March
2023
The Hull Foundations
Monthly Sight Loss News
www.hullparkfortheblind.org
“The publishing of this newsletter is a service of The Hull Foundation and Learning Center Inc. It is not an endorsement of any of its contents. All products, items and other information may be used at the sole discretion of the reader.”
Editors, Hull Foundation Staff
Contents
Mission Statement …p. 3
Focus, Your Quest to Reach Your Cache of Gold…p. 4
RITD, Hull Foundation Book Club…p. 5
Books I Recommend for Those with Sight Loss and Those Who Care About Us…p. 6
Spring Fling Sample Schedule… p. 8
60th Diamond Jubilee Celebration… p. 9
Ways
to Support Hull Foundation and Learning Center Inc…p. 10
Upcoming Events…p. 11
Zoom Meetings…p. 11
Jokes to Keep
You Laughing… p. 15
Contact Us…p. 15
Our Mission Statement:
The mission of the Hull Foundation and Learning Center is to provide programs, facilities and services including social, educational, and recreational activities for people with blindness and sight loss.
*If
you would want to unsubscribe, please call the Hull Foundation at
503.668.6195 or send an email to: oralhull@gmail.com
Focus, Your Quest to Reach Your Cache of Gold;
How to stay focused and be resilient.
Most of us are afraid or unsure in our lives in various
ways. Courage is not the absence of fear, but it is feeling scared, gritting our teeth, and moving forward despite it. The dream we are pursuing is so important that it pushes us towards the goal. We must do this thing because…fill in the blank with your answer. Your Because, your Why, and your Deep Why is your power plant that galvanizes you to action.
You’re hungry, and you are ready for a needed change. What is the change, the improvement that will make your quality of life better? If the change you are contemplating seems daunting, break it down into baby steps. If it still seems daunting, then break it down into even smaller baby steps. Keep breaking it down till it feels easy, then take the first step. Even if the first step is tiny, it is still moving forward and it does count. Get very clear about why you want to take these steps because when you’re frustrated or discouraged, remember your why and that will keep you going.
“When you are clear, what you want will show up in your life and only to the extent you are clear.”
—Janet Bray Attwood
Can you state your goal in three sentences or less? If you can explain it in three sentences, you’re golden. If not, work on it until it is crystal clear.
A goal does not have to be lofty like solving world hunger. To be a worthy goal it needs to be a challenge for you. Whether you’re new to sight loss and you’re struggling to learn how to dial a phone, cross a street or prepare food or something else, or you are farther along in your journey, the same concepts apply.
What is one thing you can choose to do today that will improve the quality of your life?
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You are on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
Dr. Seuss
Teresa Christian, Sight Loss Instructor and Life Coach
READING in the Dark-Hull Foundation Book Club
Join us on the second and fourth Tuesdays in March from 1:00-2:30 pm PT for our Reading in the Dark book club, everyone is welcome even if you haven’t had a chance to read the book we will discuss!
In February we talked about “It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand” by Mega Devine, DB108136 and “What Dreams May Come” by Richard Matheson, DB 52019.
Our books for March:
3/14 “Horse: A Novel” by Geraldine Brooks, DB108556, 14 hr. 9 min. “An enslaved groom named Jarrett and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record setting victories across the south.”
3/28 “The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingsolver, DB27589, 7 hr. 58 min. “The bean trees begin when Taylor (whose real name is Marietta) decides that it is time to leave Pittman, Kentucky, where she lives with her mother, and make something of herself. She buys a 1955 Volkswagen and embarks on a personal journey of self-discovery, leaving everything behind, including her name.”
We welcome anyone who might be interested in joining a book club, sighted or not. All of our book selections are available through the National Library Service and the BARD mobile app.
Happy reading!
Marja Byers, SLI
Books I Recommend for Those with Sight Loss and Those Who Care About Us
One of the most helpful books that I have read several times is for those of us newer to sight loss and those people in our lives called “When You Can’t Believe Your Eyes: Vision Loss and Personal Recovery” by Hannah Fairbarin, DBC11619, and just under seven hours long. This book “…is intended for anyone going through sight loss, their friends, and families. It will inform readers how to get expert professional help, face the trauma of loss, and navigate the world using speech more than sight.”
I first read this book about four years ago, but I’ve come back to it several times as my sight continues to fade away. It’s organized in a way that makes it easy to go to the chapters that may have the most impact on what your current needs are, though I recommend your first reading be from beginning to end.
The second book is our book club’s most recent read (thank you, Don, for suggesting it): “It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand” by Megan Devine, DB108136, and it’s about seven and a half hours long. This is not a light reading book but, in my opinion, it is the best book I’ve read about grief, how it can affect us, how it affects those around us and gives you permission to feel crummy and overwhelmed at times. The author’s gives perspectives on how our culture deals with grief (“it’s a problem that must be solved!”) and the realities of the process. Part of the reality for those of us living with sight loss is that those who are closest to us also go through a grieving process. They may see the loss of their anticipated future, watching us struggle with difficult changes, roles in our relationships that are shifting as we adapt.
Devine also gives us tools for learning to carry our grief, managing anxiety, and what to do when we feel tears coming when we don’t want them.
I have often said that grief is a sneaky little sucker, just about the time you think you’re doing really well it can sneak up behind you and smack you upside the back of your head! It can (and for me, it usually is) something small and simple, a smell (a favorite flower or food), a song on the grocery store music feed, even a commercial you’ve seen dozens of times, these things can bring a flood of emotion. This book helps us see that it’s not only okay but it’s actually normal! Devine talks about how elephants grieve; they know how to do it right and that’s one of the reasons book club will be reading “The Elephant Whisperer” next month.
I recommend keeping both of these books in your toolbox, they’ve been a great addition to mine!
*Side note-the DB numbers listed following title and author are for searching books in Talking Books/BARD mobile. If you have sight loss and are not a Talking Book patron, you can call the office for help getting signed up. If you live in Oregon or Washington, we can complete your application and send it to you state library.
Marja Byers, SLI
Come join us for Spring Fling: “It’s All about the Music.”
Here is a sample of the activities.
Crafts with Kat: Making a musical instrument.
Special Guest Don Mitchell: Singing and showing you how you can make music too.
Bring YOUR musical Talents to show and perform for us.
Learn about different musical instruments with various guests.
Join us by the O’Keefe Garden for a walk to listen to nature’s music.
Special Guest Andy Korbel: Brass and more. Come for a surprise.
Crafting with Kat: Wind Music.
More about Music and You, Come and join us for a “Freedom dance”.
Available spots are filling up fast so please place your deposit today to hold your spot. The deadline to sign up is March 21st.
Join us for our 60th Diamond Jubilee Celebration
Our 60th Anniversary of when the park was officially opened to our guests with sight loss is coming this August.
For those of you who have never attended one of our fun day activities in the past. Here is a little of what to expect.
At our 22-acre park, there will be plenty of carnival games with prizes. We will be offering delicious BBQ chicken and hot dogs. We are planning an obstacle course as well as many other activities throughout the park. If you or someone you know is musically inclined, we have a stage available for performers. Come and join us on August 20th, 2023 for the Hull Foundation and Learning Centers Diamond Jubilee celebration.: 10 am – 4:30 pm.
Ways to support the Hull Foundation and Learning Center
Donations from the “Amazon Smile” program are ending in March, although you can still donate in other ways without spending a penny. You can choose the foundation as your charity of choice on your Fred Meyer Rewards card. Did you know you can also donate your Microsoft rewards points to the Hull Foundation and Learning Center. It is extremely easy to do. Use the Bing search engine on your computer and smartphone to sign up. Here are the steps set it up on your smartphone using Bing to search.
Just Follow these four quick steps
iPhone
Open Settings, scroll down, find Safari, and tap it.
Find and tap the Search Engine setting.
Select Bing
Tap back to verify the setting was updated.
Android
Launch Chrome and tap the menu icon at the top-right corner
Choose Settings
Select Search engine.
Choose Bing and then close the menu.
Remember that there are monthly and yearly donations available that can be set up as well.
Upcoming events at the Hull Foundation
-One Day Fun Day to OMSI – March 8th
-Spring Fling April 4th – 7th
-One Day Fun Day; Wood turning at the
Park April 12th
-Sighted Spouses Sight Loss Seminar April 19th – 21st
-Friends And Alumni June 13th – 17th
-Intro to Sight Loss Seminar August 1st – 3rd
-Summer Adventure Retreat August 18th – 26th
-Monster Mash October 24th – 27th
-Advanced Sight Loss Seminar November 8th – 10th
If you are interested in any of our recreational Getaway events, One Day events, Seminars and Retreats, please contact our office and get signed up! The spots can fill up very quickly, so jump in with both feet, save your spot and come out to Hull Park in 2023!
Hull Foundation Presents Zoom Meetings
March Zoom meetings will include topics on cooking, crafting, book club and a class on forgetfulness that has been very popular. If you are interested, please join us. Bring a friend or spouse, sighted or not!! If you would like to sign up to receive a weekly email with the Zoom schedule for the week and the links to the meetings, please email the office at oralhull@gmail.com or call us at 503-668-6195. If you are not an email user, then you can call us on Mondays to receive the call-in number and Meeting ID number for meetings you are interested in attending via phone.
WEEK 5
Tuesday, February 28th 10-11am PST
Tech Class with Marty and Michael
Tuesday, February 28th 1-2pm PST
Reading in the Dark Book Club
Thursday, March 2nd 10-11am PST
Food, Beyond the Recipe
Thursday, March 2nd 1-2pm PST
Sight Loss and Hearing Loss, a Group Chat
Friday, March 3rd 6-7pm PST
First Friday with Family and Friends
WEEK 1
Tuesday, March 7th 7-8pm PST
Chat Cafe
Wednesday, March 8th 6:30-8pm PST
How are you Doing and How are you Dealing?
Thursday, March 9th 10-11am PST
Forgetfulness tips and tricks with Desiree
Thursday, March 9th 1-2:30pm PST
Crafting with Desiree; Return of the Magic Pocket
WEEK 2
Tuesday, March 14th 10-11am PST
Tech Class with Marty and Michael
Tuesday, March 14th 1-2pm PST
Reading in the Dark Book Club
Tuesday, March 14th 7-8pm PST
Chat Café with Teresa
Wednesday, March 15th 1-2pm PST
Tell us Your Story
Wednesday, March 15th 6:30-8pm PST
How are you doing and how are you dealing?
Thursday, March 16th 10-11am PST
Wardrobe Solutions
Thursday, March 16th 1-2pm PST
Sight Loss and Hearing Loss, a Group Chat
Thursday, March 16th 6-7pm PST
Navigating Social Situations
WEEK 3
Tuesday, March 21st 10-11am PST
Tech Class with Marty and Michael
Tuesday, March 21st 7-8pm PST
Chat Café
Wednesday, March 22nd 1-2pm PST
But Just Reading Is not Enough!
Wednesday, March 22nd 6:30-8pm PST
How are you Doing and How are you Dealing?
Thursday, March 23rd 1-2pm PST
Utilizing your Remaining Vision
Week 4
Tuesday, March 28th 10-11am PST
Tech Class with Marty and Michael
Tuesday, March 28th 1-2pm PST
Reading in the Dark Book Club
Tuesday, March 28th 7-8pm PST
Chat Café
Jokes to Keep you Laughing…or Groaning!
Q. Can February March?
A. No, but April May!
Q. Why is March the most popular month to use a
trampoline?
A. It is springtime!
Q. What March flowers grow on faces?
A. Tulips
Q. What do you call a fake noodle?
A. An imPASTA
Stay well, stay safe, and stay happy!
The Hull Foundation Family
Phone: 503-668-6195
Email: oralhull@gmail.com
Website: www.hullparkfortheblind.org
Visit us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/OralHullPark/?notif_id=1631758417290618¬if_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hullfoundation_learningcenter/