriers to health and fitness that restrict the blind and visually impaired, so they may pursue physical, mental, and emotional wellness. One of Hearts for Sight's long-term goals is having a Wellness Center, including a specialized gym for the visually impaired. We need your time, expertise, or funding for projects during this month and beyond. This month we need your help by: 1) Share this newsletter to your social media page or pass this email on to someone who is blind or visually impaired. Please invite them to join you (virtually or outdoors) for one of our activities. 2) Volunteer to be a sighted guide for our next hike or surrey biking by emailing Racquel at hearts4sight at gmail.com or call 818-457-1482. 3) Buy tickets to our Monster Bash and invite others. 3) Donate funds of any amount: $5 provides hiking refreshments $40 provides funds for our instructors time and expertise $100 provides payment for insurance and other administrative costs $500-$1,000 provides support for upcoming nutrition and fitness programs Donate Now Hearts for Sight hopes you have enjoyed this newsletter. Please let us know if you have any thoughts or ideas that would improve it. Email us at hearts4sight at gmail.com or call us at 818-457-1482. We look forward to helping you achieve health and wellness in 2021 and beyond. Joseph, Racquel, and the entire team at Hearts for Sight Foundation Sign-up for Updates ‌ ‌ Hearts for Sight Team and Supporters During a Hike to Bolsa Chica Beach Hearts For Sight Foundation | 1540 Prospect Avenue, San Gabriel, CA 91776 Unsubscribe nfbc-sfv at nfbnet.org Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by hearts4sight at gmail.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!
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