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TO CLUB VIBES FROM JACOBY
There aren't many places you can go and find caring people, such as Club VIBES. Being able to be a part of a group that keeps you laughing, engaged, and active, both physically and mentally a rare find. During these holiday seasons, I like to take my time and reflect upon my blessings, and I count Club VIBES as a huge blessing in my life. I was truly enriched by participating in the Christmas scavenger hunt at West Towne Mall, that was so well put together by Miss Mariah, and spending time with my volunteer guide, Dan Davis. Words cannot do justice to how Club VIBES has blessed my life. May everyone enjoy their time away with family, and I look forward to seeing all of you in the new year.
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JANUARY CALENDAR
17-VIBES Student Group meeting, 6:00 pm
21-MLK holiday, no school
31-Pilots meeting, 6:00 pm, at Panera, Peters Rd
31-VIBES members mall walk with Delta Gamma, 6:00 pm
FEBRUARY CALENDAR
1-VIBES general membership meeting, 6:00 pm
12-Board Meeting, 6:00 pm
21-VIBES Student Group meeting, 6:00 pm
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WHAT IS NEW THIS MONTH ON OUR BLOG PAGE?
I'M JUST A GIRL WHO CAN'T SAY NO
What would you do if you are a skilled blind independent traveler and as you are about to confidently cross a street a concerned citizen suddenly rushes up, grabs your arm and begins dragging you across the street? This is not an unusual occurrence.
read more
And a bonus blog this month.
SOME PET PEEVES OF BEING VISUALLY IMPAIRED
What would happen if you asked a group of blind and visually impaired folks to name the pet peeves they have related to their visual impairment? We did this at one of our meetings and we got a wide variety of answers.
Read on to find out more about those pet peeves.
COMMENTS
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THERE IS A LOT GOING ON AT VIBES!
FIRST IT WAS SHOPPING WITH ELVES, AND THEN...
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| Photo: scavenger hunters at West Town Mall |
Club Vibes put a new spin on holiday shopping in 2018. For those with
visual impairments, shopping for friends & family can prove to be a challenge.
Keeping purchases a secret can be difficult when assistance is needed to select
them, so Club Vibes created Volunteer Elf shopping day. Sighted volunteers
called Elves devoted their time, to help a group of
Vibes members for a day of shopping fun. Vibes members met with their elves at
Target, where we began our shopping adventure. We proceeded to West Town mall
from Target. While shopping, we also participated in a scavenger hunt. Members and
their elves were given a list of things to find in various places throughout
the mall such as reindeer antlers or an ugly sweater. The pictures that we took of the items, using our cell phones, would
be judged later. Stipulations were added such as electronics & jewelry could
not be included. Points were given for creativity. We only had 3 hours to
complete shopping & the scavenger hunt, so time management was crucial. The
last leg of our shopping trip was at the Kohls shopping center. We could choose
from stores such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Dollar Tree, Kirkland's, & even Petsmart.
After a full day of shopping, we rounded out the day with dinner at Drake's.
Here we found out the results from the scavenger hunt. The top 3 teams
were chosen. Winners received gift cards to Drake's. Club Vibes would like to
thank the judges & the elves for a wonderful fun filled day.
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| Photo; Illya and his "elf" in the Disney Store with their favorite character. |
SHARING THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Always a hit are parties hosted by Delta Gamma. The Holiday Party at the Delta Gamma House was no exception. VIBES members donned some creative costumes and showed their singing talent in karaoke. As summed up by member Marian, "What a fun and generous event! Many thanks to all those who planned, prepared, cooked and cleaned up to allow us to walk in and have a really fun time with fun people and great food!"
Two Photos, side by side of VIBES members in festive costumes at DG Holiday Party
ANOTHER PARTY
The members of Club VIBES celebrated the holiday season with a party at the Buckley's that included a gift exchange, good things to nibble on, and hanging out with friends.
NEW BOARD MEMBER
We are happy that one of VIBES members is going to fill a vacancy on the VIBES board.
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Photo of Jacoby |
Our new member of the board is Jacoby Yarbro. He became involved with Club VIBES just over two years ago, soon after losing his vision due to diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Jacoby attended Carson-Newman where he studied Communications with an emphasis on advertising and public relations. He has varied work experience having held jobs in marketing, social media, at several churches, and at an assisted living facility. Jacoby says "
Since losing my sight I have found my time with Club VIBES to be both, rewarding and inspiring. I look forward to many more experiences with each and everyone." Welcome to the Board of Club VIBES, Jacoby.
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WEST KNOX LIONS CLUB
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| Lions Club Logo |
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This month's partner spotlight is the West Knox Lions Club. The Club not only supports Club VIBES but is active in providing vision screening for school children and eye exams and glasses for those in need. We can help the Lions Club by attending their pancake breakfasts, their major fundraiser, in the spring and fall. Watch the newsletter for the time and place of the next pancake breakfast.
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GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
The general membership of Club VIBES meets the first Friday of each month at the Buckley's at 6:00 pm. This meeting is open to all members of Club VIBES. In addition to an opportunity to socialize with fellow members, the important focus is on issues relating to living with visual impairment. Technology is always an important topic that is relevant to everyone. At the meeting on January 4, the group took turns sharing one or more websites that they have found to be helpful. Among those shared were;
1.
AppleVis
a community-powered website for blind and low-vision users of Apple's range of Mac computers, the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.
2.
Blind Bargains offers news and information on products used by the visually impaired, a list of special bargains on a variety of products, and podcasts of Blind Bargains.
3.
ACB radio is
a project of the American Council of the Blind that streams information for those with visual impairments. It provides programming produced by blind programmers and a platform on which blind musicians and artists express their talents.
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CONGRATULATIONS!
We are proud to announce amazing accomplishments of three of our members.
Sarah has been accepted to Physicians Assistant School at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate TN. Sarah graduated from UT with a degree in microbiology and has been working as a nursing assistant to gain health care experience before beginning the next stage of her education. Way to go Sarah and good luck!
Campbell is fifteen-years-old and a very talented pianist who won the Blount County Keyboard Competition.
"I began taking piano lessons at age four and have been playing for eleven years. I study under The Suzuki Piano School of Knoxville. I have always played by ear, and I only started to learn to read braille music from the Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired in March of 2018. For the competition, I played Fur Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven and Meditation In The Rain by Timothy Brown, and the other three contestants were all high school students. I've done several other piano competitions, both at regional and state levels.
Though I would like to pursue a career in the math and science field, such as medical research or engineering, I am interested in possibly minoring in music in college. I love math, science, and history, and when I'm not busy with schoolwork and music, I'm usually reading, writing, and spending time with friends, family, and of course, my six rescue cats.
Jared has written a book,
"Where Does the Man In The Moon Go During the Day?". This is a children's book that Jared also illustrated. The
book ((ISBN #978-1-64214-397-3) is available at
Amazon and Barnes and Noble in hardcover and digital download.
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Photo: shows the book cover |
And soon on
* Google Play
* iTunes & The App Store
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Club VIBES is taking a new approach to fundraising. Our membership has grown rapidly in the last two years and we are now going to have the members take a larger role in deciding which fundraising projects to carry out.
Watch for news of upcoming fundraisers and how you can help.
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The AmazonBasics Microwave simplifies cooking by letting you microwave using your voice and an Echo device. Just say, Alexa, reheat one cup of coffee, and Alexa will start reheating with the appropriate power and time settings. There is no need to use the touchpad ever again with this microwave. Amazon now offers the Alexa Enabled AmazonBasics Microwave for an introductory price of $59.99 with free shipping. For details, click here. You must also have an Echo device which is $29.00 at Amazon.
SPECIAL TOURS OF SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM
Though this is not technically a "tech" article, it is likely to be of interest to anyone traveling to Washington DC. The Smithsonian American Art Museum is now offering guided tours once a month for visually impaired visitors. "
The tours have specially trained docents that use colorful and descriptive words. They pass around touchable objects like marble. Some paintings and sculptures have foam-board cutouts for fingers to follow along as it's being described. For more information,
click here.
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THANK YOU TO OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS FOR 2018-19
PLATINUM- Delta Gamma Fraternity and Nalls Sherbakoff
GOLD-Group One Mediation Training Inc.
SILVER-Smoky Mountain Wheelmen
BRONZE-Blount County Eye Center and West Knox Lion's Club
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THANK YOU TO OUR PROGRAM PARTNERS FOR 2018-20
PLATINUM GOLD SILVER BRONZE
Delta Gamma Group One Smoky Mountain Blount County
Fraternity Mediation Training Inc Wheelman Eye Center
  Nalls Sherbakoff West Knox Lion's Club
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