January Newsletter!
The TAPING RECORDER--News from & about Taping For The Blind, Inc.
January, 2007
Celebrating 40 Years of "Turning Sight Into Sound"
http://www.tapingfortheblind.org
STRAP ON YOUR SNEAKERS!
Whether or not you are a runner, comfortable footware is a must, and
so we suggest you lace up your Chuck Taylors and come out on Sunday,
January 14, 2007, to witness the largest single-day sporting event in
our fair city--the Houston Marathon. While it is multiple races
including a full marathon (Chevron Houston Marathon), a half marathon
(Aramco Half Marathon), and a 5 kilometer (Houston Press/Smart
Financial 5k) we hope you will come out and support our Taping
Marathon Team as they labor in the various events. If you can't
support them by being there to encourage them, we hope you will
support them financially by donating to our favorite charitable
organization--Taping For The Blind, Inc. Your personal check is
always welcome, or if you prefer, you can go to our website and use
the "Donate" button to make a safe, secure contribution using your
Visa or MasterCard (use the URL given above). In addition, you are
most welcome to do both--cheer AND contribute!!!
THE TAPING MARATHON TEAM
Many long-distance runners who participate in marathons
around the country do what is known as "Running For A Reason"--that
is, they solicit sponsors who pledge so much per mile or a fixed
amount for the race being run and donate the proceeds to the many
charities receiving support from the event. The Houston Marathon is
no different, and Taping benefits from the seriously hard work of a
number of runners. Some are volunteers or relatives of volunteers,
and some are simply friends of the organization. We are proud to
have the following runners working on behalf of Taping: Paul Daly,
Sue Hanks, Steve Hasson, Joe Hugenberg, Alan Ping, Anita Simpson,
Dena Marks-Sokolow, Harry Sokolow, Jolie Key-Tissot, Valerie Vallot,
and Jim Venturini. A sincere thank you to each of you for your
training and commitment to running your event on behalf of Taping!
As we said, each runner solicits friends and associates
for their support, and runner Jim Venturini gave us permission to
share with you his letter explaining why he is running for Taping:
"We all do what we do for reasons sometimes unknown to
us, other times we know exactly what motivates us. The operative
word for me is "inspiration." I
have been inspired by many people in my 40+ years but a couple of
individuals I knew are part of the reason I know I can do so much more.
"My cousin and uncle were both greatly affected by diabetes. So much
so that the disease attacked various parts of the body, not the least
being their sight. My uncle Dick was blind most of his adult life,
and also he had to have part of his foot removed. These obstacles
did not get in his way of operating a full furniture wood shop. As a
kid I was amazed at how someone with those kinds of limitations could
not just deal with their handicap but overcome it as well. His son
Joe was no stranger to the same complications, losing his sight at a
young age. I would have to say that his life was not slowed
either. I can still see him in my mind, out on his own with his
seeing-eye dog. I vividly remember the time his mom had to give one
of her kidneys for his that were failing. I am sure they had their
moments of frustration but I never was witness to it; in fact, I
could not help but be inspired by their positive outlook on life in general.
"When I attended the pre-registration event, there were quite a few
organizations there representing various causes. I figured I would
naturally hook up with some type of diabetes foundation. While
trekking through the mud a woman named Carol Pierce introduced
herself and told me she was with "Taping For The Blind." I thought
about it for a few minutes and came to the realization that it was a
good fit and made a lot of sense. My aunt Gail told me that my uncle
and cousin used it all the time. It is some-thing that certainly
helps bring enrichment to someone being blind.
" I don't think either of them set out to be an "inspiration." It
just happened.
You never know who YOU might be inspiring!"
Jim Venturini
Thanks for sharing this with us, Jim!
HOOPLA SITE
Taping volunteers will again congregate in front of the
West University City Hall for our Hoopla Brigade. Each charity that
is "official" with the marathon must bring forth a "hollering team"
and that is where Taping has set up for many years. Please join us
early near University and Auden in West U. and help make noise for
all the participants of the full marathon (that is the halfway mark
for that race). Carol Pierce will be there leading the cheering, and
you can check with her for additional details.
LIGHT THE CANDLES
The following Taping volunteers are celebrating January
birthdays: 01/04 Lyn Green; 01/05 Robin Rice; 01/08 Mary Lile; 01/11
Joan Katz; 01/12 Lila Lerner, Al Schuttenberg, Bob Weinberger; 01/15
Fred Dawson, John Deming, Tom Milburn; 01/19 Bob Bartlett, Scott
Goddard; 01/20 Bethanie O'Neal; 01/22 George Atkinson; 01/27 Judy
Minshew, Kathy Wilcox; 01/28 Sheila Finch; 01/30 Nadine Saffell; and
01/31 Brian Rodgers. Our standard reminder is that if you celebrate
in January and do not see your name in this list, please notify any
staff member so we can update our records.
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS NEWSLETTER
If you are reading this newsletter in paper form,
remember, you can have it in electronic form and have it delivered to
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list. Pretty simple, even if you are not a computer genius.
RLB