JUNE 2024
The Hull Foundation
Monthly Sight Loss News
Serving the Low vision and Blind Community since 1962
Website: hullflc.org
PH: 503.668.6195
“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.”
Edited by Hull Foundation Staff
Contents
Mission Statement …p. 3
Annual Tea Fundraiser Announcement…p. 4
The Theory of Visual Energy Units…p. 5
Reading in the Dark Book Club…p. 8
Hearing Loss Tip of the Month…p.11
Becoming a Board-Certified Nurse Coach…. p. 12
Health Tip: Ingredients for Strength…p. 14
Recipe of the Month…p. 16
Poem by Tina …p. 21
Annual Tea Fundraiser Flier…p. 22
Hull Foundation Events and Seminars…p. 23
Hull Foundation Presents Zoom Meetings…p. 26
Did you Know…p. 27
Jokes to Keep you Laughing …p.29
Contact Us…p. 30
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 prefer to receive this newsletter by email, or to unsubscribe, please call the Hull Foundation at 503.668.6195 or send an email to: oralhull@gmail.com
Tea Party at Hull Park Fundraiser!
July 20th, 2024, 1pm—4pm
Hosted by The Hull Foundation and Learning Center
Come and enjoy our beautiful 1/2 acre of manicured gardens at Oral Hull Park, 43233 SE Oral Hull Rd Sandy, OR, 97055. Our event will feature a variety of teas and mouth-watering scones, savories, and sweets! Wear your best “tea party hat”! Great prizes for the fanciest hat, the funniest hat, and the hat with the most flowers!
Enjoy friendly competition during silent auction and raffle.
Please call 503-668-6195 for tickets
hullflc.org
Non-Profit 501 (c ) (3) EIN # 93-6032742
The Theory of Visual Energy Units
By Marja Byers, SLI
Not long after I became legally blind in 2010, I was introduced to a woman who would become very influential in my life. Liz is deafblind, has similar body issues to my own and has been a long-time guide dog handler. She taught me much about living blind as well as making the decision to work with a dog. I want to share one of the most valuable things Liz has taught me, the theory of visual energy units (VEU’s). It’s the same basic theory that’s talked about in the book, “Counting Spoons”. I like the sight specific terminology as a reminder that this is just part of our daily reality. Here is the basic idea. We only get a limited amount of VEU’s in each day, when you’ve used them up…You. Are. Done!
You have “hit the wall”. I usually feel like I want to cry, throw up, or go lay down in a quiet dark room, if I’ve gotten to this point, I know I have borrowed VEU’s from the next day. I know tomorrow I won’t feel at my best and my brain will work more slowly. The trick to prevent this from happening is learning to recognize that you’re using more energy than may be necessary and reducing your visual input. I often close my eyes when I’m talking to people because sometimes my brain works better when I’m not processing visual information. If need be, I explain that I need to rest my eyes when I can, those who know me understand without explanation.
Another way to conserve your VEU’s is to do some preplanning. If I have a day that I know I will be using what sight I have to navigate, such as medical appointments, or large gatherings, I
consider ahead of time how I might conserve my VEU’s. When I’m traveling (my eye appointments are out of town) as much as I want to try to see what’s out in the world, I know my day will go better if I shut my eyes and relax (thank heaven for Talking Books!). In waiting areas, I close my eyes as these are times, I can do a quick meditation or a simple body check in. If I’m with a sighted person, on busy visual days I go to human guide as much as possible. I love to travel independently but, on those days, I don’t have to prove to anyone how good my mobility skills are.
If you happen to have no sight, then you convert your scale to BEU’s-blind energy units. Face it, whatever challenges life has given us, they drain our energy more quickly. The bigger the challenges are, the bigger the drain on our energy (think sight and hearing loss). Being
aware and mindful of this throughout the day can make for a better end to the day; give yourself permission to be tired for a day well lived!
Reading in the Dark Book Club
By Marja Byers, SLI
Welcome to our Hull Foundation book club, if you haven’t had a chance to stop in and join our discussion, we hope to see you soon. We welcome anyone interested in books regardless of what sight you have-or don’t have, insights gladly welcomed!
We started May by talking about “Giants in the Earth: a saga of the prairie” by O.E. Rolvaag, DB22285, 15:56. This is a story of Norwegian
immigrants who settle on the plains of South Dakota. The descriptions of the landscape, the
struggles of these pioneers, and their moments of celebration and joy give this book life.
Next, we read and discussed “Good Night, Irene” by Luis Alberto Urrea, DB114929, 13:29. This is a wonderful piece of historic fiction, I personally love this type of book that spotlights the unrecognized heroes of history that are very often heroines! “Good Night, Irene” is about the young women during World War ll who volunteered to operate “Clubmobile” trucks to deliver coffee, donuts, and companionship to the soldiers on the front lines.
Here are our June picks-
6/11 “Gilead” by Marilynn Robinson, DB59561, 9:22.
“Gilead” delves into the life of an aging preacher, John Ames, as he reflects on his life,
faith, and family. Written as a letter to his young son, the book explores themes of love, forgiveness, and the passage of time, offering profound meditation on the human experience.”
6/25 “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride, DB115655, 12:24.
This book “opens with the discovery of a skeleton in a well in a small town. This introduction to the Chicken Hill area of
Pottstown, Pennsylvania sets up a sense of mystery as the narrative jumps back nearly 50
years to explore the town, it’s secrets and its people.”
Reading in the Dark meets from 1:00-2:30 pm PT on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month; we’d love to have you join us!
Hearing Loss Tip of the Month
By Meagan Moore, BSN, RN
My tip for this month is to give grace to yourself and others. Forgive them when they get frustrated repeating themselves, or when they say something hurtful about your hearing
loss. Forgive yourself in those moments of miscommunications as well. You might be
pleasantly surprised to see a weight lifted from your shoulders. When we change our mindset
and assuming others are doing their best it leads to more positive interactions.
Becoming a Board-Certified Nurse Coach
By Meagan Moore BSN, RN
I have decided to become a Board-Certified Nurse Coach. In my training I am learning to combine my knowledge as a nurse and the science of health and wellness coaching. I am really excited. As part of my training, I will be
working with several practice clients – for FREE! I am looking for anyone who wants to make positive lifestyle changes to live a happier, healthier life. In the coaching sessions, we’ll explore what is holding you back from living your dreams and discover how you can get to where
you want to be. I want to help others realize their innate wisdom and creativity and use it to explore how they can live a happier and healthier life. Is there anyone you know who
would be interested in working with me for some free sessions? This is a really great opportunity for people to benefit from complimentary Nurse Coaching. If you know anyone in your network, please let me know. I am happy to explore accommodations to make our sessions accessible. Thank you for supporting me on this
journey, and I look forward to supporting you on yours! Call the office at Hull Foundation if you are interested and we can connect you with Meagan.
Health Tip: Two Secret Ingredients for Gaining Strength -Lyn Lindbergh, Life Coach
What are the two secret ingredients for gaining strength?
To get strong, we usually think of weight-bearing exercises. But did you know that your body needs two additional ingredients?
- Protein: without this, your body can’t build strength.
- Sleep: without this, your body has a very hard time doing the work to build strength.
Make sure that in addition to doing strengthening exercises, you also do your best to eat your healthy protein and get your rest.
The final remaining quarter should be filled with lean protein sources. Include a serving of dairy,
such as milk or yogurt, on the side and you’re good to go! Did you know Couch to Active specializes in providing exercise and nutrition support that is fully accessible? Learn more at www.couchtoactive.com
Egg & Walnut Caesar Salad with Parmesan Crisps & Creamy Dressing
Ingredients
4 eggs or packaged boiled eggs.
1 clove garlic
½ lemon or 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 ½ oz Parmesan cheese or pre-grated Parm. The stuff in the refrigerated section if you can help it.
1 head romaine lettuce or prewashed salad greens
½ cup walnuts
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Skip if you would rather grate or shave with a veggie peeler your parmesan into your salad.
- Ingredient for step 2
4 eggs
Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a full, rolling boil.
Once boiling, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water or ice to cool. Skip if you already have boiled eggs.
1 oz Parmesan cheese
- Coarsely grate ½ cup of Parmesan. Or use a veggie peeler and shave off curls of parm.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure out 1 tbsp of the grated Parmesan and place in a pile on the sheet. Repeat with remaining cheese. Skip if you just plan on duping your parm as is into your salad.
- Ingredient for step 6
½ oz Parmesan cheese
Place in the oven and bake until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and let them sit for a couple of
minutes. Skip if you just plan on dumping your Parmesan as is into your salad.
- Finely grate ⅛ cup of Parmesan. If you want even more parm than do this step at whatever size grate or shaving, you’d like.
- Ingredient for Step 7
1 clove garlic
Peel and mince the garlic.
- Ingredients for step 8
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
juice of ¼ lemon
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp Dijon mustard
In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together the grated Parmesan, minced garlic, lemon juice, mayo, olive oil, Dijon, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Set it aside.
- Ingredient for step 9
½ cup walnuts
Roughly chop the walnuts or break them up with your fingers.
- Ingredient for step 10
1 head romaine lettuce or prewashed salad greens
Wash and dry the lettuce. Halve lengthwise, then chop crosswise into 1-inch strips.
- Peel and quarter the eggs. Gently peel the Parmesan crisps off the parchment paper. Slice remaining ¼ lemon into wedges.
- To serve, arrange a bed of romaine on a plate, add eggs, walnuts, and Parmesan
crisps. Drizzle with dressing and lemon juice or dump everything into a bowl stir and enjoy!
Picture Description: Arts and Hobbies artwork using ferns, flowers and leaves in epoxy.
Poem
The Gift of You
June brings bright flowers
Pink petals pink shoes pink cheeks
You make my heart bloom
-Tina Christian
Picture Description: Decorative Flyer for Annual Tea Fundraiser on July 20th.
Hull Foundation Upcoming Events and Seminars:
June 1st – August 31st Summer Raffle Fundraiser
CALL OFFICE FOR DETAILS
June 25th One Day Fun Day – Rose Garden
July 4-5th Office closed in observance of Independence Day
July 10th One Day Fun Day – Pool & BBQ
Partners Included
July 20th Annual Tea Fundraiser
Call the office for details.
August 19th-25th Summer Adventure Retreat: Retreat is currently full.
August 26th – 27th Office Closed.
September 2nd Labor Day office closed.
September 17th One Day Fun Day
September 18th – 20th Intro to Sight Loss Seminar
September 21st Lions Workday at the Park
If you are interested in any of our social getaways, one day fun days, seminars, and recreational retreats, please contact our office to get signed up! Spots fill up very quickly, so jump in with both feet, save your spot and come out to Hull Park!
Picture Description: Arts and Hobbies guests showing their paintings.
If you would like to volunteer as staff or sponsor an event, please contact the office at 503.668.6195.
Hull Foundation Presents Zoom Meetings:
Current zoom meetings will include topics on tech, cooking, crafting, book club, supporting loved ones of people with low vision or blindness and a class on forgetfulness that has been a favorite. Bring a friend or spouse, sighted or not!! If you would like to sign up to receive a weekly email with the weekly zoom schedule and 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 that week’s classes and the call-in number and meeting ID number for meetings you are interested in attending via phone.
Did you know?…
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM 2024!
The Pacific Foundation for Blind Children is accepting applications for the Scholarship Program 2024. A minimum of FOUR (4) $1,500 scholarships will be awarded to outstanding blind/low vision students in the Pacific Northwest (defined as the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho). These scholarships will be awarded directly to the selected applicants and the funds may be used for expenses at their discretion.
Deadline for applications is June 30, 2024.
If you have any questions, please contact JaReda Webb, Executive Director, Pacific Foundation for Blind Children, at jareda.webb@pfbc1.org.
Braille Institute has an Event page on their website:
https://brailleinstitute.org/workshops-events
Jokes to Keep you Laughing…or Groaning!
- Why do pirates not like May, June, July and August?
- Because they don’t have Arrrrrs in them.
- Why did the bee go to the doctor?
- Because it had hives!
- Why did the Bicycle fall over?
- Because it was two-tired!
Stay well, stay safe, and stay happy!
Contact Us:
The Hull Foundation and Learning Center
Phone: 503-668-6195
Email: oralhull@gmail.com
Website: hullflc.org
Visit us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/OralHullPark/?notif_id=1631758417290618¬if_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif
On Instagram: www.instagram.com/hull_foundation/