JUNE CALENDAR
12-Board meeting, 6:00 pm
16-final St. Louis trip meeting 9:00 AM, Sue's house; attendance required for all participants
17-Tandem biking, Cherokee Blvd, 2:00 pm; RSVP to Sue
29-July 2
, American Council of the Blind Conference, St Louis
JULY CALENDAR
10- No board meeting
15-Tandem biking or other sporting event
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WHAT IS NEW THIS MONTH ON OUR BLOG PAGE?
WHAT SHOULD I CALL SOMEONE WHO IS BLIND?
A national survey a few years ago revealed that only the word "cancer" was more frightening to Americans than the word "blind." "Blind" was even rated more frightening than "death". So how should I address someone who is blind?
Read Blog
SHARE YOUR COMMENTS
We love hearing from readers experiences and thoughts about the blog. Following the blog is a place to "Leave a Reply". We encourage you to do so. Also, to the right of the blog is a listing of recent comments others have posted. We also encourage you to share any of our blogs with anyone that you feel would be interested in reading it.
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GOOD NEWS FOR CLUB VIBES
We are the proud recipients of two grants, both aimed at enhancing our bicycling program and ensuring the safety of our riders.
JEFF ROTH CYCLING FOUNDATION COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT
The Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation was founded in honor of a bicyclist, Jeff Roth, who was killed when hit by a pickup truck while riding on Highway 321 in Maryville in 2006. The foundation "promotes cycling, through advocacy and education, as a safe and healthy form of recreation and transportation." One of the first accomplishments of this foundation was the passage of the "three-foot law" requiring motorists to maintain a distance of three feet while passing a bicyclist in Tennessee.
The grant that Club VIBES received is for the purchase of head and tail lights for each of our bicycles which will make our bikes more visible and therefore safer to ride on public roads. We are thankful to the Jeff Roth Foundation for awarding us this grant. We will use our new lights when we ride in the Savannah area on our trip in October. For more information on the Jeff Roth Foundation, click here
We thank the Jeff Roth Foundation for selecting Club VIBES as a recipient of one of their grants.
AKIMA GRANT
We thank the members of AKIMA for awarding Club VIBES a grant to purchase helmets, bicycling shorts, and other items needed to enhance and ensure safety for our tandem bicycling program. AKIMA is an organization of "Women, bound by friendship, serving together to enrich our community." The women of AKIMA assist the Knoxville community through their many hours of volunteer community service
In addition, Akima contributes to the financial needs of various area service organizations with grant monies raised through the Akima bi-annual fundraiser, Cabaret.
Thank you AKIMA
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WE HAVE A BUSY SUMMER AHEAD
In the past, Club VIBES has planned a trip for our members every other year. In 2014 we went to California and participated in a tandem bicycling ride with the Blind Stokers Club. Our 2016 trip was to Washington DC where we tried out various forms of transportation including bicycle paths with our tandem bicycles. This year, plans are underway for TWO trips.
AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Plans are being finalized for the first trip to the American Council of the Blind National Conference in St Louis
, June 29-July 2. Our members will learn how to plan and pack for a trip, important things to ask when staying in a hotel (ie,how do I adjust the thermostat in my room?) attend workshops and presentations on many topics dealing with blindness, be exposed to many successful blind persons, learn about vocations they might pursue, and see and try the latest technology developed for blind and low vision users. One highlight of the trip will be to meet another team from the National Fitness Challenge, Louisville, which was the runner-up to Club VIBES victorious team.
SAVANNAH
Also in the planning stages is our trip to Savannah Georgia during fall break in October. This trip will focus on walking tours and visiting historical sites as well as developing the skills needed for getting ready for any trip; packing, selecting activities and staying in a hotel. Our team members from the National Fitness Challenge are doing weekly walks to keep up their fitness level which they will need for walking around Savannah. Keep walking!
These trips would not be possible without the friends and families of Club VIBES who have supported our fundraisers. Again, THANK YOU!
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MEET OUR PARTNERS
Club VIBES is proud to welcome again The Nalls Sherbakoff Group as a Platinum partner for 2018-2020. The Nalls Sherbakoff Group has supported Club VIBES over the past few years as a repeating partner, and by hosting Family Nights in which they have presented financial advice on setting up Special Needs Trusts. We thank you for continuing to believe in the mission of Club VIBES and for your continued support
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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Our group of young adults is still working to master the use of the GroupMe app which allows them to text all of the group at one time. Thank you to Delta Gamma for helping us learn to use several of the social media apps. Now, continued practice is required for us to be proficient.
A number of the Young Professionals, along with other VIBES members, attended the Sports Fest led by the UT Volunteer Leaders. There was a long list of sports that had been adapted for those with disabilities including volleyball, tennis, bowling, and a favorite, an obstacle course in which we had to follow a sequence of spoken directions such as "take five steps forward, two steps to the right, etc". Thanks Vol Leaders. Also, thanks to Delta Gamma for helping us through the activities.
ADAPTIVE WATER AEROBICS
The Knoxville West Side YMCA offers an Adaptive water aerobics, a class designed specifically for the special needs community. The goals of the class are to improve agility, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance. Kick-boards, water weights, and noodles may be used to develop strength, balance, and coordination. The class remains in shallow water and no swimming ability is required. Any age and any disability are welcome. The Y requests that a blind participant bring a sighted assistant to help them follow the moves given by the instructor.
WHEN: Thursdays 2:15 pm - 2:45 pm
COST: Free for Y members. Guests may purchase an $8 guest pass. There is no charge for the sighted assistant.
Call the West Side Y for more information; (865) 690-9622. There is no need to register--just show up!
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SPRING FLOWER SALE 
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
Hopefully you are enjoying your beautiful hanging baskets. The 407 baskets sold by Club VIBES is certainly adding some color to the Knoxville area. This was an extremely successful fundraising event and we thank all who supported us by purchasing the hanging baskets. Thanks also to the Club VIBES members, friends and board members for their work in making this fundraiser a success. We congratulate out top volunteer, Mike Marcum, for his superb sales skills; he was the top salesman! Two members that were close behind were Jacoby Yarbro and Illya Popov.
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NOT EXACTLY TECHNOLOGY
Dealt is a movie that you will not want to miss. It is about sixty-two year old Richard Turner who is renowned as one of the world's greatest card magicians, yet he is completely blind. In this documentary, Richard traces his journey from his troubled childhood, when he began losing his vision, to present day as he relentlessly pursues perfection while struggling with the reality that his biggest weakness might also be his greatest strength.
Those going to St Louis will get to see and meet Richard Turner as he is the Keynote speaker at the ACB Conference.
The movie is available for rent from Amazon, Netflix DVD, YouTube, and iTunes.
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THANK YOU TO OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS FOR 2018-2020
Platinum; Delta Gamma and Nalls Sherbakoff
Gold; Group One Mediation Training
Silver; Smoky Mountain Wheelman
Bronze; Blount County Eye Center and West Knox Lion's Club
PLATINUM GOLD SILVER BRONZE
Delta Gamma Group One Smoky Mountain Blount County
Fraternity Meditation Training Inc Wheelman Eye Center
  Nalls Sherbakoff West Knox Lion's Club
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