BOLD VENTURES September 2026
Western Pennsylvania Blind Outdoor Leisure Development
Here comes September, which used to be the end of summer vacations for students and teachers. But many students and teachers are already back at school, and their leisure time is over. However, the BOLD planners did not take a vacation, and so once again we have a fine line-up of fun events for September. Enjoy!
Would you like to be BOLD, famous, and a BOLD hero?
Then become a BOLD Ventures sponsor. Your sponsorship will help us make BOLD Ventures available in various formats--email, braille, print, and large print, and voice recording. Choose from two levels of sponsorship. For a $50 donation you can get your name and a short greeting in BOLD Ventures. For $75 you can get your name, a short greeting and a color picture of your choice in the newsletter. For more information and to set up your sponsorship, contact Debby at 412-742-4288 or dm-hill@comcast.net.
AUGUST CALENDAR
Monday, August 31, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Board Meeting in-person at Western PA
School for Blind Children, 250 N. Bellefield Avenue, Oakland. We are having our September meeting a week earlier due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday September 7. Any non-board Members who want to attend must call Carol at 484-318-9145 by Saturday, August 29.
SEPTEMBER CALENDAR
Every Thursday in September, from noon to 1:30, Ice skating at the Mount Lebanon
Ice Center, 900 Cedar Blvd., Pittsburgh, 15228. Cost is $7. Sighted guides, blind and low-vision skaters need to sign-up with Tammi by 8 pm on the Sunday before each date. Contact her by leaving a voicemail or text at 412-951-6528 or email at tswiantek@comcast.net.
Saturday, September 12, from noon to 5 pm, picnic at
Ray Jablonowski’s home, 4551 Parade St. Pittsburgh, Pa, 15207. Cost is free. Enjoy an afternoon of playing Corn Hole, Bocce Ball, various word games, and other games. There will be pizza and hoagies. Also, sighted volunteers are needed to help out at the event, so if you can help be sure to make a reservation. Everyone should make a reservation by calling Linda at 412-681-9686 by 8 pm Wednesday September 9.
Sunday, September 13, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm,
tandem Biking, Eliza Furnace Trail. Meet at the Eliza Furnace Trailhead in the POGOH Hub parking lot, Swinburne Street, 15207. No charge for the ride and pizza lunch from Pizza Pronto of Oakland. The ride begins in south Oakland in the city of Pittsburgh, so it will be possible to get to the trailhead by Access. 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. Thanks to the University of Pittsburgh for partnering with BOLD and providing five captains and five additional students who will ride along with the group on single bikes. Also, thanks to Terri Winaught for her outreach work that made our partnership possible. Everyone should make their reservation by 9 pm Sunday, September 6. Sighted captains contact Scotto at scottog@yahoo.com; blind and low-vision stokers contact Carol by calling or texting her at 484-318-9145.
Mondays, September 14 and 28, from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm, Mall Walking at the
Monroeville Mall. Cost is free. Lunch is on your own at the food court. Sighted guides and visually impaired walkers should sign up by noon the Monday prior to the walk by calling Peggy at 412-683-6070 or text/call her at 412-977-2351. To sign up for walking on September 14, contact Peggy by noon Monday, September 7. And for walking on September 28, contact Peggy by noon September 21. Be sure to sign up so that if there is any change or cancellation for mall walking, you will get the information. (Note, for mall walking to occur we need a minimum of four mall walkers.)
Wednesday, September 16, 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. Have fun!
Sunday, September 27, from 12:45 to 3 pm,
A visit to the National Aviary, 700 Arch Street, 15212. Cost $10 per person. Enter through the east entrance on Arch Street. Go to the guest services desk where one of the Aviary’s education team will welcome us and provide the itinerary. We will participate in an educational program and then have a personal private tour. After the program there will be time for you to further explore on your own. There will be items for us to feel. There is a minimum of 15 participants, so bring any interested family members and friends. Wheelchairs will be available for anyone who needs them. Make your reservation by 8 pm Saturday September 12 by calling Jeff at 412-487-9469 or emailing him at going4walk@duck.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wednesdays, October 7, 14, and 21, from 12:15 to 1:30 pm, Golf Training at Topgolf
in Bridgeville, 400 Presto-Sygan Rd, Bridgeville, PA 15017, Located just off of I79 South. Cost is free. Consider taking a shot at this new activity. Many sighted folks don’t think people who are blind or have low vision can or should play golf or even be around a golf course. Well, we need some brave BOLD members to prove them wrong! Visually impaired Golfer Dave J. will provide beginning lessons for Blind Golfers. All equipment will be provided, as will a ride to and from the facility provided by BOLD member Glenn. There are 3 slots available for each of the 3 sessions. To make a reservation for one or more of the sessions, contact Glenn by 8 pm, Thursday, October 1, by calling 412-370-5478 or emailing ghmcintyre@yahoo.com.
Saturday, October 24, from 10 am to noon, A morning with horses,
Storm Harbor Equestrian Center, 245 Harmony Rd., Slippery Rock, PA 16057. There will be two levels of participation. First level includes spending time grooming, handling and feeding the horses treats. The second level includes grooming, handling and feeding treats to the horses as well as a riding lesson and time riding a horse. Everyone (participants and volunteers) must complete the Participant Packet. Riding participants must have the medical history form completed and signed by a medical professional. There is a maximum of 20 participants. If you are interested in this event call/text Carol at 484-318-9145 by Tuesday September 15, so the paperwork can be sent to you, and you will have plenty of time to complete it.
Saturday, November 7, time TBD, shopping at the Grove City Outlets.
Transportation will be provided at no cost. Mark your calendars, more information to come in the October BOLD Ventures.
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
If you have any questions about getting tickets for the Pittsburgh Symphony,
the pops, and the opera call Tony at 412-310-2508 or email tony.diana.rock@gmail.com.
BOLD BITS
Congratulations to happy parents Ryan and Chelsea Leverett-Ptak
on the birth of their daughter Elaina, who was born on July 28th, and congratulations to doting grandparents Bruce and Nancy. Mom and baby are doing well!
My BOLD Take by Maggi Ostrowski:
We all know about the fun, delicious, challenging, cultural and educational activities that BOLD offers, but we don’t always realize that BOLD is also a conduit for us to participate in activities that other organizations have to offer. Take rowing for example. Several BOLD members are members of the Three Rivers Rowing Association (TRRA) Adaptive Team, and it was BOLD who introduced them to the sport. Well, did you know that several of our BOLD members were introduced to blind and low-vision tennis some five years ago, and those members participated in the inaugural BLV tennis tournament held in Bradys Run Park this month? Players, volunteers, and coaches gathered from across the US and enjoyed the camaraderie and competition of this sport, which is finally catching up with the rest of the world’s participation. Thank you BOLD for all you do!
You may know her as the BOLD correspondence secretary, or the president of the PA Council of the Blind, or as the almost famous newsreel interviewee from the NFL Draft visit to LAMP, but here Debby is, along with Tammi, as B1 Athletes attending the first USBTA national tennis tournament.
Photo of Debby and Tammi ready to return serve during doubles play at the USBTA national championships held at Brady Run in Beaver County.
My BOLD TAKE By Terri Winaught:
As all of you BOLD ones know, Happenstance Cafe generously donated 1 percent of their proceeds for the entire month of July to BOLD. When I visited Happenstance on Thursday, July 30 and enjoyed a delicious lunch and impeccable service, I used that opportunity to thank the staff and owner for their generosity. “We were happy to do it,” they responded. The owner then added: “We appreciate BOLD’S mission, having heard about BOLD from the Three Rivers Rowing Association,” (They also did a Fundraiser for TRRA) I was also delighted to learn from Cafe management that they fundraised for the same charity for several months, so stay tuned for news about the next time BOLD and Happenstance CafĂ© join forces.
Happy September Birthday to:
Jerry Blum, Justin Hasson, Ceinwen King-Smith, Susan Oberlander, Stu Weissman and anyone else celebrating a September birthday!
NEWSLETTER RECORDING: Thanks to the fine work of Marty Mathews,
anyone can hear a recording of this newsletter by calling 401-252-0029 Access Code: 265365#.
CONTACT US
WPA BOLD
PO Box 10307
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
Donate: Donate
Email: boldwpa@gmail.com
Website: www.wpabold.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wpabold
Editors: Debby Hill & friends
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