Sunday, December 1, 2019


Good Afternoon Dear TCB members,

 

I trust each of you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and neglected not to thank the one who makes all things possible.  

 

It is with some sadness that I send out the minutes to the November meeting which is the last one scheduled.  Unfortunately our group has not received the necessary support from the community to continue at this point. 

 

No future meetings are scheduled, but we are encouraged to continue talking about the organization and garner support from prospective TCBers.

 

Our Christmas party will be at Charley and Ruthie Tipps.  Charley recently celebrated 42 years of service to the residents of the state of Olkahoma.  He is now retired from OKDRS!  Congratulations Charley and Ruthie!  You have gained a husband Ruthie.  (Smile.)  Charley is very dedicated and worked innumerable long hours service individuals in the state of Oklahoma with blindness and visual impairments of all kinds.  We love you Charley and thank you so very much for all you have done through the years to improve our quality of life.

 

Charley and Ruthie live at 7522 E 53rd Place, Tulsa, OK 74145.  Their phone number is (918) 938-7014.  Please let them know that you are attending the party and what you are bringing, dessert-wise.  

 

Thank you, each of you, for the opportunity you have given me to be a part of this wonderful organization and to serve our special community.  I hope you know you each hold a special place in my heart.

 

With gratitude,

Debbie

-- 

Debra Waller, MA VRT 

 

 

Low vision does not define who you are; it challenges what you will become.

TCB Meeting 11/14/19

On November 14, 2019 the quorum was met.  Present at the meeting were President Jeri Cooper, Vice President Darla Cook, Secretary Debbie Waller, Treasurer Julie Bailey and Debbie Eagle, and David Bailey.

The meeting started promptly at 6 PM.

The celebrations for November are Jeri Cooper’s birthday on Thanksgiving Day. 

There was no secretary’s report for October as the group did not have a quorum. 

The treasurer’s report for the month was given.  There is $765.80 in the bank.  The OCB made $1,000 after expenses from the convention held in Tulsa in September.

The review of White Cane Day was given by Debbie Eagle.  The consensus is that it was a great choice of location for this activity.  The participant reported that it offered a variety of options with boating, play areas and various eating venues.  She said the areas were easy to navigate.  Debbie said that people were friendly and seemed accepting of others with obvious challenges.  She said that a good time was had by all who attended.

Cane Quest was mentioned which took place as OSB. Beep ball was played and enjoyed. 

The TCB project has not moved forward as Jeanie Myer has not given us any information about a family that could be identified for our giving project. 

The Christmas party is planned for December 14th at Charley and Ruthie Tipps.  The couple’s address is 7522 E 53rd Place in Tulsa, 74145. Their phone number is (918) 938-7014.  The time will be 1-4 PM.  Everyone wanting to attend needs to bring a dirty Santa gift of $10 in value as well as bring $5 for pizza that will be offered.  Participants are also encouraged to bring their own non-alcoholic drinks and a dessert. 

The future of TCB is uncertain at this point as no one came forward to be placed on the slate of officers for the upcoming election which was to take place at this meeting. Also we have not met the OCB and national ACB requirements for a chapter when it comes to attendance.  We have had difficulty even meeting the quorum.  It was said that the Muskogee chapter went through a similar experience and seems to be very strong now.  Darla mentioned that if we do not pay dues we cannot have a chapter.  This was on the heels of Julie and Jeri suggesting that we pay $5 for dues at the Christmas party.  However this was presented as an idea and not voted on or brought forward as a motion.

Debbie Eagle has presented an idea that we meet periodically and play games, go out to eat, bowl, see a movie, etc.  We will see what happens in the months ahead and have each other’s contact information.

Debbie Eagle said that she will post an update about the Tulsa CB on the group’s FB page.  It is mainly used for outreach so this should work perfectly.  The TCB website through GoDaddy is tulsacounciloftheblind.org and can also be accessed on the web at tulsacounciloftheblind.com.  We all agreed to touch base in January.

The meeting was adjourned at 6:38 PM.

Friday, April 19, 2019

April Picnic

The Azalea Council of the Blind annual picnic will be held Saturday, April  27 from 2-4pm at Civitan Park in Muskogee.  The park is located at 3301 Gibson Street across from OSB.

We hope that you can join us for food and fellowship. 

It would be helpful if you could let us know if you plan to attend.  If you have not already contacted us, you may email me at: beaglesrule2@suddenlink.net  or call 918-683-4617

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday April 27.

Monday, March 18, 2019

February 2019


TCB Meeting Minutes February 21, 2019

The February attendees were Jeri Cooper, Debbie Eagle, Diane Garrett, Debbie Waller, Darla Cook, Cathy Holloway and Julie Bailey.  Also attending the meeting were David Bailey, Daniel Garrett and Mark Cook.
The meeting came to order promptly at 6:00 PM and Roberts rules of order were practiced throughout the meeting.

Cathy provided contact information which was updated in the member contact list.
The treasure’s report conveyed no change since January and stands with the balance at $1,041. Jeri and Julie went to the bank and switched the designee for depositing and withdrawing funds from Jeri to Julie.  They agreed that no new card was needed.

The minutes were read and approved.  No additions or corrections noted.
Under Old Business The OCB convention planning was discussed.  Julie said the Doubletree at Warren Place is the site.  It is located at 61st Street and Yale Avenue in Tulsa and the accommodations and rates were agreed upon. Julie and Charlie checked it out.

Brian and Kim Charlson, president of the the American Council of the Blind will be speaking.  Pat Kelly will be doing the auction.  This is the 100th year anniversary for the Council of the Blind.  Our theme is “Back to the Future” 1919-2019.  Items will be needed for the silent auction. 
The rate is $90.00 for Friday night and Saturday.  It is $110.00 for the entire weekend (through Sunday).  The room rate is $90.00 per night.  There are 25 or more exhibitors expected, not confirmed.  Debbie E  and Jeri are working to firm this up. Each exhibitor will have a table.  

Debbie E and Debbie W have agreed to do the Goodie Bags.
The members agreed that it is important to have some activities for the youth as we hope to attract new members from the younger population  (16-2?).  The circular bike was discussed and several of the members agreed that this would be a fun activity to host.  Julie and or Jeri will be looking into this.
Another idea presented was a make-up party.  We can come up with other ideas that will not segregate a portion of the members attending. 
The banquet will be Saturday night and we will work with the hotel staff to arrive at a suitable menu.  As many members as can be there Friday night should plan to participate in hospitality, making our guests from around the state feel welcome, engaged and oriented.

Under New Business were upcoming events for our calendar year: Disability Awareness Day, Black Tie/White Cane Fundraiser, June picnic, community project with Oklahoma School for the Blind, White Cane Day, Christmas party.

The Disability Awareness Day on March 12th was brought up and members asked who is planning to go.  Everyone who is able is urged to attend. Registration ends Friday, March 1st.  Transportation should not be an obstacle for anyone who wants to attend as several members from the Tulsa chapter are going to OKC Statehouse for this important event.

The fundraiser, “Black Tie, White Cane” was briefly discussed and it was the consensus of the group present that it should be held at the Doubletree this year.  They do offer catering.  Also having it there will give the participants an option of a reasonable and fun place to stay if the night becomes long and the journey home too far.  We hope this will happen as we all want it to be a huge success.  The ticket cost, it is expected will be upwards of $50.00 for each person.  Julie will ask Chris Brown if he would like to be in charge of the music again this year.  Diane suggested the event should be in August and the group suggested August 3rd or August 10th for the date.

Our annual “Pool Party/Picnic” is still unclear, as far as the location.  Debbie E is going to ask Kimberly if she is still interested in opening her home/back yard pool.  Other options can be entertained.  The date for the event in June 15th. 
Due to shortness of time and upcoming events the group decided to not do an Easter project this year.
The idea of a community event we could fundraise for, such as a giving event was discussed.  We agreed that we should designate the Oklahoma School for the Blind as the recipient.  The group is leaning toward the time frame between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Items talked about were towels, sheets, blankets, etc.    Darla will be heading up this committee. 
Debbie W has volunteered to be in charge of Cane Day this year which is on October 15th.  Details will be presented at future meetings.

Julie suggested that if the group members do not feel it is too far to travel, she and David could host the Christmas party at their home this year.  They live in Broken Arrow near Coweta. We will look at various options in the coming meetings.
Joe Fallin is in the hospital recovering.  Prayers are requested for his wholeness and recovery to be swift.  Marian was also in the hospital at the same time, but has returned home.  We need to keep him in our prayers as well.

We briefly discussed how we can get involved with the School for the Blind to encourage them to become engaged with the group.  Due to the present school day/week schedule it doesn’t seem feasible at this time.  We should discuss this further at future meetings.

Our speaker in March will be a member of the Tulsa PD Fraud Unit, Deputy Stone.
We would like to plan on having a presenter every other month.  Julie suggested calling people the weekend before to remind them of our monthly meeting date.  Cathy volunteered to do this.  Also because she has several high profile contacts (with deep pockets) she volunteered to fundraise by making calls to these individuals.  These are people who want to and are financially able to get involved and make a difference.

Because May is a severe weather threat month in Oklahoma, Julie suggested asking a weather personality to present.  She has a brother who works at Channel 6.  He previously worked at Cox Communication, so he has connections.  She will ask him if he can get someone to present.

Birthdays in February were David on the 13th, Marian (Julie’s dad) and Debbie W’s mom on the 19th.

The meeting was disbursed at 7:30 PM.