KCB News

November-December, 2007

Published by the
Kentucky Council of the Blind
148 Vernon Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
(502)895-4598 kcb@iglou.com
Email KCB

President: Adam Ruschival
Editor: Carla Ruschival

1. Holiday Activities - you're invited
2. Better communication and leadership Development, by Adam Ruschival
3. Holiday Music Fest at KSB
4. KCB Did it by the Book
5. GDuky Joins KCB
6. What is a Chapter by Gerry Rader
7. Shopping with GLCB
8. 2007 KCB Scholarship Winners
9. KCB Board of Directors

Holiday Activities - You're Invited

KCB chapters are planning lots of holiday fun. Check out the round-up of events below; plan to attend the activity that is closest to you. You'll meet lots of new friends, enjoy a great meal, and find out more about the KCB family - all at the same time!

Reminder for the optional gift exchanges: Gifts should be wrapped. Men should bring a gift for a man, women a gift for a woman. Or bring a unisex gift such as candy, popcorn or cookies.

EASTERN KENTUCKY - The Eastern Kentucky Christian Council of the Blind kicks off the KCB chapter holiday schedule on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 1:00 p.m. Donnie Parrett's church is preparing and hosting a delicious meal. Optional gift exchange. Reservations must be made by Dec. 4, and the party will be at the House of Prayer Church, 699 Boss Vaughn Road in Annville. For more information and to make reservations, call Joey Couch, EKCCB President, at (606)216-0647.

LOUISVILLE - A home-cooked meal, caroling, games, door prizes, and Santa all combine to make a great holiday party. The Greater Louisville Council of the Blind invites you and your family to share the holidays on Dec. 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Register by Wednesday, Dec. 4; tickets are $3.00 for adults, $2.00 for kids 5 and under. Optional gift exchange - gift should be $5.00 value. Parents, bring a wrapped gift, marked with your child's name, for Santa to give to your little one. Where - Kentucky School for the Blind, 1867 Frankfort Avenue in Louisville. For more information or to register, call the KCB Information Line at (502)895-4598.

BOWLING GREEN - The South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind has another great party in store for you. The food is always delicious, and there's lots of holiday fun as the crowd exchanges gifts by playing Dirty Santa. To participate in Dirty Santa, bring a wrapped gift up to $10.00 in value. Saturday, Dec. 15 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. (Central Time) at the Alive Center, 1818 31W Bypass in Bowling Green. For more information, call Nancy Imran, SCKCB President, at (859)685-8427.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY - If you live in the Covington area, you will want to attend the Northern Kentucky Council of the Blind party on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Good friends, door prizes, and an optional gift exchange add up to a special afternoon. Where - Perkins Family Restaurant, 2611 Alexandria Pike in Highland Heights. Everyone orders from the menu, and is responsible for their own check. For more information, call Mike Skidmore, NKCB President, at (859)360-2297.

Better Communication and Leadership Development
by Adam Ruschival

Communication is one key to growing a great organization - communication between members, between leaders, between members and leaders, and between chapters and the state organization.

With communication comes information. An informed leadership and membership work effectively to build a stronger organization.

As a way to increase communication and the timely distribution of information, I urge each of you who has e-mail to subscribe to either KCB's announce or chat e-mail lists. I especially urge all officers and directors of both KCB and our chapters to do so. This will be a highly effective way to keep up with issues related to blindness and visual impairment around the state and nation.

Don't depend on someone else to tell you what's going on; find out for yourself and be informed. The KCB Announce list posts articles and informational items; no comments, chat or jokes. Subscribe by sending a blank email to kentucky-acb-announce-subscribe@acb.org. The KCB chat list carries all items on Announce plus discussion, comments and humor. Subscribe by sending a blank email to kentucky-acb-subscribe@acb.org.

Thanks for staying in touch. See you on a KCB list real soon!

Holiday Music Fest at KSB

Enjoy an free informal program of holiday music on Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM in the Richie Auditorium at the Kentucky School for the Blind.

Again this year GLCB will co-ordinate this traditional festival of musical fun. KSB students and blind and visually impaired adults from the community will team up for an extravaganza of Christmas carols and readings; lots of audience participation, too.

GLCB is now accepting sign-ups to participate in the music fest. If you sing, play a musical instrument, or would like to present a holiday reading, contact Carla Ruschival at (502)897-1472.

KCB Did It by the Book

The theme of the 2007 KCB convention was "books", and we certainly did it by the book this time!

With a registration of 135-plus and over 160 total attendees, this was the largest KCB convention ever. From the opening technology workshop to exhibits to the presenters, there was an informational session for every interest. Conventioners ate hardy, as usual, from the chili to the fried chicken to the all-you-could-eat bacon and eggs.

A big thanks to the Convention Committee: Carla Ruschival, Chair; Darrell Buford, Patti Cox, Darren Hatch, Ron Milliman, Jim Shaw, and Beth Wagoner. A big KCB thank-you also goes to Roger Schaf for his outstanding assistance at registration; to Justin McCarty who earned ROTC service hours by helping throughout the weekend; to Donnell Couch, Roger Schaf and Shirley Stivers for assistance with the elections; to KCB kids Jonathon McCarty, Gail and Joseph Scoggins, and Justin Cox for their help with serving; to the entire KSB administration and staff for being so welcoming and supportive; and to everyone who so willingly volunteered to make the weekend a success.

GDUKY Joins KCB

The Guide Dog Users of Kentucky (GDUKY) has joined the KCB family.

On Saturday evening, November 10, at the KCB convention banquet, GDUKY became the sixth KCB chapter. GDUKY President Bill Deatherage accepted the charter and a check for $100.00 from KCB.

Welcome, GDUKY. Now we are all barking up the right tree!

What Is a Chapter by Gerry Rader

A chapter is not one person doing all the work. A chapter is not one person taking all the credit for all the work that is being done.

So what is a chapter? A chapter is everyone working together to accomplish all the things that need to be done.

Not everyone is a leader. A leader is one who delegates tasks. If we were all leaders, nothing would get done.

A chapter needs a well-rounded membership. It needs a good president who can lead, and a good vice-president who can "run the show" in the absence of the president. It needs a good secretary - someone with good detail skills - and it needs a good treasurer to be sure the finances are handled correctly.

A chapter needs good team players as well. These players carry out tasks that are delegated to them. The president finds out the strengths of the team and gives them the tasks that fit their skills.

As Kim Charlson, ACB First Vice President, said in her banquet address at the 2007 KCB convention, everyone has something to bring to the table. We are all important and we all have something to offer, whether it is big or small.

KCB, its chapters and members, are a team.

T - together
E - everyone
A - accomplishes
M - more

Shopping with GLCB

The Greater Louisville Council of the Blind has a fun online shop at Cafe Press.com.

Now you can shop for T-shirts and tote bags, teddy bears and backpacks, sweatshirts and golf shirts, caps and mugs; you'll even find baby bibs and holiday ornaments. All these great items proudly display the GLCB logo, and they make great gifts and stocking stuffers. When you purchase items, a portion of the sale price goes to support GLCB activities and programs for 2008.

For more information on available products, sizes and colors, and to order securely on-line, visit the GLCB store at www.cafepress.com/glcb. Or order by phone toll-free by calling 1-877-809-1659 Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Eastern Time; be sure to have the correct item numbers from the website when you call.

Thanks to Michael McCarty for managing the online shop, and to Mary Bartley and Mike Franklin for their work on the logo.

2007 KCB Scholarship Winners

At its 2007 convention banquet, the Kentucky Council of the Blind presented scholarships to four worthy students from across the state.

2007 scholarship winners were: Joey Couch, Hazard Community College; Darren Hatch, Jefferson Community College; Teri Meyer, Gateway Technical; and Justine Spencer, Western Kentucky University. Congratulations to all!

A big thanks to the 2007 KCB Awards Committee (Ron Milliman, Chair; Gerry Rader and Bill Wright) for their work in creating, distributing and reviewing the scholarship applications. The committee worked under a very short timeline this first year, and their hard work is much appreciated.

KCB Board of Directors

Officers

President: Adam Ruschival, Louisville
First Vice President: Ronald Milliman, Bowling Green
Second Vice President: Michael McCarty, Louisville
Secretary: Gerry Rader, Highland Heights
Treasurer: Carla Ruschival, Louisville Immediate Past President: James Shaw, Louisville

Directors

Patti Cox, Louisville
Tim Huff, Jackson
Debbie Kuczwara, Louisville
Angela McCarty, Louisville
Justine Spencer, Bowling Green

Chapter Representatives

Joey Couch, Eastern Kentucky, Hazard
Bill Deatherage, Guide Dogs, Florence
Michael Skidmore, Northern Kentucky, Bromley
David Welch, South Central Kentucky, Glasgow
Bill Wright, Greater Louisville, Louisville

Link to: American Council of the Blind

Link to: South Central Kentucky Council of the Blind