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NEWS NOTES

THANK YOU, DEANZA LIONS!

All of us at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center want to thank the DeAnza Lions for donating their time and finances to trim the trees and clean up the walkways on our property. The team consisted of Lions Al Knox, Charlie Peters, Jim Gould, Ray Gamma, Ray Lancon, Steve Ratner, Charles Ice, Herb Yeary, Charlie Waters and friend Brian Prince.

They came in on a warm Summer Saturday and knocked out a tremendous amount of work clearing overgrown trees and hedges and making the walkways safe and accessible once again for our clients! The pictures show just how much sweat and muscle went into this project! We so appreciate you. Thank you again for your generosity and team spirit as we all work together to serve the blind and visually impaired of Santa Clara County!

AN INSPIRING STORY OF ERNIE MOLINA AND HIS NEW GUIDE DOG SANCHO!

Graduating to a Life Together Sometimes you meet some soul along life's path who inspires the rest of us schleps and keeps us believing that relationships are really all we have. Ernie Molina and Sancho have that special relationship born out of hard work and constant companionship. Ernie Molina has had dogs most of his life. Most of his life he had his sight. It wasn't until around 1992 Ernie lost most of his ability

to see distinct figures and colors, which caused him to stop driving to his job at the post office. Between 1993 and 1997, Molina was postmaster of the Cupertino Post Office. Molina had inherited a medical condition known as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) along with one of his brothers. With an active mind and a willingness to carry on, Molina has used the sick time to learn Braille, continues to learn more accessible programs, has taken cane training and applied to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Program. That's when Sancho entered his life. Sancho is one of the dogs who passed the requirements for the challenging work of a guide dog. Both Ernie and Sancho are working on getting their groove together. Sancho was matched to Ernie at the Guide Dogs for the Blind after the trainers observed his gate. Now that Ernie and Sancho are partners, Ernie plans to travel more on public transportation freeing his wife of sight guiding work. Ernie's dream retirement job would be to teach sight-impaired people about computers and tutor them in the use of accessible programs for the blind. Instead of using the high-priced systems marketed to sight impaired computer customers, Ernie has put together a budget system. By Mary Anne McCarthy Jun 14, 2007

SCVBC HAS A NEW GARDENING PROGRAM! Thanks to Katie Lucitt, a local Girl Scout with Senior Troop 701 the

Center is pleased to present a new accessible garden! The planters 4’Wx10’L are raised four feet above the ground to accommodate seated gardening and wheelchair accessibility. The garden has been planted with over one thousand dollars of flowers, tangerine and Japanese Maple Trees, herbs, and vegetables. The implementation of this garden will be used to provide the clients with a therapeutic activity that is tangible, relaxing, exposes them to fresh air, and beautifies the center as well. SCVBC would like to thank the following individuals and businesses who contributed to the implementation of this spectacular garden.

Planning  Gregg and Lauren Anderson  Baby Sitting  Fundraiser  Lauren Anderson, Lauren Drygas,  Vanessa Moyen, Jordan  O’Halloran, Lynn Wilson  Planting  Kelsey Moteckaitis & Fred and  Edna Dixon  Building  Damen Domingue & Todd Roulin  Plant Donations  Sakamoto Plants, Los Gatos  Summer Winds Nursery, Los Gatos  Other Donations  Home Depot  Wood Donation  D.H. Smith Company Inc. San Jose

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SCVBC Newsletter
  • November 2007