Sierra Services for the Blind Newsletter

November 2025

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"Today the world changes so quickly

that in growing up we take leave not just of youth,

but of the world we grew up in."

                                                                         ~ Peter Medawar

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The Giving Season starts

The end of the year is a time when many things occur as it relates to the future and funding of a non-profit agency.  It is of course the holiday season and a time for us to take a look at what we are thankful for.  Thanksgiving, which comes first for a reason.  Along with family and friends we also consider our lives and celebrate the better times with fancy lights consistent with our faith, our health and how we will address the coming year.  In that process many of us look at who has helped us the most to retain our health and lifestyle, and that is where non-profit agencies dedicated to human services or local culture come up as an asset to the community.  Even the Grinch’s heart grew when he saw the spirit of the people was not in having, it was in giving.  And a sense of how we are more than just ourselves, we are a community that sings a song of life itself.

This is also mixed with several national fundraising efforts.  Some are national like Giving Tuesday; many are local to help within the community for those things that are specific to our lives.  It may be your church, cultural agencies like music or theater groups that expand our cultural community, or those agencies that are directly involved in our health and well-being like Sierra Services for the Blind.

It is also time to finish the year and pay our taxes just after the holidays are over.  We all want to take advantage of those things that lower our tax burden.  Again, you, and the agencies that support you have to take a creative look at financing.  This is especially true if you have income other than a salary or retirement.  With the aid of your tax and financial advisor you can set it up in a way that makes it easier.  One example relates to investments.  If you have a presence in the stock market, if you give some of the stock rather than a direct donation there might be some tax advantage.  Some investment plans like an IRA, 401(k) or 403(b), have a Required Minimum Distribution clause that requires you donate to charity or pay capital gains, and what better time to take care of it than the holidays.  The right donation may even lower your tax bracket.

Simply, as we approach a new year this is the season to take stock in your life, your future, and your relationship to the community that you are a part of.  Sierra Services hopes we are a part of your thoughts.  It is the individual donation, both large and small that sustains us.  We remind you that donations to large national organizations will leave the community, while a donation to a local agency circulates in the local economy an average of six times each year.  In that way the gift of a donation to a local agency like Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired has a greater effect on the community than most people consider.  And the effect it has on our client’s well-being, both with their health and community access.  The more active they are the more vision loss becomes an inconvenience to your enjoyment as a member of a vibrant community.

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"Aging gracefully is in the art of trading

our experience for wisdom, and the realization that a country lane is measured not in how fast we can run,

but how well we see the journey."

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Community means working together

The word community means simply all of us working together to create an environment that reflects who we are as individuals living together as a whole.  Historically, it is the community that came together to raise a barn or have a Fourth of July parade.

We often talk about how we are a part of a larger community.  A community is only as good as it works together toward a cultural identity that fits the needs of those who live there.  To this end, agencies from different aspects can join together for the common good of all who live here.

Sunday November 2^nd is a perfect example of this cooperation as it will bring Peace Lutheran Church and Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired together with a common goal.  The wellbeing of our common population.  It is also a recognition that there is a tie between the spiritual and physical individual who should also work together.

Peace Lutheran Church will present a free concert followed by a wine and cheese reception after the concert, and 100% of donated funds going to Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  The concert will include the exceptional talents of the renowned organist Walt Stony on their impressive pipe organ, and the impressive Nevada County Male Voice Choir.

The event will be held at Peace Luteran Church at 828 West Main Street in Grass Valley on Sunday, November 2^nd at 4:00 P.M.  There is no admission charge, but you are encouraged to make a donation to Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired.  All donations are tax deductible.  Limited transportation will be provided to clients of the agency.

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Peace Lutheran Church Presents

A concert followed by a wine and cheese reception

With renowned organist Walt Stony, the Grass Valley Male Voice Choir

and other talented local musicians.

This is a benefit for Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Sunday, November 2^nd at 4:00 P.M.

Peace Lutheran Church, 828 West Main Street, Grass Valley

This is a free event. Donations are encouraged.

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Holiday Schedule Looks Familiar

Sierra Services has a number of traditions during the holiday season.  One is the Annual Holiday Dinner we present to our clients and volunteers.  We have provided the full course holiday dinner between Thanksgiving and Christmas for over 35 years as an appreciation for the support both the client and our volunteers have shown over the last year.  You may also bring your caregiver or spouse.  It is also a chance to spend some time with the volunteers who have helped you, and for you to meet the volunteers you may not know.  It will be held on Thursday, December 11^th this year.  If you wish to attend let us know, and we will be making some calls.

We also use the time to let the staff take some of their vacation time as we close the day after Thanksgiving, and for the week between Christmas and New Years.  We will be on vacation from December 22 to January 2^nd.  This closure is a multi-decade event.  We have found it is best for us to take off all at once than have to fill in for someone gone this time of year.  We also close the week of July 4^th for the same reason.

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The commonality of Wisdom

We use quotes in our newsletters to give the reader something to think about.  Some are the simple humorous wisdom of Ben Franklin or Mark Twain and W.C. Fields, others dig deeper into those philosophers and folks whom history recognizes for their wisdom.  Most are common sense, and many are the things we hope to pass on to our children.  They are also the source for Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss, or in the Native American culture how the rabbit got his ears or the White Buffalo Woman.  What you may have noticed is that they all have a message about how to live your life in a way that is positive.  They also appear in every culture in history, though they may change slightly to fit into a different culture.  The classic is the idea that is found in all ages and all cultures as a key to all humanity.  If you are to do onto others, or do not do onto others has the same meaning.  And all cultures remember that the opposite of common sense is nonsense.

Here are some from the various Indian tribes of North America.  Though they sound different coming from different culture, see if they sound somewhat familiar.

Knowledge is the past, Wisdom is the future.

     Or, knowing the past has value only if it has an application to the future.

Act for those seven generations down the line.

     Says to leave a legacy of character that gives your generations a path worth following.

If you wonder, often the gift of knowledge will come.  If we never wonder knowledge will never find us.

     You should ask questions, you must also listen and find answers yourself.

When we were born the world rejoiced.  Live your life so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.

     Or we would say living a life that leaves a legacy you can be proud of.

We will be known forever for the tracks we leave.

     Or what we say is less important than what we do.

It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.

     Or the other version is that actions speak louder than words

Throughout history the words of wisdom we gave our children were passed on in the stories we told them.  When we tell the stories of our families we pass on the lessons we have learned not only of family but of community and the culture we are passing on to them.  The stories, and even more the example we show by our actions at a time of adversity, are the guide.  If you don’t tell the stories or show the strength in your actions, each generation has to start over without a point of reference.  I remember an old one about ships cast adrift in an angry sea.  Or the Cat in the Hat that says you made the mess, you need to clean it up before the adults get home.  Tell the stories, and though they seem to not be listening, when they need it, the lesson will be there.

The loss of vision is an excellent example, and an opportunity to show the strength of character you want them to show when they face their problems.  Don’t just shut down, actively seek new ways to do things almost as an adventure.  And that is where a sense of humor and a smile mean more than great words.  Set the example and character for your generations to come.

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"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Medical wonders

This is a newsletter, and the news of what is happening in the medical community to cure the loss of vision is always welcome.  Especially when discoveries in one area feed over into others.  The publication GLEAMS is announcing that they are exploring retinal ganglion cell transportation neuroprotection, and optic nerve regeneration possible with new techniques.  Simply, using nerve cells to replace those damaged in the optic nerve.  This is a change from general stem cell research in that it uses cells specific to the problem.  They are also working with specific immune cells and molecular pathways that may lead to cures for not only the loss of vision from several diseases like glaucoma but also have application to Alzheimer’s and other medical issues that by opening the pathways between paths to and within the brain.

These things will take decades to produce results and make them common enough to be financially viable.  Stem cell injections for eye issues are almost done with the trial period but still costs around $38,000 per injection.  That will change, but it takes time.

It may sound nuts, but Artificial Intelligence is also developing a microchip smaller than a grain of rice that can be implanted in your arm and allow your body to become a telephone rather than having to carry a device around all day.  What is important is that these areas of research are working at levels of biology and electronics far more detailed than simple stem cell research. Have you noticed some surveys and logging into some things now asking you to check the box that says, “I am not a robot”?  And it also doesn’t give you the opportunity to ask the same of it.

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"The future ain’t what it used to be."

~ Yogi Berra

We are looking for volunteer drivers! Interested? Please talk with Melissa,

(530) 265-2121