BOLD VENTURES June 2025
Western Pennsylvania Blind Outdoor Leisure Development
Sponsorship of the June BOLD Ventures is by Lisa Busch.
Thanks for starting the summer with your generosity!
Note to BOLD Ventures Readers:
If you receive your BOLD Ventures in print, large-print, or braille, and you have an email address that BOLD does not have, please consider giving us that email address so that you can receive BOLD event reminders and other BOLD information emails that are sent out between the newsletters. Also, to save money for BOLD and work for the newsletter staff, we are asking that people who receive a paper copy of the newsletter consider getting the newsletter only in email. We know there are some of you who don’t have an email account, and you will continue to receive the newsletter on paper. But if we don’t have your email address, or you want to change how you receive the newsletter, contact Nancy by email at nancy.leverett1@verizon.net or call her at 412-561-3972. Thanks for reading!
Important Transportation News for BOLD
members who use Access and/or public transportation to travel in
Allegheny County.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) which provides public transportation including paratransit to Allegheny County, desperately needs approximately $117 million dollars of increased funding from the Pennsylvania state legislature in the 2025-26 state budget to continue service at the current level. If there is no additional money in next year’s budget or only a portion of the needed amount is provided, then in February 2026 PRT will have to raise fares by up to 9%, cut bus and rail service including elimination of some routes by up to 35% and cut ADA and over 65 Access service by up to 62%. The cuts in the availability of Access to areas in the county is directly dependent on what bus routes are eliminated. For the general public if cuts to PRT do occur, it will be a blow to the Pittsburgh economy and will make traffic and parking issues worse. For us in the blind and low-vision community, it will definitely make getting places a much more challenging than it is now. But you can do something to hopefully keep the transportation crisis from occurring! First, go to PRT’s Funding Crisis website, which has all of the information about the funding issues and describes ways that you can get your voice heard at PRT. Secondly, you can contact your state representative and senator and let them know what a lack of an increase in funding for PRT would mean for you. If you don’t know the name of your state representative or senator, contact your local library or call LAMP at 412-687-2440 or toll-free 800-242-0586 and ask someone to find the information for you. Please do what you can, we want you to continue to be able to get to BOLD events.
BOLD Pictures: Our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wpabold
includes pictures of BOLD events.
JUNE CALENDAR
Sunday, June 1, 9:30 am to approx. 1:30 pm, Verona ADA Kayak Launch Event,
101 Arch Street, Verona, 15147, next to the Steel River Rowing Club. No cost. This is an inaugural event for a kayak/canoe launch site on the Allegheny River which is being set up for people with disabilities who benefit from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The event will start at 9:30 am with a ribbon cutting ceremony. At 10:30 kayaks/canoes will be launched. Also, at 10:30 there will be fishing instruction on the dock. Starting around 12:30 BOLD kayakers can get together and walk to either have lunch at the Freedom Square Diner or have Pizza at the Acclaim Brewing Co. Lunch is on your own. Sign-ups are closed.
Monday, June 2, from 6 to 8 pm, Board Meeting in-person at Western PA School for
Blind Children, 250 N. Bellefield Avenue, Oakland. Any non-board Members who want to attend must call Nancy at 412-561-3972 by Saturday, May 31.
Tuesdays, June 3 and 17, from 10 am to 1:30 pm,
Mall Walking at the Monroeville Mall. Cost is free. Lunch is on your own at the food court. (Note: this is a time change for these events.) Sighted guides and visually impaired walkers sign up by 11 am the Tuesday prior to the walk by calling Peggy at 412-683-6070 or text her at 412-977-2351. So, to sign up for June 3, contact Peggy by 11 am Tuesday, May 27, and for June 17 contact Peggy by 11 am June 10.
Thursday, June 5, from noon to 1:30, Ice skating at
the Mount Lebanon Ice Center, 900 Cedar Blvd., Pittsburgh, 15228. Cost is $6. After June 5, ice skating will be taking a summer break and will be back in September. Sign-up by 8 pm on the Sunday June 1 by leaving a voicemail or text for Tammi at 412-951-6528 or email at tswiantek@comcast.net.
Saturdays, June 7 through July 19, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm,
Spring/Summer Blind and Visually Impaired Tennis Clinics, Highland Park tennis courts 6344-6348 Stanton Avenue 15206. No charge. The address to use for Access is 6701 Stanton Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15206. Note that this is the address of a house across the street from the tennis Courts. To sign up or ask any questions contact Lori, VP, Highland Park Tennis Club, 412-951-8223.
Wednesday, June 11, from 7 to 9:30 pm, SE Wisconsin BOLD
virtual bingo, for all the sign-up information leave a voicemail or text Tammi at 412-951-6528 or email at tswiantek@comcast.net. Good luck!
Saturday, June 21, noon to 5 pm, Highland Park, Lake Point Shelter,
Ray will be hosting one of his famous picnics. No cost. There will be games, a walk, food, and lots of fun. Be sure to sign up with Linda and let her know if you are going to go on the walk. Sign up with Linda by 8 pm on Tuesday, June 17 at 412-681-9686.
Sunday, June 22, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, tandem biking on the Gap Trail,
meet at West Newton Bicycle Shop, 106 West Main St, West Newton, PA, 15089.
The cost is free for the ride and either an Italian, turkey, or Veggie hoagie from Fox’s Pizza which is across the road from the bike shop. If you would like something else for lunch, you will need to pay for it yourself. We need some sighted bikers to captain the tandem bikes and provide rides to and from the trailhead. Scotto will be there early to give tips and instructions of being a tandem captain and pair up captains and stokers. We will provide tandem bikes. However, if you know of a tandem, we can use please let us know about it. If you are a willing captain with questions, contact Scotto at, scottog@yahoo.com. Everyone make your reservations by 9 pm Sunday June 15 and give your order for either of the hoagie choices of Italian, turkey, or Veggie. To make your reservation, sighted captains contact Scotto at scottog@yahoo.com; visually impaired stokers contact Maggi at 412-613-8592 or mio528@comcast.net.
Wednesday, June 25, from 7:15 to 9:30 pm, SE Wisconsin BOLD
virtual Family Feud, for all the sign-up information leave a voicemail or text Tammi at 412-951-6528 or email at tswiantek@comcast.net. Have fun!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Save the following dates for tandem bike rides:
Saturday, July 26
Saturday, August 16
Sunday, September 14
Saturday, October 11
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Please give a big round of applause and thank you to Joyce Driben who has been
coordinating the distribution of concert tickets for many years. Joyce is retiring from that job, but you will still see her at BOLD events. We will announce our new ticket team and all of the details in the July/August BOLD Ventures. In the meantime, if you need information about schedules for concerts and plays, and you aren’t able to find what you need on your own, call LAMP on 412-687-2440 or toll-free 800-242-0586
BOLD BITS
Condolences to Joyce Driben whose brother passed away on May 17.
We are sending you positive energy to carry you through this sad time!
A big bunch of BOLD get-well wishes are going out to Dave Popoleo who recently had surgery. We hope you’ll be up dancing really soon.
Happy Belated May Birthday to Jim Wagner!
Happy June Birthday to:
Natasha Brown, Lisa Busch, Linda Davis, Veronique Schreurs, Peggy Walsh, and anyone else celebrating a June birthday!
NEWSLETTER RECORDING: Thanks to the good work of Marty Mathews,
anyone can hear a recording of this newsletter by calling 401-252-0029 Access Code: 265365#.
Announcement Provided by Debby Hill for GTCB
The Golden Triangle Council of the Blind (GTCB) is holding a fundraiser,
the Bill Newland Memorial Bowl-A-Thon on June 7, from 1 to 5 pm, at Spins Bowl Pittsburgh, 5840 Buttermilk Hollow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15207. The cost is $20 to register, and there are prizes to win. For more information contact Michael at 412-655-1234.
Contact Us
WPA BOLD
PO Box 9101
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
Donate: Donate
Email: boldwpa@gmail.com
Website: www.wpabold.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wpabold
Editors: Debby Hill & friends