The New Horizons News
Volume 5, Issue 7 July 2010
Thank
You
Thank you for
the outstanding response to the survey!
Of the 160 newsletters I sent out, I got 36 responses which
is about 22%. That
response may seem lackluster.
But, this is the best response we’ve gotten to a survey!
Yipee!
Of those
responding, 18 stated they wanted to continue the newsletter on a
monthly basis. 4
responders wanted just the calendar.
3 people thought a quarterly newsletter would be adequate. 5
people switched to receiving the newsletter online.
And, 6 people wrote back stating they no longer wanted to
receive the newsletter.
Those who did not respond at all will no longer receive the
newsletter.
The newsletter
will continue on a monthly basis for now.
Please know you can opt out of receiving the newsletter at
anytime by calling Ellen or Dana.
Now—thank
you to Sukie Pease for once again finding relevant news articles.
Sukie sent in two articles from The Sun News pertaining to
Head Injury and the discussion during the Brain Injury Support Group
meeting. First, the new
Sky Wheel (not head injury related but definitely a topic of
discussion) in downtown Myrtle Beach has been approved by the CAB
(Community Appearance Board).
(See Friday June 18th, 2010 article by Lorena Anderson in The
Sun News.) There will be
a restaurant, retail and gift shops and a ticket booth on the
quarter acre lot where Golden Villas motels now stand, about 11th
Avenue North. The Sky
Wheel Ferris Wheel will be about 175-feet tall!!
Right next to
the Sky Wheel Story, Isaac Bailey wrote a piece on the recent
shooting of a friend of mine, Danielle Delpercio.
Danielle was shot in the head by a 14-year-old assailant.
Fortunately, she survived the incident but will spend the
rest of her life wondering if the bullet lodged in the base of her
skull will dislodge and cause the damage that was intended by her
attacker. She has no insurance.
Her friends are collecting money for her hospital bills at
The Danielle Delpercio fund at any BB&T branch.
The Sun News
also published on June 21st in Dear Abby a letter from Vigilant
Grandma Out West about making it cool to wear a helmet while riding
a bike. Vigilant
suggested having a child or teen decorate the helmet.
Since friends thought it was cool, too, they may be more
inclined to wear a helmet as well.
Abby responded to the letter pointing out that the highest
rates of sports– and recreation-related injuries are among
adolescents 10 to 14 years of age.
Tuesday, June
29th, also in The Sun News, a martial arts fighter died from brain
injuries in his professional debut.
Michael Kirkham, 30-years-old, died from bleeding inside the
brain following Saturday night’s fight at the USC Aiken Convocation
Center. He collapsed
after the fight and never regained consciousness.
Mixed martial arts style competition was against the law in
South Carolina till last summer.
Budget—Again!!
Please write
your congress people regarding the budget.
As January approaches, there will be more and more calls to
cut the budget yet again.
According to The Sun News article, “SC Lawmakers complete
Painful Budget,” by Roddie Burris, June 30th, $261 million was cut
from State agencies through Gov. Sanford’s vetoes.
The Senate added more cuts, taking out an additional $250
million from the budget.
“Health care and education cuts loom.
The $140 million of Medicaid-related funds promised but not
delivered by Washington, was wiped away by Sanford and the house,
including money appropriated for cancer and HIV/AIDS treatment.”
“Faced with a
$462 million shortfall this year, and anywhere from a $1 billion to
$1.2 billion deficit next year, programs across state
government...took hits this year.”
Budget
reductions have already caused layoffs, furloughs, reduced or
eliminated services. And
these will continue.
In our own
agency, we have lost almost half the Service Coordination staff,
several part-time staffers, direct care workers in the ADC, and most
recently, 2 of our job developers whose positions were funded
through a grant that was eliminated.
The BI Support
Group wrote a letter that was sent to every South Carolina State and
Federal congressperson (see BI Support Group minutes).
It is simple and direct.
When you write,
call or e-mail, make your comments personal, respectful and to the
point.
National Federation of the Blind, Conway Chapter
Led by LeVern Wilson, the NFB Conway Chapter will begin meeting at
the New Horizons Center in April.
They will meet the last Friday of every month (with a few
exceptions) from 7pm to 9pm in the main conference room.
Mr. Wilson says this group is for those with no vision or low
vision.
If you know someone who is visually impaired, please tell them about
this group. Spouses, assistants, friends are welcome to the
meetings.
New Horizon Center Hours
Activities are generally planned for 3 days per week. Please
note that the Center will only be open for drop services on Mondays from
1 to 3, and Wednesdays, 10 to 3.
You are welcome to come to the Center anytime we are having a scheduled
activity to join the activity or to use the computers or do some
research.
Contact Information
Mailing address: 250 Victory Lane
Conway, SC 29526
Phone: (843) 347-3010
FAX: (843) 347-7308
Email: dsn@sccoast.net
