Our next meeting will be on Sunday, August 1st, 2021. This will be our first meeting in-person
since the COVID-19 crisis began. Our last face-to-face meeting was in February, 2020, and we are excited
to see everyone again. Please join us at our new meeting place in the Higgins Center's conference room at
958 Collett Av. in Bowling Green at 1:30 PM. The Higgins Center is off the 31 W by-pass near the Riley Bakery.
You can get driving directions below by typing in your address in the provided edit box and clicking "Get Directions."
For more information please contact Richard Lindsey.
We continue to have zoom meetings every Wednesday at 2 PM, and you may attend them from your computer/laptop
here.
You may attend our Zoom meetings from your cell phone or landline by calling
(312) 626-6799 and entering 763 689 4411 as the meeting ID and 25852 as the
passcode.
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesdays
If you need transportation to and from our meetings or if you have
any questions, call Richard Lindsey, President, at 270-883-1855.
Minutes of the December, 2020 Meeting
The regular bi-monthly meeting of the South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind was held by Zoom
conference call on Wednesday, December 2, 2020, and was called to order by President Jim Thoune at
2:20 p.m. CST. Attending were Wendell Barnett, Tracy Cole, Eldon Kaiser, Richard Lindsey, Sheryl Lott
from the Owensboro group, Lisa McKinley, Dianne Oliver, Rhonda Pennycuff, Mickey Quenzer and Jim Thoune.
Following introductions, Jim explained about our regular bi-monthly business meetings, which had been
held as a face-to-face gathering until this year and the Covid 19 epidemic. Since February, 2020, we have
met via Zoom conference calls on Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. CST. Our business meetings are the first Wednesday
of the even-numbered months: February, April, June, etc. Meetings on the other Wednesdays are "chatrooms".
Jim also emphasized that SCKCB has been working, although with our new phone or computer format, during 2020.
The organization has had an increase in members, contacts, meetings, donations, helpful information and ideas
and guest speakers. He thanked everyone who has helped to contribute to our "upturn", especially Vice-President
Richard Lindsey, Teresa Escue, and Mickey Quenzer.
In the Treasurer's Report, Tracy Cole included the January, 2020 beginning balance and the balance as of
December 2, 2020. The motion to approve the report was made by Eldon and seconded by Mickey. It was approved
unanimously.
February 2nd was our first meeting of 2020, when we met from 1:30 to approximately 4:00 p.m. and had lunch
together. Now we meet for about one hour. Our next regular business meeting will be February 3, 2021, and right
now we assume that meeting will be held by Zoom call. At that meeting the main agenda item will be the election
of officers for Vice-President and Treasurer. Nominations have generally returned the incumbent to office. Jim
noted, however, that often the majority of the work was done by two or three people. Jim is also asking that a
new President be chosen. Nominations have generally been made from the floor and the more members we have willing
to participate in this process, the stronger our organization will become. If you are willing and able to help or
have a nomination suggestion, contact Jim or Richard.
We discussed the standing of our members' list, Michael has set up a new members' list at a new site, because
the server we had been using was removed due to problems. This has a new address for members only and is available
to members.
Further discussion was also held about our outreach to surrounding counties. Jim noted that the dynamics of this
will be more difficult because of the lack of information about those who might have a need and Covid 19 restrictions.
Places for contact might include: Doctors' offices, senior centers, churches. A starting place may be to contact the
county clerk's office in rural counties. Dianne has a list of phone numbers.
The use of social media sources was also discussed. We did have a Facebook page years ago, but it was closed due
to the time required to maintain it and the few responses received. With the growth of social media, usage may well
increase. We might also use an "ad" to make SCKCB known. We will also pursue working with ''Kids On The Block",
although with the variable types of school attendance, there are changes here as well.
>p>Sheryl Lott shared ideas for activities and events used by the Owensboro group, including bowling. ceramics,
a silent auction and others. It was suggested by several, that we have a joint meeting with the Owensboro group
for fellowship and the sharing of ideas.
A motion was made by Dianne that the meeting be adjourned. This was seconded by Mickey. This was approved and
we adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
Minutes of the October Meeting
The regularly scheduled meeting of the South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind
was held by Zoom conference call on Wednesday, October 8, 2020, and called to order
by President Jim Thoune at 2:08 p.m.
Seven members attended providing a quorum for conducting business: Tracy Cole,
Teresa Escue, Eldon Kaiser, Richard Lindsey, Dianne Oliver, Mickey Quenzer and
Jim Thoune.
The meeting was recorded. These recordings are available to members for review, if
desired.
The minutes of the August meeting, having been sent to the current members, providing
we have an up-to-date e-mail address on record, were approved by e-mail to the secretary.
Treasurer Tracy Cole gave an abbreviated Treasurer's Report covering each of the funds
held by SCKCB. Two items had been presented for payment:
- A grant to Teresa Escue to aid in the purchase of an Orcam Eye Pro, a device worn
with eyeglasses that enables the wearer to more easily navigate in his/her surroundings,
along with other capabilities.
- Payment of the registration fee for Mickey Quenzer to attend the virtual conference on
technology training for the blind or visually impaired.
A modtion was made by Eldon and seconded by Mickey that the report be accepted. It was
approved unanimously.
President Jim Thoune presented two thoughts/ideas for members to consider:
- That we give consideration as a main effort now to reach out in tangible ways to the
blind and visually-impaired in Warren County and the counties directly adjacent to it.
It had been mentioned by Carla, with KCB, when she talked with us in August, that we
might consider narrowing our efforts in order to better reach potential and former
members. We need to be thinking of concrete ways to do this by next Wednesday's
Zoom call "social" meeting.
- As we have been meeting weekly by Zoom call, we have been getting things done. How
can we best communicate to our potentially larger community what has been taking place?
For example, what have the speakers, that we've invited, shared in talking with us. We
do not want to make this "summary" filled with an overwhelming amount of information, but
simply give the main points. We may post this on our website? Might thre be a way to post
a "coming event", with speaker, topic and date, beforehand, to make more people aware of
the opportunity to join the conversation on our Zoom call each week? How? We could also
include public access information for our speakers, for example a website of phone
number. Could the be done for a month an posted to our website? We want people to feel
free to "stop-in" on the Zoom call. How do we incorporate this new format into our
by-laws?
Mickey gave a summare of the virtual technology training conference he attended. He was
pleased with the presentation which were many. He is in the process of making a list of the
topics covered, and hopes to send this out to the current members. They can then respond,
giving him an idea of what to "save" and what the memebers want to know more about.
Finally, Jim will meet by Zoom call on October 9, at 3:00 p.m., to further discuss
concrete plans for outreach.
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by Dianne and seconded by Teresa. No one
opposed and the meeting adjourned shortly after 3:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dianne Oliver