[Nfbf-l] Exciting Day!!

[Merry Schoch]

Hi All,

I have been so stressed out studying to take the GRE test this Monday; however, today I have set that to the side and am thrilled about what the East Hillsborough chapter is doing.  We are participating in the Children's Festival at USF and , of course, our focus is on braille.  We aren't doing too much different from last year's event except for passing out balloons to the kids.  Thanks to Braille Works we have balloons that on one side has the Louis Braille coin, NFB, and Braille Readers are Leaders logo as well as the Braille Works logo on the opposite side.  I love what their logo states, "Making the World a More Readable Place".  How absolutely empowering it will be for a blind child or one who has the potential of going blind, to have the opportunity to learn braille as a child and have the tools available to assist this child to be a "leader".

I am please to be a part of today's events.  We will have displayed our braille Scrabble game, NFB literature, and will have for the first time at the event  "story times" thanks to our one and only State Braille campaign coordinator, Sherrill O'Brien.  We will again distribute braille alphabet cards with the child's (and sometimes adult's) name brailled on it.   Then the thing I love the best and that is the interaction with the children.

We have containers that are covered each with different items in them, for example one of them has kithcen items such as a plate, cup, spoon, fork, plastic fruit, box of cereal, box of triscuits, can of tuna, can of veggies, hot cocoa mix (envelope), envelope of pop corn, etc.  The child is given a scenario and then is told to pick out some items from the container without using their sight.  The other containers have such items as bathroom items, toys, clothes, school supplies, and more.  The kids absolutely love the entire experience and now we can top it off with the helium balloons.  What kid doesn't like balloon?

I am so excited and what a gorgeous day to be out and about.  Just had to share with all you our plans.

Hope you all have a great day,
Merry