BOLD VENTURES
January 2021
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
Editorial team: Veronique Schreurs, Nancy Leverett, Terri Winaught, Peggy Walsh
Email: boldwpa@gmail.com
Website: www.wpabold.blogspot.com </p><p>HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!
Admin note: we are keeping the dues for 2021 to $12. Mail your check to
Veronique Schreurs 2269 Tilbury Ave. Pittsburgh PA 15217.
Call Veronique 412-225-4038 if that is a hardship, and you would like to remain in Bold.
DECEMBER EVENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS!
Thank you to an anonymous donor who gave BOLD 30 Braille Christmas carol books to distribute! Thank you, Nancy for coming up with the idea! These books will come in handy to participate in Ceinwen’s singalong on Monday December 14, from 7:00 to 8:00pm!
Ceinwen King-Smith will lead us in a Holiday sing along. By calling 605-475-6777 code 265396#, join Ceinwen as she leads us by playing the piano and sings our favorite Holiday songs. This is how it will work. Announce that you are on the call. Then everyone except Ceinwen will need to mute their phones by pressing star six. Star is the key to the left of the zero. Press star 6 to unmute your phone if you want to make a request.
Tuesday December 15, 7pm Penny will be our guide for a Holiday celebration, join by calling 605-475-6777 code 265396#. Announce your name when you are connected. There will be a nice surprise for everyone who joins. Make sure you say your name! There will also be 2 giveaway prizes: 2 nifty little ecco dot devices. Veronique will note the names of all the participants and draw 2 winners. Mark Senk will call the winners & walk them thru how to set them up at home. You must have Wi-Fi at home for them to work.
The party itself in Penny’s words: “2020, what a bust of a year it has been, no in person gatherings, few friends have we seen,
long separations, while COVID spreads through the nations … stealing our loved ones away
making for a grim holiday
Let's brighten this season for just an hour or so with a Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza celebration
for on the phone we can still go to have fun with our BOLD family and friends
come have a good time with Penny Fleckenstein. give 605-475-6777 a call, access code 265396#
where we welcome the tall and the small. Bring your funniest holiday memories to share
with joy and laughter we will fill the air. Despite closings, COVID, restrictions, and the weather
we can still celebrate this beautiful holiday season together.
Tuesday, December 15 at 7 in the evening
No need to worry about transportation or cleaning
Just come and enjoy while we give this holiday season great meaning
BOLD invites you to take a vacation from streaming.”
JANUARY CALENDAR
I am happy to report that YOGA KEEPS GOING! It is still free of charge to participate. Thank you to those who sent a contribution. Our teacher, Richard, does not think it is safe for us to resume yoga at the Schoolhouse yoga studio. We will continue doing yoga, which is going very well, by conference call until further notice.
For details on how to dial in, email Veronique at veronik43@gmail.com, or call 412-225-4038.
Every Thursday it starts at 2:45pm, call in at 2:42pm. It is a one-hour session. Don’t call too much before the starting time! We will not dial in on 12/24 or 12/31.
For people reading this by email, here is a link of our July 2 yoga session, which you can click on or paste into your browser to activate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v_BIbISDHM
Continuing our popular weekly chat session! Every Tuesday at 7pm, until further notice, we will have a one-hour chat session where our Bold members can tell each other how they are doing during this difficult time. This is also a time you can ask for help if you need it.
Number to call: 1-605-475-6777, passcode 265396# don’t forget # at the end.
If you don’t have free long distance on your phone, call Joyce 412-521-4385 or Peggy 412-683-6070 at least one hour ahead, one of them can tap you in.
Here is how it works best:
Call in and say your name, even if you hear talking. Then mute yourself by pressing *6. The board member who is moderating will check who is on the call at 7:05pm, then will say a person’s name. Unmute yourself again by pressing *6, then start talking about what’s on your mind. It doesn’t have to be Bold related. We are trying to have only one person talk at a time after the initial 5 minutes. Note that the board meeting is now private because we have the chat sessions. The moderators are:
Tammi on December 22, 7pm Nancy on December 29, 7pm.
Penny on January 5, 6:30pm, followed by the board meeting which is private.
Veronique on January 12, 7pm.
Karen on January 19, 7pm Veronique on January 26, 7pm.
Monday January 18 at 7pm, Laughter yoga by phone on the conference line, with Veronique and instructor Dave Russell. You heard that right: laughter is a form of athletic activity! We are not going to laugh at jokes, we are going to do exercises to use our vocal cords for laughter! Please reserve with Veronique ahead of time, 412-225-4038.
Number to call: 1-605-475-6777, passcode 265396# don’t forget # at the end.
Monday January 25 at 7pm on the conference line, Ceinwen King-Smith will read a poem she wrote. The reading will last about 1 hour. Number to call: 1-605-475-6777, passcode 265396# don’t forget # at the end. Call Veronique 412-225-4038 to say you will be there.
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS
Pittsburgh Opera’s events are mostly cancelled due to Covid-19. Information for 2021 will be posted here when it is available. Call Marilyn Egan 412-281-0912 X242 about possible brown bag online events.
Library events:
Third Thursday of the month, Book Club by Library for the Blind, led by Katie Jackson and Angela Woodard on zoom or phone. Reserve by calling 800-242-0586 or email them at lbph@carnegielibrary.org
- Thursday, December 17th from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair DB52961
- Thursday, January 21st from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett DB96739
They will contact you by phone or email with the Zoom invite information or phone number a few days before the book club date. In the meantime, please let them know if you need a copy of a book so they can mail it to you as soon as possible.
FREE GIVEAWAY
We have 5 extra Braille Christmas carol books. (Everybody in Bold who wanted a Braille book got one.) If you know somebody who is not in Bold who might like one, call Veronique 412-225-4038 and she will send one in an envelope to you or to your friend.
BOLD BITS
Get well wishes to Penny who has health challenges, and thoughts and prayers for Penny’s sister Daruni as she continues to struggle with cancer.
Best wishes to Jim Winaught for his move to the May building, 111 Fifth Ave #705 downtown, 15222. Terri will stay at her current address in Mt Lebanon.
Congratulations are extended to Penny Fleckenstein who is making arrangements to have her book available in audio form, (it isn’t yet).
Happy December birthday to Kimberley Morrissey and January happy birthdays to Joyce Driben, Penny Fleckenstein, Nancy Leverett, Cindy Perseo, Dave Popoleo, Sam Wagner and anyone else with a January birthday.
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE by Terri Winaught
Even though many people have experienced isolation and loneliness during this pandemic, that has not been constant for Bold members. Bold has tried to temporarily lift people out of loneliness. Every Tuesday, Bold board members facilitate a wellness check-in where we see how people are doing, share resources & provide any help we can. We appreciate all participants and would love for our sighted members to join us as well.
THE END