|
|
From the president:
Spring is almost here! The birds are coming back. My son
tells me he has robins in his yard in the southern part
of the state. So they are returning. If you have been a
silent partner in ACB
Maine consider coming back. We would love to have
you. We have things planned for the coming year. Camp
and Convention to name a few. We had a very successful
Comedy fund raiser this past January. So look towards
the future so we can meet, share times, and continue to
be advocates for ourselves. Hope to see you at Camp Jack
and Linda in July. Nancy Matulis, President of ACB Maine
If You Are Blind Or Visually Impaired:
Your Choices For Receiving Information from Social Security
At times,
Social Security needs to contact you with
important information. You can choose from five ways to
receive information from us if you are blind or have a
visual
impairment and
-
you have applied for or
receive Social Security or Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) benefits, or
-
you are the
representative payee for someone who has
applied for or receives Social Security or
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
You can choose one of the following
options for receiving information:
-
Standard print notices by
first-class mail;
-
Standard print notices by
certified mail;
-
Standard print notices by
first-class mail, followed by a telephone call
within five work days to read the information to
you;
-
Standard print notices
and Braille by first-class mail. (Delivery begins on
April 15, 2010); or
-
Standard print notices
and compact disc by first-class mail. The compact
disc will only play on a computer with software that
can read Microsoft Word files. (Delivery begins on
April 15, 2010).
Request for Special Notice Option
To select or change the way you wish to receive
information from Social Security, go to our secure
Internet application (a link to the application appears
at
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/notices/.
If you do not want to use this Internet application,
please call toll-free
1-877-708-1776. If you are deaf or hard of
hearing, you may call our TTY number,
1-800-325-0778.If you would like to receive
information from us in another way which is not
mentioned here, please call us at
1-800-772-1213 and let us know how we should send
you information. We will consider your request and
decide if we can provide it according to court-approved
guidelines. If we decide against your request, we will
send you the reasons in writing and tell you how to
appeal if you disagree. From the ACB National web site
Washington Connection.
U.S. Census
We
can't move forward until you
mail it back.
In March of 2010, census
forms will be delivered to
every residence in the
United States and Puerto
Rico. When you receive
yours, just answer the 10
short questions and then
mail the form back in the
postage-paid envelope
provided. If you don't mail
the form back, you may
receive a visit from a
census
taker, who will ask you
the
questions from the form.
All U.S. Census carry I.D.
And a large cloth bag with
the logo. Be cautious of
letting people in your home
without proper I.D.
Comedy
Fund Raiser
Fund raising is always a BIG
challenge. This economic times are very different. With
a great amount of discussion the board made the decision
to hire East Coast Marketing Group to do a comedy show
for us and continue fund raising into fall. In January
my husband,myself, our son,and his girl friend drove to
Bangor. Boy it was cold and windy walking across that
parking lot to Peaks Auditoium. When I arrived I told
the man greeting everyone who I was he said “oh Mary
Ellen has been waiting for you.” At that point Mary
Ellen met me. We where also told that they had given out
over 200 booklets with businesses ads in them. The House
was packed so to speak. Must have been over 400 people
there. The audience loved the show. People laughed and
roared at the comedians from all over New England. I saw
several ACB Maine supporters there. Pat and Gene came
with family. Mark met me several times as he and I
wandered around. So it was a great hit. More money has
been raised than we could ever have the time or effort
to do. This will help continue the work of ACB Maine.
Thanks to all who donated to us.
American Council of the Blind of Maine Supports
NEBAA
ACB Maine has made a $500 donation
to support the purchase of new equipment for the New
England Blind Athletic Association. Mark Sincalir who
runs the program told “ACB Maine by request that his
program has been so successful the kids have worn out
the equipment. It needs to be replaced” This is a youth
oriented athletic program that gives them the
opportunity to participate in and learn new skill and
games. The event takes place at the University of Maine
campus in Orono. For more information email:
nebba032aol.com
What has your role
been??
What has your role been in the
American Council of the Blind of Maine? Do you go to
Convention? Do you go to Camp Jack and Linda? Do you
pay attention to ACB National listening to ACB
radio? Check out ACB radio they have some great
shows. Are you guide dog user belonging to PineTree
Guide Dog users? Time to stop being a couch potato
and get involved!! You think oh my voice won't make
a difference. Nobody cares if my guide and I join.
But WE do care! In the mid 90's I joined the ACB
Maine ,Northern Chapter. I have learned so much
,made many friends, and gained a great deal of
confidence in my roles over the years. I am very
happy to serve as President. I am working hard to
make this a viable group. Active and productive. So
step up, think about running for office. You can do
it Being involved takes some work yes, but it is
worth every darn penny.
Web Site
Please go check out the ACB Maine web site
www.acbmaine.org Last
summer we said good bye to Jim King as he moved from
Maine to Georgia. Thanks Jim for the years of
assisting us with our web site. Welcome to Mike
Grattan. Thanks to Mike Grattan for working to
update our web site. Please note several important
links on the site:
News and Articles:
New PSA:
Watch the new public service
announcement entitled “SEE Me” PSA
Check it out for new updates. Thanks again
Mike!!
Guide Dog Exams from PTGDU
For the month of May 2010, the American College of
Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) is launching the 3rd
annual ACVO/Merial National Service Dog
Eye Exam Event to help serve these dogs who dedicate their lives to
serving us. More than 150 board certified veterinary ophthalmologists in
the U.S. and Canada
will provide free sight-saving eye exams to thousands of service dogs.
To learn more about and register for the ACVO/Merial
National Service Dog Eye Exam Event, please visit
www.ACVOeyeexam. Org.
St. Patrick's Day – Don't forget to wear
green!
Corned beef and cabbage
5 pound corned beef brisket
Water
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 whole allspice -
Place spices in a spice bag
for easier removal
1 head cabbage, quartered
6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into lengths
4 medium onions, peeled and sliced crosswise
3 pounds mini red potatoes
Cover with water up to an
inch over meat and vegetables
cook in crockpot on low for
8-10 hours or according to your crockpot
directions.
Diabetic Update
from ACB Diabetes in Action
Dee Clayton
President ACB Diabetes In Action
News from Prodigy:
We will modify the
www.prodigymeter.com
website within the next two weeks to have a special spot for vision
impaired people. Along with new Prodigy®
product information we will also be working to gather 100,000 names of
vision impaired people, friends, and family members to give Prodigy® muscle
to get these products covered by Medicare + insurance plans and on
retail store shelves.
Paralympics Broadcast Schedule on
NBC Sports and
Universal Sports:
Note: All listed
times are E.T.)
NBC Sports
Opening
Ceremony highlights – Saturday, March 13, 1-2 p.m.
Paralympics recap – Saturday, April 10, 3-5 p.m.
Universal Sports
Monday,
March 15 – Tuesday March 23, 7 p.m. (re-air at 11 p.m.)
|
