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NEWSLETTER
Xavier Society for the Blind
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Vol. 2 No. 7
July 2011
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!
Since our last Newsletter, the Xavier Society for the Blind has been very busy. In this Newsletter you will find more details about the Library Day in New York, the meeting of the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference in Seattle, the conventions of the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind.
August 27 is Shop for A Cause Day at Macy's, where you can save 25% on most purchases and help support the XSB at the same time.
We have more details on the End of Summer Golf Outing, and there are only three weeks left before the drawing for the winner of the Pilgrimage Raffle. There are still spaces available for the Pilgrimage to Rome, and we will draw the winner of the NFL Super Bowl Raffle at the Golf Outing on September 22nd.
Mark your calendars! We are pleased to welcome John O'Neill, a Notre Dame undergraduate who is joining us for six weeks this summer as an intern, and congratulations to Father John, who was elected to the Board of the National Association of Blind Veterans.
Our web address is: www.xaviersocietyfortheblind.org You can keep up with the latest news of the Xavier Society at our web site, as well as making donations, buying raffle tickets and registering for events. One more time, the web address is:
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COME TO ROME WITH US!
|  From October 2 through October 9, Fr. John will be leading a group on a week-long pilgrimage to Rome. We will visit many of the most famous sites, and Mass will be celebrated each day at a different church or holy spot. We will attend the Wednesday audience with the Holy Father, and will experience the historic Rome, religious Rome, and Rome of good restaurants and the arts, including the option of participating in an Italian story-telling and theatre festival. The cost for the trip is $2,300 (double occupancy) with a $380 surcharge for a single room. That includes air fare, hotel, breakfast each day and dinner on the first and last nights. Airport tax, tips, additional meals and individual purchases are additional. Payment must be made in full at the time of the reservation, and the deadline for reservations is August 12th. Participants are responsible for having up to date passports. Space is limited, and if the pilgrimage sells out, applicants will be notified when they make their reservation.
For a complete itinerary, and to book a reservation, go to the XSB website at www.xaviersocietyfortheblind.org.
Raffle tickets are also being sold for the pilgrimage, and first prize is 2 tickets on the pilgrimage. 2nd Prize is $1,000 and 3rd prize is $500. Only 250 tickets are available, at a cost of $50. Winners will be drawn on August 3rd, and if the first prize winner has made a deposit, that will be refunded. Tickets may also be purchased on the web site, or by calling the XSB office at (212) 473-7800. |
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XSB AT THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
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 | | Former Governor David Patterson and XSB Board member Carl Jacobsen at the NFB Convention |
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Executive Director Kathleen Lynch and Father John went to Orlando in early July to participate in the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind.
This was the third year that XSB had a presence at the convention, and although we didn't have a table in the Exhibit Hall this year, Kathleen spoke to the Communities of Faith group and had a number of private meetings with individuals and organizations that deal with the XSB.
 | | Scott LaBarre and Fr. John at the Blind Driver Challenge car. The driver was Mark Ricobono, who drove the car at the Daytona Speedway in January. |
Fr. John was asked to take part in the Mock Trial, one of the most popular of the convention events, and was the homilist at one of the morning devotional services. He had the opportunity of riding in the Blind Driver Challenge car (driven by a blind driver) and was elected to the board of the National Association of Blind Veterans. He had the chance to chat with former Governor David Patterson, who expressed an interest in visiting the XSB offices in Manhattan. He was also given a special mention during the Presidential address for his commitment to working with and for the blind community.
 | | Everyone knows about guide dogs, but one person had a guide horse at the convention. |
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AMERICAN COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
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After the NFB Convention, Fr. John then went on to participate in the national convention of the American Council of the Blind, celebrating the 50th anniversary of their founding. XSB had not been to an ACB meeting in a long time, if ever, and many people were delighted to have our organization represented and taking part.
 | Fr. John and Ruth Scovill, Acting Director of the
National Library Service |
Fr. John met with members of VIVA, the Visually Impaired Veterans Association and narrowly escaped being elected to their Board. He had the chance to meet with Ruth Scovill, the Acting Director of National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Judith Dixon, the chair of BANA (Braille Authority of North America) and met a number of clients and members of the New York chapter of ACB. The convention hotel was the Nugget Casino, and there is no report of how Fr. John did with the slot machines.
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CLOSING THOUGHTS If you would like to volunteer, or would just like to learn more about what we do, please feel free to call us, send an e-mail or a letter, or drop in for a personal visit. If you know someone who could use our services, please recommend us to them. Visit our web site, and thank you for being a friend of the Xavier Society for the Blind.
Sincerely,
 | | The beard is back, although a much smaller and shorter version. I am also Chaplain for American Legion Post 2001, the 9-11 Memorial Post. |
Fr. John R. Sheehan, SJ Xavier Society for the Blind Phone: (212) 473-7800 |
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XSB at the NY Public Library |
 | | Guest Speaker Deborah Kendrick and Executive Director Kathleen before the Public Library event. |
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On Saturday, June 18, the Fifth Avenue branch of the NY Public Library hosted a "Low Vision and Blindness Resource Day." A number of speakers explored different topics, and the Xavier Society for the Blind presented Deborah Kendrick, an author and award-winning journalist, who spoke on "Finding A Path for Your Life," using her own experience as a blind writer to illustrate her points. The day before the event, she also came and spoke to the XSB staff.
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BISHOPS' MEETING
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In June, Father John was invited to participate in the meeting of the U.S. Catholic Bishops in Seattle. At a morning breakfast, he spoke about the work of the XSB, especially the creation of the new Bible translation in Braille, large-print and audio. The XSB is presenting a full set of the Braille Bible to the Bishops Conference, and at the meeting, he presented one volume to Bishop Michael Driscoll, Episcopal Liaison to Catholic Charities and a Board member of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability.
 | | Fr. John presents a volume of the Book of Genesis to Bishop Michael Driscoll of Boise, Idaho. |
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END OF SUMMER GOLF OUTING
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September 22 is the first day of Fall, and we are celebrating by playing golf at Split Rock, Pelham Bay, a challenging yet playable course. Cost for the day is $175, and includes a light breakfast, a 9AM tee off (scramble, best ball format) and a delicious lunch to follow, accompanied by prizes and raffle items.
Reservations may be made on the web site, or by calling (212) 473-7800. Sponsorship opportunities are also available, including individual hole sponsors ($200), Brunch sponsorship ($500) and cart sponsorship ($1,000), among others. If you don't play but want to join us for lunch, the fee is $35.
Celebrate the end of summer, and support the XSB and have a terrific day out in beautiful surroundings.
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| MACY'S SHOP FOR A CAUSE | 
On August 27, you will have a chance to support the Xavier Society for the Blind and save yourself a LOT of money. If you buy a "Shop for A Cause" pass from us, on August 27th, either in a Macy's store or on line, you will be able to save 25% on a wide range of items. Not everything is on sale, but many, many things are included. The pass costs $5, and the XSB gets to keep that money for ourselves. If you shop in a store, you can fill out an entry form that is included with the pass for a chance to win a $500 gift certificate.
For more information, call us at (212) 473-7800, or send $5 to our offices at 154 East 23rd St., NYC 10010. Remember, the date of the sale is August 27th, so don't wait!
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| OUR WEB SITE | |
The web site for the Xavier Society for the Blind was made possible by a generous grant from the Knights of Malta, and we thank them for their support of our work.
The web site is designed to be accessible to screen reading programs, and those who have registered with the XSB have a special section where they can make address changes, order books from the library and download or sign up to receive periodicals. For more information on how to register, or how to get online, contact
clientservices@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org
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FACTS ABOUT THE XSB
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"What do you do about helping cure blindness? What kind of training or rehabilitation do you provide?"
Nothing. We don't do anything to help cure blindness, and we don't provide any kind of rehabilitation or training. There are a number of agencies that do that, and do that very well. Those are both very important dimensions of dealing with blindness, and we encourage everyone to support them.
We do something that no one else does, we provide spiritual and religious material that is accessible to people who are blind or who have trouble dealing with traditional print. There is a need that we have been meeting since 1900, and it is one that no one else is meeting. The National Library Service provides more popular books, other religions have services that provide Bibles and evangelical material in their traditions. The Xavier Society for the Blind hosts the National Catholic Lending Library and provides Mass Propers and spiritual material over a broad spectrum of theologies and creeds.
For more information about what we are doing and providing, please visit our web site at:
www.xaviersocietyfortheblind.org or for more specific information or questions (or to volunteer), send us an email at:
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VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAM
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Since 2010, the Xavier Society for the Blind has embarked on a strategic initiative to serve a "forgotten" audience of both recently disabled as well as aging Veterans. "Don't Lose Sight of God!" is the theme behind our efforts. Reaching out to this admittedly niche audience is consistent with our mission to provide specialized encouragement and support, in this case to Veterans with vision impairments.
After the trauma, first you cry. Then you realize that there can be productive life after blindness or significant vision loss. It is now apparent to all of us that most visually impaired people today can do just about anything sighted people can do, albeit with a lot more effort and, perhaps, some assistance.
An eye-opening statistic: From now to the year 2020, the Veterans Administration estimates there will be over 1 million Veterans with significant visual impairment and legal blindness. Since 9/11, the number of Disabled Veterans in America has swelled from 2.1 to 3 million. 38% of Veterans of the Global War on Terror have filed disability claims. Currently, there are 157,000 Veterans in the United States who are legally blind. Veterans of previous wars are suffering from age-related macular degeneration, a chronic condition causing vision loss.
Eye injuries account for 13% of injuries to Veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the "improvised explosive device" is the enemy's weapon of choice. About 60-70% of severe and moderate traumatic brain injury cases also include some form of visual impairment. VA statistics indicate that there will be a sustained need for services and assistance even 40 years from now.
The Xavier Society is in the forefront of bringing this problem to national attention with its participation in the Department of Defense Wounded Warrior Task Force, and by liaison with the major national Veterans organizations, including the Catholic War Veterans and American Legion. We are developing special programs uniquely tailored to the needs of both the young and older Veteran alike. This is our contribution to the war effort and to the on-going support of those injured on the front lines while defending our freedom.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS |
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August 3 - Drawing of the winners for the Pilgrimage Raffle.
Tickets will be available on the XSB web site until noon on the 3rd, or until all the tickets have been sold.
AUGUST 7-14 - Catholic War Veterans National Convention,
Orlando, FL.
END OF SUMMER GOLF OUTING - SAVE THE DATE
September 22 - Split Rock Golf Course,
Pelham Bay
OCTOBER 2 - 9, 2011 - A Pilgrimage to Rome
There is a possibility for a presentation to the Holy
Father at a Wednesday audience, although that is NOT
guaranteed. Full itinerary available on the web site.
DECEMBER 11 - A Concert in Honor of St. Lucy
DECEMBER 13 - Mass for the Feast of St. Lucy, Patron Saint of the Blind. St. Patrick's Cathedral, 6:30 PM
For more information on these or any events, please contact our office or check our web site.
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NFL Super Bowl Raffle
We are again a designated charity for the NFL, and we will again be participating in the Super Bowl Raffle.
First prize is airfare for two people to the 2012 Super Bowl, two tickets to the Super Bowl, four nights in a hotel and two tickets to the Hall of Fame Alumni Dinner, with at least one Hall of Fame player at each table.
Second Prize is $1,000 in cash.
Third Prize is $500 in cash.
There are only 250 tickets available, and they are $100 apiece.
Tickets may be purchased on our web site
or by calling our office
(212) 473-7800
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| Secure Server |
On our web site, we have a secure server connection. This means you can contribute money to the Xavier Society using your credit card in perfect safety. When you get to the web site, there is a button "Donate." If you click on that, you will be taken to the Secure Server area where you can make any contribution in complete safety. (If the server is not working, please call our office at 212 473-7800 and ask for Manuel.)
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