[Nfbf-l] Exciting Day!!

[Sherrill O'Brien]

Helllo all,

I'm home from the University of Florida's Children's Festival, and it was
truly a beautiful day.  This is an event growing in popularity each year.  I
wrote about 100  names on our Louis Braille alphabet cards, which I hope
you're all taking advantage of, by the way.  They are free from the
Independence Market.  Just call the national office (410) 659-9314, to order
them.

As Merry said in her post, we handed out helium filled balloons, so many
that we ran out of helium!  The kids liked the print/Braille storybook I
read to them, especially since it was about a balloon.  The Braille scrabble
game was a hit, and one of the little ones ran to get his mother and told
her, "Mama, this lady can look with her fingers!"  And, between name writing
with the slate, I tried as best I could to explain to the parents how
important it is that our blind children learn and use Braille every day, as
a sighted child would use print.

I want to thank Marion and Merry for once again asking me to participate in
such a worthwhile and fun event.  I was so busy today I didn't even get the
chance to go and pet the huge old tortoise which was a big hit again this
year.

Hey, everyone, Have fun setting all your clocks forward tonight!!  You don't
realize how many of the darned things you have until you have to do that.

Sherrill


-----Original Message-----
From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org]On
Behalf Of Merry Schoch
Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 7:46 AM
To: NFB of Florida Listserv
Cc: Denise Prophet
Subject: [Nfbf-l] Exciting Day!!


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
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