Summer, 2004
Newsletter of
The East Bay Center for the
Blind, Inc.
2928 Adeline St.
Berkeley, CA 94703
Phone:
510-843-6935
Fax: 510-843-6006
E-Mail: ebcb@pacbell.net
With this summer issue of the newsletter we have enclosed a separate sheet containing two proposed amendments to the Center's Constitution and By-Laws. We will discuss them at our upcoming quarterly business meeting on July 23, and vote on them during our October meeting.
It has been a busy spring at the Center. Rebuilders Together has contacted us yet again, with a third contractor, concerning the remodeling of the Center's bathrooms. However, President Lizz Deeff says because the Center's activities take priority over this project, we will have to determine to what extent we can and will comply with the ADA regarding wheelchair access.
The kiln and its new shelter are now in place. Meanwhile, some three months ago, extensive damage to the outer concrete wall along the women's bathroom and the computer lab was discovered, requiring major repairs.
Because of health problems and work schedule conflicts, Board Director Liz Klein has resigned. President Deeff has appointed Joyce Ishii to serve on the Board for the remainder of Liz's term.
Please contribute your ads, announcements, informational items or short articles to the newsletter either by phoning me at 510-665-9260, or via e-mail at daveedm@sbcglobal.net.
Upcoming Events Bake Sale: This is a reminder about the Center's bake sale, which will take place on Saturday, June 25, from noon to 4 PM. Our chorus will entertain us with songs from the musical "South Pacific." We welcome all donations of cakes, cookies, breads, pies and other baked delicacies! Please request your $3 lunch plate no later than Wednesday, June 22.
Quarterly Business Meeting: Our quarterly business meeting will be held on Saturday, July 23, from 1 to 4 PM, with lunch following the meeting. The menu will include lasagne, green salad, garlic bread and strawberry shortcake. Lunch, which costs $7 for members and $8 for guests, should be ordered no later than Wednesday, July 20.
Annual Picnic: The Center's annual picnic will take place on Saturday, August 27, from noon to 4 PM. We will serve grilled chicken with all the traditional fixings. Lunch costs $8 across the board. Please RSVP no later than Wednesday, August 24.
Coyote Hills Outing: Members will be going to Coyote Hills Park in Fremont on Friday, September 16. Park personnel say there we will find a butterfly garden, a bird sanctuary, and shell mounds on the site of an Ohlone Indian village. This should prove to be a fascinating experience. Lunch costs $5. Participants will board the park-bound bus at 10 AM, and return to the Center at 4 PM. Please make your reservation no later than Tuesday, September 13. Center News Grants: We have formed a Grants Committee to look at fundraising possibilities. Its members are Jan Santos, Barbara Googins, Lizz Deeff, Patricia Nash, Peter Pardini and Daveed Mandell. Please contact any committee member with suggestions or ideas for obtaining grants.
Library: First Vice-President Grace Rodriguez has been labeling and organizing the shelves of our braille and audio library in order to better keep track of which books are checked out, and when. Grace asks people who borrow braille and recorded books to give her the names of the books they take.
Possible New Class: Grace Rodriguez, who taught Daily Living Skills and Home Management for many years at the Orientation Center for the Blind in Albany, has expressed interest in starting a Helpful Home Hints discussion group. She is seeking members' input and suggestions. Grace has scheduled a preliminary session to discuss the possible topics for such a group, and how it might be organized and conducted. The session will be held on Thursday, July 21, from 1 to 3 PM.
Here is Grace's tentative list of suggested discussion topics:
Closures: The Center will be closed on Monday, Independence Day, July 4, and Monday, Labor Day, September 5. It will also be closed during the first week of August.
Best Wishes Center member Alice Chavez has traveled to Lions World Services for the Blind (LWSB) in Little Rock, AR for six months of IRS job training. We wish her good luck and much success.
Harold Anthony Remembered We were saddened to learn of the recent passing of Harold Anthony, known to most of us at the Center as Tony, who was responsible for making substantial building improvements. Some of his accomplishments included installation of panic bars on our double doors, making the main entrance wheelchair-accessible and mounting the mosaic tiles on the front of the building. Tony was a wonderful craftsman. His honesty, integrity and pride in workmanship made him a special person. We will all miss Tony's expertise and kind, cheerful demeanor.
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have
to say something."
--Plato Back to Home Page