Sierra Services for the Blind Newsletter

February 2025

--------------------oOo--------------------

"The Beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it from you."

~ B.B.King

--------------------oOo--------------------

Membership Drive

Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired is a unique non-profit organization in that there is a voting membership.  What that vote means is that if the Directors of the organization begin to let the organization stray from its original purpose of serving the blind and visually impaired of our community, they can be voted out and replaced.  It was structured that way to allow the client and the community to make sure we do what we say we will.

The membership itself is as simple as we can make it, and the cost has not changed for 40 years.  The Annual Membership is only $10 per year.  It is set low to insure that our clients living on a fixed income can have a voice in the process.  For those who desire and can afford it there is also a Life Membership for $100.  The same is true for both clients, and for businesses and the general public.  The bylaws require us to have an annual meeting each spring, which is a dinner meeting, customarily early in May.  If the board wants to make a change in the bylaws they cannot do it without the approval of the membership.  At that time the Executive Director also makes a report on the progress and highlights of the last year, and how that relates to the services provided as it relates to previous years.  And the members are given the opportunity to question or comment on the agency.  It is also a chance for client and the community members to meet each other in a casual setting.

It is also our policy that you do not have to be a member to receive our services.  And it is our policy that the client does not have to pay for the service itself.

In February the membership drive begins.  Many individuals, especially life members, often use this time to add a little as a donation which is tax deductible.  It is a major fund-raising event held in the winter of each year, and letters will be out as a reminder.

We hope you will join us.  We are proud of our program of education, counseling and medical transportation to our almost 200 clients.  We serve individuals rather than numbers, and each client is a program with a unique set of needs we serve that need rather than have a set program the client must adjust to.  We are growing and our client base has gone up over 20% in the last year.  We hope you will be a part of our service to the community.

--------------------oOo--------------------

 

"I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination."

~ Jimmy Dean

--------------------oOo--------------------

Adjusting our Fundraising

We have made no secret of the fact that the economy has had a negative effect on our ability to raise the funding we need each month, or year.  As but one example, stamps have gone up from 49 cents to 72 cents and we use a lot of postage for newsletters, and for the letters we send each donor.   The Membership drive also uses a lot of postage as we cannot use Free matter for the Blind when we are directly asking for donations or membership for the clients.  And our clients and the community feel the same economic pressure and there is less to go around.

We are 100% self-funded but for a few non-governmental grants that come up now and then.  What has made the most difference is when a client or individual leaves as part of their estate.

But these are new times and require new methods.  We registered for, and started Giving Tuesday a year ago, and this year it generated $5,312.  We now have more people who have put us on their monthly giving list.  Like you see larger local agencies and large national organizations do, a gift of twenty dollars a month is $240 a year, and if a hundred people do it that is $2,400.

Another new way relates to federal tax statutes.  We always get a few larger donations in December to get ahead of that year’s tax season.  But within the investment community there are other reasons to make your donation to a nonprofit automatic.  What retirees over age 70 don’t know is that they can donate all, or a portion of, their required minimum IRA distribution, (RMD), directly to charity up to the $100,000 limit.  It is called a qualified charitable distribution, (QCD).  A check is sent directly from an IRA to your charity.  This allows the donor to exclude the distribution from taxable income.  If you do not have a requirement for a charitable distribution, you can still make a donation from your IRA or investment account which is also tax free.  Contact your IRA custodian to arrange such a donation.  Another is to donate the stock itself out of your investments, this has tax advantages as well.  You can also learn more from the IRS website.

For those of you who have reached a little deeper into your pocket last year, thank you.  It is why we are now increasing our financial stability.  We still have a way to go, as the structure of giving changes from year to year and we have to change with it.  As with all nonprofit agencies, it remains true that most donations are from individuals who do what they can when they can, no matter how small.  Donations at the Annual Holiday Dinner helped pay for the cost of the groceries.

And we must always remind ourselves, and the client and public, that funds granted a local nonprofit will circulate in the local economy 6 times in a year.  Money donated nationally or spent out of town does not.  It leaves the local economy.

We have spent the last 44 years serving the client with the education, counseling and transportation needed to accommodate the loss of vision.  That will never change.

--------------------oOo--------------------

                                                                                          

"Today you are you, truer than true, there is on one alive who is youer than you."

~ Dr. Seuss

--------------------oOo--------------------

Humanity

Humans are different than other animals.  At the same time, we are creatures of habit like all others.  From the beginning when we lived in caves, we banded together in a family-based herd just like deer, elk and mastodons.  For us it is now cities, and smaller communities.  Even within the herd is a whole civilization, even though separated by language or tradition we want to conform to the herd.  We seek commonality by joining a church, service club, car club, or anything else that brings the community we are most comfortable with.  In cities we have ethnic neighborhoods and do things like have a St. Patrick’s Day parade, or close off a street for a street fair.  In the rural community we traditionally gathered together to raise a barn for an individual, or a church for the community and do things like have a county fair or a church or community picnic.  It is why you see the same people at church every Sunday, and the same people in the same seat at the bar every night.  And, within that we still congregate as a family unit complete with uncles and aunts, cousins of many generations just like all herds from gophers to elephants.  The reason is simply that together we become something we as individuals are not.  Together we can accomplish more.  Alone is something we don’t do well.

What does that have to do with Sierra Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired?

Sierra Services for the Blind is one of those organizations we the community have formed to deal with a specific problem found within the community.  What makes us unique is that our position is one that brings together individuals from every other aspect of the community.  The financial, cultural, religious, ethnic and other groups within the community come together here as equals who have a common need.  We have had clients that include an opera singer, nuclear physicists, farmers, mechanics, miners, insurance executives, loggers, firefighters, business owners, veterans, millionaires and those on assistance, investors and those on a fixed income, and almost anything you can think of.  But within our doors they are all equal.

The commonality they all have is the loss of vision no matter what caused it.  What they need is a sense that they are not alone, and that others have dealt with it before, and we can learn from them.  That thing we call alone is more debilitating than the loss of vision.  Clients need to learn that blindness cannot be resolved by isolating themselves and simply no longer being active either in the community or everyday life. That is what our counseling program is formed around.  They all need to learn skills they did not need before, and learn how to make their own adjustments as vision decreases.  They need to know about phantom vision to know they are not losing their mind, and how to safely operate their kitchen.  Without transportation they cannot take care of their health by going to see their doctors.  We give them the skills and access they need to remain an active member of the community, and within their family.

To do that we have to balance our dedication to the individual and at the same time recognizing the human need to be part of something.  It is not our job to change you, it is our job to give you the skills and confidence to pursue the life you wish to pursue.  That is the trait that makes us human, the ability to dream, and choose our own path to our future.    

--------------------oOo--------------------

Friendship is formed when one says, “What, you too? I thought I was alone.”"

~ C.S. Lewis

--------------------oOo--------------------

The Gift

We all have three things in common. There is our past, which is the foundation of who we become.  The foundation of the past serves as an example of when we have failed, and when we have succeeded.  The future, which is where we place our hopes and dreams.  And the gift between the two we call the present which is the ever-moving moment where we are alive and aware of ourselves.

A foundation can either be a clutter of stones, or a neat wall to support us.  We can’t change it, but we can take this moment to look ahead and see what future we wish to build for ourselves.  That future of hopes and dreams must be realistic.  What that is will be changed with the loss of vision, but there is the next step which is the hardest.  Make the changes you need to make to realize them.

Winston Churchill said, “Success it not final, failure is not fatal, it is the effort that counts.”  Shaping the future we see for ourselves is a lot of work.  What are the lessons we have gained in the past that either open or block our way to the future.  Don't force yourself to be what you are not.  Get out of the rut and look around.  The future you seek is there, but you have to be the one to find it. 

--------------------oOo--------------------

"If wishes were fishes, we’d have some to fry."

~ Ben Franklin

--------------------oOo--------------------

Ben Franklin and Witt

Almost everyone has heard of Poor Richard’s Almanack.  In his day every printer had one, and the Farmer’s Almanac is still being published.  They told us when to plant, what the weather was going to be, when the moon would be full, and how to do things.  They also had what is called fillers.  When an article didn’t use a whole page to fill in the space, they used quotes to fill the page.  He also used them in his newspaper, and under the name Poor Richard few knew he was the author.

His wisdom, and his reputation as a scientist made him one of the first men to have international fame.  He was the only one outside England to be admitted into the Royal Society of Science, headed by Sir Issac Newton.  His Leather Apron Society, a group of educated men who worked in the trades, was a force to establish the first American fire department, the first library, and to advocate for public education so everyone could read, even girls which was controversial at the time.  His inventions like the lighting rod which saved homes, the rocking chair, bifocals, the enclosed stove and a hundred other things were never patented; he wanted everyone to have access to them.  One of his books was titled, “Fart Proudly”.  It was proof you were alive, and things worked.

He was also famous for his air baths, especially in England where he would stand without clothes at an open window, and he was the only person in history to enter the House of Lords uninvited.  He walked in and told them in clear terms that if they didn’t treat the colonies better, they would lose them.  When the Declaration of Independence was to be voted on, he said to the congress, “Gentlemen, indeed, we had better hang together, or most assuredly we shall hang separately.”  He said that he got up each morning and read the obituaries. If he wasn’t in it, he got up.

However, most fillers were folksy little ditties meant to entertain and make people think.

He who is wrapped up in themselves make small packages.

Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead.

Fish and visitors stink in three days.

There are more old drunkards than old doctors.

Well done is better than well said.

If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.

Experience keeps a dear school; yet fools will learn in no other.

He that lieth down with dogs shall rise up with fleas.

Little strokes fell great oaks.

Tell me I forget. Teach me I remember. Include me I learn.

Always tell the truth and you have less to remember.

--------------------oOo--------------------

"Hide not your talents, for use they were made; what is a sundial in the shade."

~ B. Franklin

--------------------oOo--------------------

Raising the Cane

One of the most recognizable tools for the blind is the cane.  It simply tells us what we are about to run into.  It also is a message to people that you can’t see them.  There is no stigma to them.

Cane training is a formal educational process that requires a state licensed trainer.  Trainers from Sacramento Society for the Blind come to the office now and then to meet with a small group, but that is just for the basics.  They are trained in the cities with regular streets and sidewalks, and they think Nevada County is nuts.  We have narrow sidewalks that have telephone poles coming out of the center of them, mailboxes that take one side, and intersections that can have traffic going in all directions.  We have roads with no sidewalks, and signals that confuse the driver as much as it does the pedestrian.  You also need to be aware of chain link and picket fences which trap the cane and give you a poke in the middle.

The basics are actually quite simple. Drag it back and forth and it will tell you where the sides of the walkway are, or a building you can follow.  The sound tells you if it is dirt, cement, or pavement, and that often identifies the limits and direction you are to go.  The cane finds that telephone pole in the middle of the sidewalk for you.  It also finds stairs or curbs you have to negotiate.

Frank Look initiated the white cane laws in California was and was a local.  His daughter was a client of ours. He used two canes, one like now, and one to wave over his head to say I am coming.

--------------------oOo--------------------

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."

~ Ben Franklin

--------------------oOo--------------------

About Transportation

We have noticed that there might be a few things you are not aware of when you call us for medical transportation.  Here are the rules and the reasons for them.

Even if your ride to see your doctor is only 12 minutes long, it probably takes an hour or more preparation time before the car key turns the ignition.  Once the call has been taken and the transportation request is written up, the fun only begins!

If it is on a day and time that we do not have peer group transportation, the chances are good that Melissa will be the driver.  If it conflicts with a peer group, or we have already scheduled the van for another client’s ride, it could take several phone calls and more than one day to find a volunteer driver to take you where you need to go.  Once a volunteer is found, giving the volunteer directions and times must be set.  If the volunteer knows how long you will be they know either to wait, or if they have time to run an errand.  Once that is done it is hard to change as the process begins all over again, so if there are changes, we need to know immediately.

This is especially true if the appointment is out of town.  Volunteers who can make those out-of-town appointments need more time to adjust their schedules.  Those appointments need to be scheduled between 10:00 and 2:30 if at all possible.  It is almost a whole day that the volunteer is giving of their time, and avoiding rush hour traffic is a reasonable courtesy.

We haven’t always been this busy. Sierra Services provides over 160 units of transportation per month, with just one coordinator and 9 volunteer drivers the organizational side can be quite complicated. That is the reason that we need a minimum of three business days’ notice unless it is an emergency, in that case we will do whatever we can.

As Ben Franklin put it, “He that has done you a kindness will be more likely to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged.”  Remember to say thank you to the volunteers.

 

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

(530) 265-2121

Would you like to receive our newsletter in your mail box? Our newsletter is sent quarterly and in it you will find: Information about blindness Information about research Upcoming Events What is new in the office Inspirational Quotes Please fill out the form below and we will be sure to get you on the list for the next mailing. Why do we ask for you mailing address? This is not an e-news letter. It is delivered by the post office!

New From BARD

Cotton's War DBC13565 By Phil Dunlap. Reading time: 7 hours, 54 minutes. Read by Nelson Goud. A production of Indiana State Library, Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library. Western Stories When Virgil Cruz and his gang kidnap the woman he loves and threaten to kill her if he interferes with their plans, Sheriff Cotton Burke turns to Memphis Jack Stump, the only man he trusts to infiltrate Cruz's gang, for help. Some descriptions of sex, strong language, violence. __oOo__ Smithsonian Magazine, July 2018 __oOo__ The loss of the S.S. Titanic: its story and its lessons DB 91999 By Lawrence Beesley. Reading time 4 hours, 40 minutes. Read by Steven Carpenter. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Subjects: Travel Description: The personal record of one of the 705 survivors of the Titanic disaster in 1912. His eyewitness account is augmented by those of other passengers who were spared, contributing to a general report of events and behavior the night the ship sank within three hours of colliding with an iceberg. 1912. BARD is a National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. __oOo__