BOLD VENTURES
January 2018
Blind Outdoor Leisure Development
BOLD welcomes persons 18 and older with all degrees of vision: blind, low vision, partially sighted and fully sighted.
PO Box 8114
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Veronique Schreurs, Editor
Email: boldwpa@gmail.com
Website: www.wpabold.blogspot.com
Update Line: 1-773-597-4222 (updates recorded each Friday.)
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
JANUARY CALENDAR
Tuesday, January 2 will be the next Board meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at One Smithfield Street. All are welcome! Please contribute your ideas for future activities. To let Tammi know you will be there, call 412-488-6298 by 10 PM on the previous Sunday.
Wednesdays January 10 & 24: Mall Walking at the Monroeville Mall from 9 AM to 11 AM. To sign up with Joyce Driben by 9 PM the Thursdays before (Jan 4 & Jan 18), call 412-521-4385.
Thursdays January 4 & 18: Mall Walking at the Ross Park Mall from 10 to 12 noon on both days.
To reserve for the 4th, call Pat DePasquale, 412-492-1692, by 9 PM on Sunday December 31. To sign up for Thursday the 18th, phone Toni Kelly, 412-965-4443, by 9pm on Sunday, January 14.
Thursdays January 4, 11, 18, 25: Yoga from 2:30 to 4 PM at Squirrel Hill's Schoolhouse Yoga Studio: 2215 Murray Ave. Copay is $10, or optional $15 if the group is very small. The sign-up deadline with Veronique Schreurs, 412-225-4038, is the Tuesdays before by 9pm.
The schedule for Downhill Skiing is Sundays as follows from 9am to 3pm: January 7th & 21st, skiing at Seven Springs, meet at the Ski Lodge. To mark your place with Dom Ceresa by 9 PM the Tuesdays before, phone 724-527-1857. If you must cancel, please do so by phoning Dom by 8 PM the day before.
Saturday January 13: Swimming from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children: 201 North Bellefield Ave., Pittsburgh, 15213. Swimming is free, water is warm and people may bring snacks which are to be eaten ONLY outside of the pool area. We order pizza afterwards, no charge ($5 contribution is optional).
Saturday, January 20, (and February 17), 2018, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, Indoor Adaptive Kayaking Introduction Workshop with Venture Outdoors, limit 4 participants, cost $10.00, held in the heated pool of Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh, 1405 Shady Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, call Venture Outdoors to reserve at 412-255-0564. These workshops will continue being held on the third Saturday of the month from January through April 2018. Anyone who takes one of these workshops is eligible for a learn to paddle kayaking instruction at North Park with a one on one Venture Outdoor Guide that will be held in the spring or summer of 2018. For more information about Kayaking with BOLD and Venture Outdoors call Nancy Leverett at 412-561-3972.
FUNDRAISING
The Board and Terri Winaught as Fundraising Chair seeks BOLD members interested in serving on the Fundraising Committee. To let Terri know you are interested, or to ask any questions, phone 412-263-2022, home; or 412-209-9818, to which you can also send a text.
Also, if you are or have been a Lions Club member, Terri would like to hear from you since the Board plans to write letters to local Lions and could use help not only with contact information but also with the many tasks that a large letter writing campaign entails.
PAST EVENTS & PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE by Terri Winaught
As always, the 2017 Holiday Party was a festive occasion, with many people to thank for their help.
BOLD President Tammi Swiantek did an excellent job planning the menu with The Cooked Goose, the company that catered the meal. Additional BOLD members and guests who deserve alot of appreciation are servers Missy Demchak, Carrie Fisher, Ray Jablonowski, Sue Jeffreys, Bruce Leverett, Lu Yi, Donna McHenry, Ed Reid, Veronique Schreurs, and Jim Winaught. (Veronique's friend, Lu Yi deserve extra thanks for also selling the 50/50 raffle tickets.)
Raffle winners were: Penny Fleckenstein, who won $35.50 with $71 worth of tickets having been sold; Sue Jeffreys won a lucky lotto calendar, which was the second prize; MaryEllen Mulvihill, won a gift basket, which was the third prize, and Ray Jablonowski won the fourth and final prize, which was a protective covering for a dog's paws.
Although this year's turnout was small with only 33 attendees, everyone enjoyed the food, fun and festivities so many much-appreciated helpers made possible.
LOOKING AHEAD
Please note next ski dates: February 11th & 25th, and March 11th & 25th.
Next swimming dates will be the 1st Saturdays of February, March and April.
ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES
Reminder: 2018 BOLD Dues are due by December 31st, 2017. To pay send your $12 check or money order, made payable to Western PA BOLD, to 2269 Tilbury Ave., Pittsburgh, 15217. We appreciate our members, and will call or write you if we don’t get your renewal, hoping it was just an oversight!
Please indicate in the memo that your payment of $12 is for 2018 dues.
Reminder: for 2018, nominations are open for the following offices: President, First Vice-President (for programs) & corresponding secretary. Anyone interested may call Tammi 412-488-6298 to recommend a nominee. Thanks for being willing to serve!
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Free symphony tickets are available. Call Joyce Driben, 412-521-4385.
Next opera offering is “The long walk”. Opera up close has been changed to Thursday January 11 at 7-8pm at Soldiers and Sailors Hall in Oakland. Call Marilyn Egan, 412-281-0912, x242.
The intro workshop for blind/vision-impaired patrons will be on Saturday, Jan. 6 from 1:15 to about 2:15, following the brown bag lunch and concert at the opera building which is scheduled from 12 to 1. People are free to bring their lunch and enjoy the music. Coffee is provided. People should call Marilyn Egan (412) 2810912 ext 242.
The actual Audio Commentary service is on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, 7:00-9:30 pm at CAPA, 111 Ninth St, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 (Enter from Ft. Duquesne Boulevard). Call Regina Connelly at 412-281-0912, x213 to reserve a ticket: $10 each for blind patron and companion.
BOLD BITS
The first Lutheran Center dinner, 535 N. Neville St, Oakland. Limit: 25 people who are blind or vision impaired. The next one will be on Saturday January 27, 5pm, sign up by Saturday January 20 by 6pm at 412-682-1800.
Compassion and condolences to J.R. Wilson on the death of his wife, Geri, from cancer in November, 2017, with condolences also being offered to Clarence Singer on the death of his wife and former BOLD member, Margie.
Condolences also to Janet Jain on the recent passing of her father.
Get Well Wishes to Lisa McManus who had shoulder surgery on November 3.
Happy January Birthday to Joyce Driben, Penny Fleckenstein, Cindy Perseo, Sam Wagner and anyone else with a January birthday.
Belated December Wishes to Ernie College, Celeste Compomizzi, Ethel De iullis, Lisa McManus, Terry McManus, John Perseo, Karen Seligman, Tina Wassermann and anyone else with a December birthday.
Congratulations to Ceinwen King-Smith for making a beautiful double CD: “My life in song”. If you want to purchase a copy for $20, call her at 412-521-1633.
Thank you to everyone whose hard work makes BOLD Ventures possible.
THE END