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Attention!
Attention!
Multiple grants now available!
Announcing the kick-off of The Coccomo-NFBC Grant Program: Brought
to you through the generosity of The John A. Coccomo Foundation in partnership
with The National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut.
For more information
about this new grant program or if you haven't received your copy of the
application in the mail, call the Outreach Office to request one! (860)
289-1971.
Deadline for this
first application period is May 29, 2003.
Upcoming 2003 National Convention
Join Federationists from all over the nation at The National Federation
of the Blind Convention!!!
PLACE: The Galt House Hotel, Louisville, Kentucky
DATES: June 28 through July 4, 2003
Pre-convention seminars for parents of blind children and other groups:
June 28, 2003. Division and national committee meetings: June 29-30, 2003.
Plenary sessions-July 1 through 4, 2003.
EXPECTED ATTENDANCE: Three thousand five hundred from all fifty
states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and numerous foreign countries.
Most of those attending will be blind.
NFB
Conventions give government representatives, agency administrators, and
leaders in politics, business, and industry the opportunity to address
and respond to a large nationwide audience primarily of individuals who
are blind or visually impaired. The topics of interest include: relevant
civil rights issues; rehabilitation of the blind for competitive employment;
the operation of vending facilities by blind persons on public property;
specialized library services for the blind; Social Security and Supplemental
Security Income programs; advancements in technology; the organization
and funding of federal programs; and other timely topics. Legislative
proposals, new laws, administrative policy, and program changes are all
considered during the Convention.
Don't miss it!
For more information
visit the NFB web site at www.nfb.org
or call our national office at (410)659-9314
BE
SURE TO JOIN US FOR OUR
NFBC STATE CONVENTION!!!
Where? The Courtyard Marriot in Waterbury
When? Friday November 7, Saturday November 8, and Sunday November
9.
For more information
check out our web site at www.nfbct.org or call our Outreach office at
(860)289-1971
Attention!!!
Waterbury Chapter reformed!
Waterbury area meetings are held at The Brass Horse, located on the Green
in Waterbury. Members meet from 2 to 4 P.M every first Saturday of the
month. Contact for Waterbury Chapter: Suzanne Westhaver (203)723-8838
swesthaver@earthlink.net
News
from Southern Connecticut Chapter:
Upcoming Self Defense Course
March 15, 2003 from 3 to 5 P.M. Southern Connecticut Chapter will host
a self defense class. Please spread the word and mark your calendars as
we want good attendance to make this worthwhile for all involved.
Contact for Southern
Connecticut: Alfonse DeLucia (860)563-3931 lookatme81@juno.com
Southern Connecticut
Meetings are held every third Saturday of the month at 3 P.M. at the Fowler
Memorial Building, 45 New Haven Ave, Milford
Bristol Area Chapter
Being Reformed!!!
The Bristol chapter will begin meeting again regularly, every third Saturday
of the month beginning March 15. Interested parties should contact the
Outreach office for more details, call (860)289-1971.
Other Chapter
Meetings and Contacts:
DANBURY AREA CHAPTER
Nancy Johnston, President
203-792-1568
Meetings: Senior Center, 80 Main St, Danbury
Second Sunday at 2:00 pm
GREATER HARTFORD
AREA CHAPTER
Carolyn Dodd, President
860-236-8072
Meetings: Capitol Community College, Conf. Room 211, 950 Main Street,
Hartford
Third Saturday at 10:00 am
STAMFORD AREA
CHAPTER
John Padilla, President
203-325-4695
Meetings: Stamford Hospital, Shelburne & West Broad, Stamford
Second Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Don't miss this
opportunity!!!
Now Available! Whosit T-shirts! Dr. Maurer came to Connecticut
to buy his. Now you can buy yours! You too can proudly wear our new National
Logo on your person. All shirts are of a high quality pre-shrunk cotton,
and they come in medium, large, extra large, and double extra large. Printed
on the front are the words "NFB of Connecticut," and our beloved
Whosit is strutting his stuff along the Southern Connecticut chapter motto:
"There are no limits to our vision."
Get yours today for
only $12.00. To place your order, call (860) 289-1971 or e-mail the distributor
directly at lookatme81@juno.com.
These limited edition Whosit T-shirts are going fast! Order yours today!!!
Attention Diabetes
Online Forum
Joyce Kane, fellow Connecticut Federationist and Vice President of The
Southern Connecticut Chapter, hosts The Diabetes Today chat group over
at Audio-Tips.com.Check it out! The online group meets Monday evenings
at 8 PM. EST
Also featuring
Joyce Kane
At Audio-Tips.com, on Friday, January 31, 2003 Joyce Kane kicked off a
new online chat room. "Craft Folks Corner" can be found at audio-tips.com
in the special events room. The group meets every Friday at 8 P.M. EST
Blind crafters join together to discuss topics including crafts, arts,
and photography.
A Guest Speaker will
join Joyce at "Crafts Folks Corner" on Friday March 1, 2003
at 8 P.M. EST. Paul Wohlfiel presents: Photography for not just the sighted.
Topics will include ways photography can help with counseling, adaptive
daily living skills, communications, and orientation/mobility. Paul Wohlfield
is a legally blind professional photographer. All interested parties are
welcome!
For more information
call Joyce at 203-378-8928 or email her at blindhands@aol.com
Attention!
Single white canes seeking good homes
with caring visually impaired and blind individuals!
Low maintenance canes that won't eat your slippers
or beg for scraps at the dinner table!
Thanks to a generous donation from "Help for the Blind of Eastern
Connecticut", the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut
has been able to revitalize the "White Cane Bank". If any blind
individual needs a new long white cane or if a blind child needs to exchange
his/her white cane for a longer one, please call our community outreach
office at 860-289-1971.
Volunteer Readers
The community outreach office of the National Federation of the Blind
of Connecticut has compiled a list of volunteer readers throughout the
state. Through a public service announcement on radio and television,
many people have called our office and have offered their time to read
to blind people. Any blind person who is in need of a reader for any purpose,
call our office at (860) 289-1971
Scholarships Available
Scholarships are available to legally blind individuals who live in or
are attending school in Connecticut: post secondary and personal advancement
scholarships. Deadline: September 15, 2000. For further information, call
the community outreach office of the National Federation of the Blind
of Connecticut at (860) 289-1971.
Contribute to
The Connecticut Federationist
The Federationist in Connecticut welcomes contributions. Please make checks
payable to NFBCT and send to Bruce Woodward, Treasurer, 18 Boulter Road,
Wethersfield, CT 06109
In Your Will
If you or a friend would like to remember the National Federation of the
Blind of Connecticut in your will, you can do so by employing the following
language: "I give, devise and bequeath unto the National Federation
of the Blind of Connecticut, 580 Burnside Avenue, East Hartford, Connecticut
06108, a state of Connecticut nonprofit corporation, the sum of $____
(or "____percent of my net estate" or "the following stocks
and bonds") to be used for its worthy purposes on behalf of blind
persons."
Are you looking
for The Talking RX?
Check out the web site at: www.talkingrx.com. Connecticut made! For more
information email info@talkingrx.com
or call John Dobbins at (860)426-0542 or ask your pharmacist if they carry
the product
AMERICA'S JOBLINE
AMERICA'S JOBLINE, a toll-free telephone access service (1-800-414-5748)
is an audible version of America's Job Bank. Starting February 1, AMERICA'S
JOBLINE will introduce a new resume feature, allowing callers to create
and send electronic resumes directly to employers.
Study to Compare
Treatments for Macular Degeneration
Alcon Research, Ltd. is screening volunteers for the treatment of age-related
macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of vision loss in those
50 or older. The study targets males and females over the age of 50 diagnosed
with, or experiencmg symptoms of, exudative ("wet") AMD. Symptoms
of AMD begin with distortion and loss of vision in the center of the field
of vision.
For more information on the study or how to participate, call: 1-800-STUDY85
or 1-800-788-3985. www.clinicaltrials.com
Looking For Affordable
Prescription Coverage?
The following information comes from the ConnPACE web page and is provided
for your information.
If you are a Connecticut
resident aged 65 or older, or with a disability aged 18 or older, you
may qualify for ConnPACE. Besides covering most prescriptions, ConnPACE
pays for insulin and insulin syringes and needles. For single people,
the income limit is $20,300. For couples, the income limit is $27,500.
For more information
or to request an application call: 1-800-423-5026, toll-free in Connecticut;
or 1-860-832-9265, in the Hartford area or from out of state.
For people with access
to the Internet, you can find more information about this program or download
an application at: http://www.connpace.com/
HOW IT WORKS: ConnPACE is a state-funded health insurance program for
most prescription medicines and insulin supplies. With a ConnPACE membership
card, your only out-of-pocket expense is a co-payment for each prescription.
This co-payment is either $12 or $15, depending on your income and when
you enrolled in the ConnPACE program.
When you apply for
ConnPACE, there is a $25 annual enrollment fee. Your application is then
processed by the ConnPACE customer service center. Eligible applicants
get a ConnPACE membership card in the mail to use at participating pharmacies.
There is no yearly
dollar limit on the amount of prescriptions covered by ConnPACE. Generic
drugs must be substituted for brand-name drugs, unless otherwise indicated
by the prescribing physician.
A renewal notice
is sent to ConnPACE members each year, and you must re-apply to continue
your membership. If your initial application or renewal is not approved,
the $25 fee is refunded to you.
The ConnPACE program
has served Connecticut's senior citizens and people with disabilities
since 1986. ConnPACE is administered by the Connecticut Department of
Social Services.
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