Club Vibes Logo

June/July/August  2017
JUNE
3- Indoor rock climbing River Sports, 10:00-12:00; $10.00
6,13,20,27-Kayaking at Ijams; details below
11-Tandem biking and NFC walking with guides; Cherokee Blvd, 2:00 pm; RSVP Sue
13-Board Meeting, 6:00 pm
23-Young Professionals karaoke night; details below
24-Pool party fundraiser; 3:30-8:00 pm; details below
25-Pool party rain date

 JULY
  1-  Indoor rock climbing River Sports, 10:00-12:00; $10.00
11,18,25-Kayaking at Ijams; details below
16-Tandem biking, Cherokee Blvd and NFC walking with guides, 2:00 pm; RSVP Sue

AUGUST
1,8,15,22-Kayaking at Ijams; details below
5- Indoor rock climbing River Sports, 10:00-12:00; $10.00
15-Board Meeting 6:00 pm 
20- Tandem bicycling and NFC walking with guides, Cherokee Blvd, 2:00; RSVP Sue
22-College/Young Professional group meeting, 6:00 pm

Freedom to Fly Blog
WHAT IS NEW THIS MONTH ON OUR BLOG PAGE?

THE NEARLY PERFECT QUESTION
My friend had seen someone who was blind, apparently confused and disoriented, and stopped to offer assistance and, for his trouble, was told in no uncertain terms that his assistance was neither asked for nor wanted.  Continue reading

We welcome your comments. Please share your experiences about these topics in the comments section on the blog page  http://club-vibes.org/blog/ .
 

NEWS
CLUB VIBES HOLDS THE LEAD!
Congratulations to Club VIBES National Fitness Challenge (NFC) team members, For the second month, the Club VIBES team in the NFC has the lead for the most total steps recorded by the 25 members of the team. That total was 8.9 million steps! That is the equivalent of approximately 4,500 miles. Along with the honor of being in first place, Club VIBES receives a $250 gift card at Dick's Sporting Goods. To get a better feel for the tremendous job the members of Club VIBES NFC team have done, the second place team, Atlanta, recorded only 7.9 million steps. That is a BIG difference! We owe Missy Kane a huge thanks for this success. She has been an awesome coach; she has organized weekly walks, found guides for our walkers (and some runners), and continues to encourage and motivate the team members. 

Some of our members are reporting personal benefits since beginning their walking routine.  Yira reports " Just wanted to let everyone know that since I started this challenge I have lost 7 pounds."  Club VIBES is proud of you, Yira.

    
                                                  Photo:  Sophie getting her 
                                                 steps in on  Saturday walk

CONGRATULATIONS TO ILLYA AND TAMMY          
 
Each month a male and female member from each team 
is recognized for their effort  on the  website of the National Fitness Challenge . Our winners for April were  Illya Popov and Tammy Fugatt.  Way to go! 















                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Photo: Illya holding bag 
                                                                                            awarded to monthly winners

CLUB VIBES NFC TEAM COMPETES IN DOGWOOD 5K
Nineteen members of Club VIBES NFC team and their guides walked (or ran) in the Knoxville Dogwood 5k. After training under the guidance of Coach Missy during the months of March and April, the team was ready to participate in this community event. Congratulations to Joe for running the 5k in 20 minutes!  We would not have been able to do this a month ago, but thanks to the training program and coaching by Coach Missy (Missy Kane), we did it!

 Photo: Joe runs the 5k in 20 minutes     Photo: Jeremy crosses the finish line
 

         Photo: Club VIBES team and guides participating in Knoxville  Dogwood 5k
       
VOL LEADERS SPORTS FEST
Following right on the heels of the Dogwood 5k, VIBES members participated in the Vol Leader Sports Fest. A requirement of the National Fitness Challenge was to hold a community sporting event to spread awareness of sports adapted for those with disabilities. VIBES partnered with the UT Sports Leadership class made up of UT scholarship athletes from all sports to meet this requirement.  UT Vol leaders planned and lead 10 activities including an obstacle course, tennis, volleyball, zumba, tandem bicycling, bowling, tethered running, and more.  According to one VIBES  participant, "It was pretty great".  

There were two goals of the Sports Fest.  First was to demonstrate to those with disabilities how they can participate in sports, and encourage them to do so. Second, to help the scholarship athletes, many of whom will go on to careers involving sports, to learn the importance of including those with disabilities in sports activities and competitions in their future careers.

Another component of the Sports Fest was a first hand report from an athlete with a disability. Liz Baker, a visually impaired athlete from Chattanooga who represented the US in the triathlon in the Rio paralympics in 2016 told about her experiences in athletics. Her inspirational message was that, yes, you can participate and compete in sports regardless of your disability.

                                   Photo: Smokey takes a spin on the tandem
CLUB VIBES IS RECEIVES AN AKIMA GRANT
The  Akima  Club is a women's service organization that provides assistance to various community groups of  Knoxville  both through time and monetary grants. Club VIBES is proud to have been selected to receive one of the 2017 grants. This grant specifically helps support our tandem bicycling program through the purchase of equipment such as bicycling helmets and to help maintain our tandem bicycles. Thank you Akima for selecting Club VIBES.

MEMBERS CORNER
COME OUT FOR KAYAKING AND INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING 
ROCK CLIMBING
Riversports Outfitters on Sutherland Ave, along with Catalyst Sports, has an indoor rock climbing program for persons with disabilities is scheduled for the first Saturday of every month from 10:00am until 12:00pm. There is a $10 fee which covers equipment, coaching and time on the wall. There are scholarships available.  For more information or to register,  Click Here

KAYAKING
Catalyst Sports offers kayaking for persons with disabilities at Ijams Nature Center lakeside docks every Tuesday from 6:00-8:00pm. Here are the details from Catalyst website...
"We will be kayaking at Ijams River Side Landing on Tuesdays from 6-8.  Come early if you can.  Drive past the main entrance and you will see the blue sign on the left. Drive through the gate and proceed to the end of the gravel road.   You must SIGN UP FOR EACH SESSION, volunteers and participants.  Cost is $5 per participant.  We have sponsors that can help with the cost if you can't afford it so no worries. You must also sign the WAIVER one time for the year. Please make certain you have done so."
Catalyst Website with link          http://www.teamcatalyst.org/eventsregistration.html

  Please also join the Catalyst Sports page on facebook as weather updates or cancellations will be posted there.     

Catalyst Sports-Knoxville

PS. Mark your calendars for our fund raiser concert at Ijams on June 2 6-8 pm. Join us and bring some friends.  It will be a blast and the band is super fun :-)  Ijams has the event posted on their facebook page.

COLLEGE AND YOUNG PROFESSIONAL GROUP
The College/Young Professionals Group for the month of April, was very busy. Between Saturday walks with Coach Missy Kane preparing us for the Dogwood 5K and participating in The UT Vol Leaders Sports Fest, we were on the go. As the weather begins to get warmer, we look forward to getting together and planning some other adventures, especially as we continue with the National Fitness Challenge. Our meeting for this month will be May 23 at Drake's Restaurant, 242 Morrell Rd. at 6:00 PM. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Tune up your voices for our June meeting--we will meet June 23 at the Asian West Cafe, 8111 Gleason Rd for karaoke from 8:00-10:30 pm. RSVP to Sue.

FUNDRAISING
SUCCESSFUL  PROJECTS
BELK CHARITY TICKETS AND SPRING FLOWER SALE
Thanks to all of those who supported Club VIBES at the Belk charity sale and through the purchase of our flowers. These were two very successful fundraising efforts. We will soon be planning how best we can use these funds to meet the needs of our members.

Thank you to Stanley's Greenhouse and Belk for providing us with these fundraising opportunities. Enjoy the beauty of the flowers all summer!
                    Blue Angel                                                    Yellow Lantana


DELTA GAMMA FUNDRAISER
The ladies of Delta Gamma held a dodgeball tournament with  teams coming from fraternities, sororities, intramurals and other groups of UT students.  The pouring rain did not deter the competition. The funds raised went to Club VIBES. Thanks to the DG ladies and all of the other participants.

UPCOMING FUNDRAISERS
POOL PARTY
Summer is here and it will soon be time for the Club VIBES Pool Party.  The date is June 24 (rain date June 25), from 3:30-8:00 pm (or so).  Our hosts, Curtis and Margaret Holmes, are again opening up their beautiful pool to VIBES members and supporters for an afternoon of relaxing in the pool, eating, and just "hanging out".  This is a fund raiser in which each guest makes a $10 donation and brings a side dish to share.  Drinks, dessert, and the main dish will be provided. There is a limit to the number of guests so make your reservation now to guarantee your spot. 

  













                                                              Photo: Cooling off at lats year's pool party

TECH NEWS
CONNECT 12 ELECTRONIC MAGNIFIER 
One of the favorite devices viewed by Knox County Teachers at the CSUN conference was the Prodigy electronic magnifier.  It connects to WIFI , provides real time magnification, connects with classroom smart board, has built in scientific calculator, has the option to use speech to read material, and many more features. The newly redesigned Connect 12 combines a high-performance digital magnifier with the versatility of a tablet, plus unmatched ease of use and integrated access to newspapers or magazines from online libraries.  For more information, Click Here

GUIDLINES FOR BUYING A LAPTOP
This article appeared in the newsletter of the American Association of Blind Teachers. It lists some important features to consider when selecting a laptop for a blind or visually impaired computer user.  This list would be especially useful to parents in the market for a laptop for their blind student.  Teachers of the visually impaired would also find it helpful to consult the list before selecting a laptop for a blind student.
Click here for the list.


THANK YOU TO OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS FOR 2016-2017

PLATINUM
GOLD
SILVER
DRAGONFLY
 
Sherbakoff Nalls Group

ANONYMOUS



Arnold Cohen,
Attorney at Law

Dr. Bruce Gilliland