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JANUARY/FEBRUARY,  2016
JANUARY
5-Knox County Schools resume
12-Board meeting 6:00pm
18-Martin Luther King Holiday

FEBRUARY
11-Board Meeting 6:00pm
 6-Indoor Rock Climbing, River Sports, 10:00-12:00am

MARCH
6-Vision Camp; Shangri-La Academy of Riding, information below
10-Board Meeting 6:00pm
14-18-Knox County/UT spring break
20-Tandem biking, Cherokee Blvd, 2:15; RSVP Sue


Freedom to Fly Blog
WHAT IS NEW THIS MONTH ON OUR BLOG PAGE?
Every single one of you who reads my blog matters to me. I'm here because you're
Your Feedback Matters
here, after all.

As we reach the first-year anniversary of the blog, I'd like to ask each of you to take a minute and help me see myself and the blog through your eyes. Every year about this time I go on a retreat with myself, deciding what gives me the most satisfaction and what my priorities should be and that includes this blog. 

Writing these blog posts is like putting a note in a bottle and tossing it into the electronic ocean. That is, I hope someone will find the bottle, read my note, and that it will have some meaning for them. But, I don't really know if that happens. This is where you come in. Would you mind dropping me a note while you're here letting me know what you think about the blog, what you like, don't like, and what you'd like to see in the future? Frankly, I'm trying to get some sense as to how useful this effort is and whether I should continue it as a personal priority.   

All answers are appreciated and helpful.


Contact me, please email me at:
blogger@club-vibes.org

MASTERING AIR TRAVEL AS A BLIND PERSON: BOARDING
Usually, getting to your gate and boarding is pretty simple and uncomplicated. With rare exception, gate agents are helpful. If, however, there is a snag in the process - your flight is delayed or canceled, the gate is changed - what you thought was going to be simple now holds the potential for becoming far more complex and challenging. There are a few things you can do, however, to insure that you have as much control over the process as possible.  read more

NEWS
VISIONARY, NEW CLUB VIBES VIDEO

Delta Gamma member, Caroline Knight, has made a wonderful video about Club VIBES called VISIONARY. The video features Sue telling the story about the founding of, and programs offered by Club VIBES. Sue demonstrates some of Club VIBES programs by introducing James, one of our new members who is just starting to navigate the world as a blind person.

VISIONARY is a valuable tool that will help us spread the word about what a great organization Club VIBES is. There are both a regular version and a descriptive audio version for those unable to see the video.  To watch the video, click here.  
For the descriptive audio version, click here

WBIR television will air an interview with Caroline on Live-At-Five-At Four on Monday, January 18. Tune in to see what Caroline has to say.

Thank you Caroline for sharing your talents and hard work with Club VIBES.
CLUB VIBES TANDEM PILOT INJURED
One of Club VIBES pilots, Patrick Rakes, was seriously injured recently in a bicycling accident on Alcoa Hwy. Please keep Pat and his wife Nancy in your thoughts and prayers.

WELCOME NEW PARTNERS
We are currently adding new partners to our Club VIBES family of supporters. Our partners are very important in allowing us to carry out our programs and add new ones.  If you know of any person, business or organization  that might be interested in becoming a partner, please email Sue. We will soon be introducing our 2016 partners.

TRIP TO DC
A trip to Washington DC is being planned for Club VIBES members. This will include tandem bicycling on some of the many bike paths in the area and visiting some of the monuments and museums. Our fundraising events will help cover some of the costs. Members and pilots will soon be receiving questionnaires to help us plan the trip. Many details are yet to be determined such as possible dates and exactly what you want to be sure to see and do. Please respond to the questionnaire to help us finalize the plans.
SPOTLIGHT
CLUB VIBES VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR, 2015
Sue presenting Volunteer of the Year Plaque to Craig Shell
It is with extreme pleasure that we have announced two Volunteers of the Year for 2015. This year the awards go to a brother and sister combo, Craig Shell and Kelli Shell.  read more
 
Sarah presents plaque to Kelli

MEMBERS CORNER

EAST TENNESSEE FOUNDATION (ETF) 
We are happy to announce that East Tennessee Foundation 2016 Scholarship Applications, including detailed descriptions of scholarships and instructions for completing applications, are now available on their website. read more

CCLVI SCHOLARSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT
The Council of Citizens with Low Vision International (CCLVI) will
award three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each to full-time
entering freshmen, undergraduate and graduate college students who
are low vision, maintain a strong GPA and are involved in their
school/local community.  read more


WANT TO BE A COMIC BOOK WRITER?
COMICS EMPOWER, a new online comic book store is  making  comic books accessible to the blind and visually impaired by translating them into audio form similar to descriptive audio for movies.  At their website you can experience an audio comic book and learn about entering a comic book writing contest. read more

Gordy, STAR"S horse of the year
2016 VISION CAMP
Knox County Schools vision camp will take on a new look this year. It is scheduled for Saturday, March 6 from 8:30am-9:00pm at  Shangri-La Academy of Riding (STAR). This year vision camp is one day that will be filled with many exciting activities. Vision campers will be assisted by counselors from the UT Department of Therapeutic Recreation.

Students will soon be bringing home registration information.  Return it soon to ensure a spot at camp.
STUDENT TO STUDENT WEBINAR
Learning Ally, the organization that provides many of our audio books and audio textbooks, is sponsoring a "student to student webinar" titled "No End in Sight". The focus is how to avoid, or get yourself out of, the mid-winter slump many of us face this time of the year. It will be held January 19 from 8:00-9:00pm. You must register to participate online. You can also submit questions you would like addressed.  For more information and to register, click here

POLAR PLUNGE
On February 27  Delta Gamma is sponsoring Polar Plunge, an event where you can pay to jump into the UT outdoor pool with a lot of other brave souls. This is an important fundraiser for Special Olympics. If you would like to join a team, contact Sue by February 10.

FUNDRAISING
LOOK AT OUR NEW SHIRTS! 
Club VIBES has long sleeve shirt t-shirts    
Club VIBES long sleeve t-shirt
with a cute  tandem bike drawing on the  front. It is available for $20 locally and $25 if you  need it shipped. Email club VIBES info@club-vibes.org
to order.
 
For a detailed description of the shirt  click here 



DECEMBER FLOWERS AND WREATHS
We had a very successful fundraising project through the sale of poinsettias and wreaths. Thank you to all who supported us. We hope you have enjoyed the beautiful additions to your home during the holidays.  Tip: you can continue to enjoy your poinsettia on your patio all summer. read more  

UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS
Be watching for our upcoming fundraising efforts to get us to the "Bike Washington DC" goal.  Email us if you wish to be added to our database for getting fundraising info and upcoming events. Don't miss out on our flower sales etc.

TECH NEWS
FACE BOOK'S  PHOTO DESCRIPTION TECHNOLOGY
Facebook currently has an artificial intelligence tool under development that is showing some success in describing photos, something of value to those who cannot see them. In experimental stages, the tool can tell whether a picture is outside, has clouds, grass and trees, and is near water.  As development continues, hopefully it will also be able to identify people and describe action that is taking place.  read more