Kentucky Council of the Blind

Serving blind and low vision Kentuckians

AWARDS & Scholarships

Become an ACB 2010 Convention First-timer

Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 ACB First-timers award. Two lucky people, one from east of the Mississippi River and one from the West, will receive a trip to the 2010 conference and convention of the American Council of the Blind, to be held July 9-17 in Phoenix, Arizona.

If you have never attended an ACB convention, you are eligible to apply. You must be an active member of ACB or one of its affiliates, and you must be at least 18 years old. Here is what you need to do:

Submit a personal narrative stating how attendance at the 2010 ACB conference and convention will be of benefit to you and your affiliate.
Ask your state or special-interest affiliate president to write a letter of recommendation for you.

Submit all information by May 1 to Patricia Castillo at pcastillo@acb.org. For more information, call Patricia at (800)424-8666 or (202)467-5081.

2009 KCB Awards and Recognitions

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2009 KCB awards, scholarships, and certificates of appreciation, presented at the Kentucky Council of the Blind Treasures convention on Nov. 6-7, 2009.

2009 KCB Awards

The Anna Rose Cain Award recognizes outstanding advocacy on behalf of the blind. Kathryn Aqua, president of the KSB Parent Student Staff Organization (PSSO) and parent of a KSB student, received this award for her leadership and untiring work in the successful effort to preserve the 2009 summer enrichment program at the school.

The James Carl Dotson Award is presented for community service, and this year's winner was Beth Cross. Beth was an outstanding rehabilitation counselor in Lexington for many years with the Office for the Blind. She served as Executive Director of OFB following the retirement of Steve Johnson in 2008, and we were sad to see her retire this past spring. Thank you, Beth, for your years of service to the blind.

The William A. Routh Award is presented for outstanding service to KCB. This year's winner was Debbie Kuczwara. Debbie has served on the convention and other committees, as well as local chapter and state boards for many years. She is a hard worker and has become a pillar of the organization.

2009 KCB Scholarships

Teri Meyer of Covington and Shirley Stivers of Bellevue were the 2009 KCB Scholarship winners. Both attend Gateway Community College in northern Kentucky, and both are active in their local KCB chapter.

2009 Certificates of Appreciation

The following individuals were recognized for their outstanding service to the Kentucky Council of the Blind and to the blind and visually impaired of Kentucky between the opening of the 2008 and 2009 KCB conventions. Special certificates will be mailed to each recipient.

Transportation Assistance

Bess Douthitt, Jackson
Mitchell Hill, Louisville
Eldon Miller, Rowdy
Leonard Rowe, MV Transportation, Louisville
Steve Tharpe, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville
Sue Wesley, Cincinnati, OH

Advocacy and Accessibility Issues

Cassandra Cullin, Clifton Community Council, Louisville
Bill Deatherage, Louisville
Tina Ward-Pugh, 9th District Councilwoman, Louisville
Elaine Weisbard, Louisville
Bill Wright, Louisville

Information and Publicity

Jim Fenn, Louisville
Michael McCarty, Louisville
Carla Ruschival, Louisville

General service to KCB

Mary Bartley, Louisville
Joey Couch, Busy
Justin Cox, Louisville
Patti Cox, Louisville
David Hadl, Louisville
Debbie Kuczwara, Louisville
Angela McCarty, Louisville
Justin McCarty, Louisville
Jonathon McCarty, Louisville
Beth Phillips, Louisville
Ed Phillips, Louisville
Gail Scoggins, Louisville
Joseph Scoggins, Louisville
Jim Shaw, Louisville
Mike Skidmore, Bromley
Gerry Slusher, Covington
Paula Wiese, Lexington

Thanks to the 2009 Awards Committee (Bill Wright, Chair, of Louisville; Gerry Slusher of Covington and Frank Campbell of Clayhole) and to the 2009 Scholarship Committee (Tim Huff, Chair, of Murphy, NC; Paula Wiese of Lexington and Gerry Slusher) for their hard work and service to KCB.