The UCB Buzz
A publication of
Utah Council of the Blind
May 2023
For the latest news updates, check out the website at utahblind.org
Mail correspondence to:
UCB
PO Box 1415
Bountiful, UT 84011-1415
E-mail us at utahblind@gmail.com
For credit card payments, to make reservations, or for other business,
call the business office at 801-245-9264.
In This Issue
Piano Concert
Tickets for UCB Members
Cliburn Gold
Medalist, OLGA KERN
Are you Getting the Most from the
Library?
The library records local titles.
The library offers personal
customer service.
3 Ways to Help You Practice
Self-Compassion
Board of Directors and Management
2023 Meeting Schedule and Calendar
Articles
and announcements included in this publication are presented for your information
and interest. They reflect the opinions of the respective authors and are not necessarily
endorsed by the UCB.
By Sandy England
We had such a wonderful time
at the Annual Legacy Pioneer Easter Egg Hunt and Lunch. Watching everyone
trying to find the eggs and then getting rewarded with candy, baskets, etc. was
such a joy! Sorry if you missed it, however it will be held next year so please
look for the announcement in our newsletter. Thanks to the Legacy Pioneer team
for all their hard work and the great food. They have been doing this for so
many years and deserve a lot of credit.
Along with this year’s
Easter Egg Hunt the UCB sold Easter baskets and that was very successful as a
fund-raiser. Our beautiful baskets were full of wonderful goodies and we hope
you got one. Again, you can look forward to them next year. Thanks to those who
helped assemble the baskets: Donni Mitchell, Kira Larkin, Jeana Nielsen, Kate
Balzly, and John England. It was a big job and we could not have done it
without you.
Chocolate bunnies, eggs, and
other goodies found homes in the baskets. If you don’t know what to do with
your Easter basket please save it and return it to us
and we will use it next year.
Here is a list of this
year’s donors:
Anne Omer
Arby’s West Jordan
Black Bear Diner West Jordan
Costco Salt Lake City
Costco West Valley
Deseret Book West Jordan
Fizz Bountiful
Flake Pies South Jordan
Leatherby’s Taylorsville
Lee’s Marketplace North Salt Lake
Little Caesar’s West Jordan
Little Caesar’s Taylorsville
Macey’s West Jordan
McDonald’s
Max Aiken
Papa John’s West Jordan
Papa Murphy’s West Jordan
Papa Murphy’s West Valley
Pizza Hut Taylorsville
Tracy Aviary Salt Lake
Megaplex
Theater Centerville
I would like to thank Kate
Balzly for helping me so much. She worked hard and it showed.
If you would like to donate
or help next year please call me.
We wish all of you a happy
Easter.
Sandy England
Cell: 801-634-8002
Dear UCB Members:
On behalf of the Bachauer Foundation, we send our
greetings! We recognize you as members of the Utah Council of the Blind for
your efforts in strengthening education and services for our Utah communities.
As an international piano organization based in
Utah, we encourage you to attend our concerts, competitions, and festivals. We
are pleased to offer you, as a UCB member, two complimentary tickets for our
concert on Saturday, April 29, at 7:30 pm, with acclaimed pianist Olga Kern
performing Rachmaninoff, Gershwin, and Schumann, at the Rose Wagner Performing
Arts Center.
You may call 801-297-4250 or
email info@bachauer.com to request two complimentary tickets. Be sure
to identify yourself as a UCB member.
Please request your tickets no later than noon on
Wednesday, April 26. This offer is not available to the general public and is
subject to ticket availability.
We do hope you can join us!
Sincerely,
Kary D.
Billings
Executive
Director
An Unforgettable Night of Rachmaninoff!
With her vivid stage presence, passionately
confident musicianship, and extraordinary technique, Olga Kern continues to
captivate fans and critics alike.
Join us as she pays tribute to Rachmaninoff as
performer and composer, performing music both beloved and written by him.
Saturday, April
29, 2023, 7:30 pm
Rose Wagner Performing
Arts Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
By Lisa Nelson
Are you getting the most
from your participation in services at the Utah State Library for the Blind?
The library does so much more than circulate books!
The Utah State Library for
the Blind records books of local and regional interest and popularity, which
includes books written by local authors you probably won’t be able to find
anywhere else. In addition to recording books specific to Utah, the library
also records local books and magazines for Alaska, Montana, and Wyoming. The
library has recently begun recoding books in Spanish.
The library provides
in-person, or on-the-phone troubleshooting and support for patrons that use the
digital book machine, Victor Reader Stream, and braille ereader
device. Reader’s advisors can help you sign up for a BARD account, provide assistance navigating the BARD website, and
downloading books from BARD.
The Utah State Library for
Blind “Off the Shelf” blog is your way to get the most up to date information.
The blog is located on the library’s website, blindlibrary.utah.gov. You can
access and download the most recent volume of the Talking Book Topics large
print version and the order form online. The library also coordinates wf ith Utah based consumer groups
for the blind and visually impaired to post events and happenings.
By Tom
Mitchell
Free Days
With George: Learning Life's Little Lessons From One
Very Big Dog DBG 10391
Reading time 5 hours, 55 minutes.
Read by Roger Ashby.
A production of CNIB.
Marrakesh
title.
One day the author, Colin
Campbell, came home from a business trip to find that his wife, whom he loved
dearly, had packed up and left, without even an explanation. Attempts to talk
with her about why proved fruitless, and he became very depressed. A friend
felt that what might help him would be to adopt a dog who needed rescuing, so
he directed Colin to a website featuring Newfoundland dogs who needed homes. Not
really believing that he would adopt a dog, but just so he could tell his friend
he had looked, he logged on to the site and found a picture of a dog that, for
some reason, he found he couldn’t forget. The dog was living with a woman who
provided temporary homes for dogs who needed good places to live. Colin
traveled to the house where this lady lived, and met the dog in the picture,
who seemed friendly enough to the woman and her daughter, but was afraid of
Colin. The lady believed that the dog had been abused by men, but that he could
be taught to trust Colin. Colin surprised himself by agreeing to take the
140-pound Newfoundland dog immediately, and thus began his adventures with
George.
The author takes us through
the first few weeks when he couldn’t seem to make inroads into George’s
confidence, through obedience classes where he was taught how to let George
know he was loved, and then to a job for a while in L.A. where he and George
took up surfing, and George became a surfing dog champion.
The book runs the gambit of
emotions from sadness, to parts that will have you laughing out loud. It’s a
very descriptive book that will let you picture easily what happens as the
author goes through the adventures he and George had.
Part of the reason for the
title of the book is that, while a child, Colin lived at times with his
grandfather who taught him that any day we can get up and look forward to all
sorts of things to do was a free day of his life. And I think that’s something
that all of us might do well to think about. It’s a short book, only 6 hours
long, and very well read. If you’re a dog-lover, or even if you’re not, I think
you will find this book a delightful one to read.
By Mindi Larson
I want to do a series on
mental health. I have been going to therapy for many years, and I know a lot of
ways to calm myself when I am upset, or self soothe when I am feeling down or
overwhelmed. I want to share the different things that I have learned along the
way. None of this is my opinion. The articles will all have references.
By Heather Grey on March 31, 2023-
www.psychcentral.com
If self-compassion doesn’t
come easily to you, that’s OK! It’s something you can build through practice.
Taking time for reflection and positive self-talk may help you develop habits
of self-care and kindness.
Here are 3 things that you
can do when you need some love and reassurance.
Take a breathing break: Sit someplace quiet and comfortable.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of 3. Breathe out through your mouth
for a count of 5. Repeat.
Write a self-compassionate letter or memo to yourself: If you were
a loving friend who was trying to comfort and reassure you, what would you say?
Get
some perspective: Imagine you’re an observer of your own
emotions. Ask: “Why is this person feeling this way?” Try to observe
without judgment.
Donni Mitchell has an Or-Cam
Read device for sale. It has been barely used. Everything is still in the box,
and she’s asking $1795. You can contact her by phone at 385-628-9115, or via
e-mail at donnimit50@gmail.com.
The UCB Buzz
is available in large print, Braille, audio CD, and by e-mail. If you would
prefer to receive your newsletter in a different format, please call the UCB
business office at 801-245-9264 or send an e-mail to utahblind@gmail.com and
let us know.
We are always looking for articles, book reviews, or interesting tidbits of information from our readers or other interested persons. You may e-mail any articles you wish to submit to tommit60@gmail.com; send Braille, print, or audio to UCB Buzz, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. Please allow extra time for processing Braille, print, or audio.
Anna Jeffery, President, Skills Development Program Supervisor
Donni Mitchell, Vice President, Ceramics Board Liaison
Jeana Nielsen, Secretary
Vicki Flake, Treasurer
Sandy Ruconich, Director, Executive Director
Monica Youngdell, Director
Sandy England, Director, Awards Committee Chair
Kira Larkin, Director, Braille Committee Chair, Ceramics Class Liaison
Shelly Hendricksen, Director, Scholarship Committee Chair
Cindi Vega, Director, Election Committee Chair
Dennie Clark, Director, Skills Development Program Assistant Supervisor
Mindi Larson, Director, Holiday Celebration Committee Chair
Kate Balzly, Chief Operating Officer
Aunilie Hathaway, Membership Committee Chair
Tom Mitchell, Publications Committee Chair
Matt Barnhill, Adaptive Technology Committee Chair
JD Seely, Community Projects Chair
Sabra Ewing, Legislative Committee Chair
Members are invited and encouraged to attend meetings of the Board of Directors. Meetings will typically be held the first Thursday of each month at 4:45 p.m. via Zoom. To be placed on the agenda or attend a meeting, e-mail utahblind@gmail.com or call 801-245-9264.
Thursday, May 4, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Thursday, June 1, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Thursday, July 6, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Thursday, August 3, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Thursday, September 7, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Saturday, September 16, 2023, 10:00 a.m. – Annual Business Meeting at DSBVI
Thursday, October 5, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Saturday, October 14, 2023, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. – Budget and Training Meeting, location TBD (by invitation only)
Thursday, November 2, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
Saturday, December 2, 2023, TBD – Holiday Event at DSBVI
Thursday, December 7, 2023, 4:45 p.m. – Board Meeting
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THE BLIND
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