PAST EVENTS

• Eight BOLD members attended the hike which Veronique Schreurs led on Sunday, May 4.  Hikers started at the Frick Nature Center, and then experienced the many diverse trails throughout Frick Park.  Tons of thanks for the terrific job Veronique did leading the hike, and Tammi Swiantek did taking reservations for this first hike of spring.  Kudos, also, to anyone else who guided, drove, or met hikers at bus stops.  Special mention goes out to Veronique's roommate, who is visiting this country from China, and was described by several hikers as “so nice and pleasant."
• Through the combined efforts of Pittsburgh Opera's Educational Coordinator and their Marketing Director, four dedicated opera attendees had the opportunity to enjoy The Montagues and the Capulets at the Benedum Center on Tuesday, May 6.  This familiar story of star-crossed lovers was both beautifully performed and audio-described.  The sensory workshop which preceded the performance also met the Pittsburgh Opera's high standards of excellence, providing vision-impaired-friendly programming.
• When the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Atlanta Braves played ball on Friday, May 9, six BOLDSTERS and one guest of the nine BOLD members who signed up were there to enjoy the game and receive Willie Stargell bobbleheads.  A lot of appreciation is offered to reservationist Jim Winaught, who also distributed game tickets and guided, as needed.  Though rain and a group of BOLD fans attending a Pirates game seem to be going hand in hand lately, this Editor is happy to report that soggy game-goers got to see the Pirates beat the Braves 3-2.
• On Saturday, May 10, sixteen BOLD members and 13 Catholic Alumni Club members had a great time playing bocce ball, hiking, and riding tandem bikes at North Park's Westview Grove.  THANK YOU! only begins to express the appreciation to Reservationist Tammi Swiantek; Event Leader Ray Jablonowski, and the dedicated volunteers Ray recruited from the Catholic Alumni Club.  The attendees of this active outdoor event thoroughly enjoyed the fun, fellowship, and fantastic food prepared by Ray Jablonowski, any BOLDSTERS who helped Ray, and members of the Catholic Alumni Club.  Kudos, also, to driver Clarence Singer (BOLD Member Margie Singer's husband); Maynard Hansen, who patiently drove all over the place to pick people up, Bob Dulik, who brought people from Uniontown, PA, two of whom became members immediately, along with anyone else who drove, and anyone else who helped in any way.

ONGOING EVENT

• Mall Walking continues (more info in calendar).

BOARD MEETINGS (COME AND GIVE YOUR INPUT)

• It was great to see both Board Members and General Members at May's meeting, which took place in the Moorhead Tower Community Room on Tuesday the 13.  

• BRAVA!! to Peggy Walsh for so generously providing snacks as she often does at board meetings.

• June's meeting will take place on Tuesday the 3rd at 6:30pm in the Moorhead Tower Community Room.

• To be placed on that meeting's agenda, contact Joyce Driben, 412-521-4385, by 10:00pm on Sunday, June 1st.  Everyone is always welcomed.

OH, DEAR!! WHY DID BOLD CANCEL IT?

• Because so few people signed up for Board Games, scheduled for Sunday, May 18, and also because event host Terri Winaught had to work that evening, it became necessary to cancel Board Games until further notice. Terri apologizes for a second cancellation, and for any disappointment this may have caused.

ONE FINAL MAY MOMENT

• What Will Make May 24 Special?  On Saturday, May 24, the Pittsburgh Pirates will sponsor a Disability Awareness Day from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. This special event, coordinated by Pirates Group Sales Representative Chaz Kellem, will be held on Federal Street, right outside of PNC Park.  As a participating organization, BOLD will be given ten tickets to the 7:05pm game to follow the Awareness Event, with the Pirates playing the Chicago Cubs.

FUTURE FUN - KENNYWOOD

• Wednesday, June 18 is when the Kennywood outing will take place, with an 11:00am arrival time at the park. 
• With the BOLD subsidy, the cost will be $8 per BOLD member and qualified guide. 
• The reservation deadline with Jim Winaught, 412-417-4942,  will be Wednesday, June 11, no later than 10:00pm. 
• Wednesday the 11th is also the deadline by which Veronique Schreurs, BOLD'S Treasurer, must receive the $8 Kennywood co-payment.  Please send your co-payment, in the form of a check or money order made payable to Western PA BOLD, to: Veronique Schreurs: 2269 Tilbury Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. 
• When placing your Kennywood reservation with Jim, let him know if you can guide or if you will need a guide.  Also, let Jim know if you are a “mild" rider, or a “wild" rider, since all of this information will better enable Jim to match riders and guides. 
• Some final notes about Kennywood are that the 61C is the bus that goes the closest, stopping at the main entrance; the Access carrier for Kennywood is S & S Transit: 412-829-7627; Access drops off on the opposite side of the park from the main gate where BOLDSTERS meet; and the number for the downtown Access Office, for any questions about scheduling your trip, is 412-562-5353.

WHAT'S NEW IN PROGRAMMING?

• A new event to take place in June, thanks to the hard work of Sylvia Royal and Tammi Swiantek, is kayaking. 

• This first-time event will take place on Monday the 30th from 5:30pm to 8:30pm.  Attendees should arrive by 5:15pm in order to handle payment and sign waivers.  
• The location is Kayak Pittsburgh, which is under the Sixth Street Bridge. Given the difficulty of accessing this location, Sylvia has offered to meet people at nearby bus stops.
• Each member and guide will be charged $5 per hour ($15 total), to be paid at the event.  The total cost is $25 per person, but BOLD is paying $10.
• Tammi Swiantek, 412-488-6298, is the contact person for more information and to place your reservation, with a deadline of Monday, June 23rd no later than 10:00pm.

• Dates to hold for summer fun you also won't want to miss are: Busteed Swim Party: Sunday, July 20; and Gottschalk Swim Party: Saturday, August 2nd.

• Terri Winaught, 412-969-0210, will be the reservationist for the Busteed Party, with a deadline of Sunday, July 13, by 10:00pm. 

• When you place your reservation, please let Terri know if you drive or need a ride, and what snack or dessert you will bring (Bob and Debbie Busteed will provide the rest of the food). 
• This fun-filled Swim Party/Picnic (Swimpnic), will take place at the Busteed's beautiful Wexford home, with the exact times to be mentioned in the next newsletter. Directions will also be in July's BOLD Ventures, with individual copies being made available upon request.

•  When the Gottschalk Swim Party takes place on Saturday, August 2nd, Joyce Driben, 412-521-4385, will be the reservationist. (more info-including directions- in next newsletter).

• A final date to hold is Sunday, August 17 (rain date, August 24), for Waterskiing, with Tammi Swiantek, 412-488-6298, as the reservationist. (See July's and August's BOLD Ventures for additional details.) 

OOPS! ALMOST FORGOT THOSE ROWING BOATS!

• Rowing, at a cost of $65 per person, will begin on Thursday, June 5. WHERE? Washington's Landing: 300 Waterfront Drive; TIME: 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

• In addition to the first Thursday in June to the last Thursday in August, competitive rowing will take place on Saturday mornings, and extra rowing practice will take place on Tuesday nights. 
• To reserve, or request more information, phone Tammi Swiantek at 412-488-6298.

CULTURAL CONNECTION

• The following audio-described performances at the Irish and Classical Theater cover May through August, 2008.  Audio Descriptions are always at Saturday Matinees which are held at 2:00pm. This season, MaryAnn Graziano,  whose voice and skills many Pittsburgh Opera goers have come to know and love, will be the    Describer Extraordinaire. Dates and names of upcoming plays are: 

• An Ideal Husband -  5/31
• Salome -  6/28
• Playboy of the Western World -  8/9

• More info:  412-561-6000 x206.

MEMBERSHIP CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS TO THE 2008-2009 LIST

• Anne Walsh Fogoros’ name was misspelled as Ayn. The correct spelling is Anne
• Aimee Yunt's cell phone was incorrectly listed as her home phone, and Aimee's home phone wasn't listed at all. Aimee's cell phone number is 412-726-7412, and her home number is 412-766-7360.
• Revised information on Mike Gravitt is: Cell #412-725-9634, and new address is 2700 Broadway Ave. #4, Pittsburgh, PA  15216.
• New BOLD Member Paulette Leah was listed under P for her first name instead of L for her last name.
• Carol Riley and Dave Riley no longer have cell phone numbers,  but can still be reached at their home numbers.
• Finally, Jerry Duke's address was listed as 56 Shadowwood Court.  Jerry's correct address is 301 Shadowwood Court.
• While the above may seem like a lot of corrections, maintaining an accurate database on so many people is no easy task; and BOLD Member Tracy O'Neill does a commendable job keeping an ever-changing database up-to-date.
• Moving on to additions, they are as follows:

• Norman Armstrong, blind, casette tape newsletter:  117 W Main St Uniontown, PA 15401 724-437-4811 
• Jamie A. Robinson, sighted,  print:  675 Guns Woodbridge Rd Smithfield, PA 15478 724-569-8132

FUNDRAISING FACTS

• Sylvia Denys, who suggested the Karaoke fundraiser to take place in the fall, is researching the possibility of holding this event at Epiphany Church, which is wheelchair accessible and bus accessible, being located near the Mellon Arena. Jim Wiseman has also been hard at work exploring the possibility of Bloomfield locations, which has been no easy task, given problems with physical accessibility.
• Also in the fall, BOLD'S Fundraising Chair will be sending letters to Lions Clubs, Lioness Clubs, and Leo Clubs. (Each donation will be acknowledged in a BOLD newsletter.)

BOLD BITS

• Quick and comfortable recoveries are offered with warmth to Sylvia Denys's mother, and to BOLD Member Kathy Susany, who had been in West Penn Hospital, and was then transferred to rehab at Heartland for further strengthening and healing.
• Congratulations continue to be extended to BOLD President Joyce Driben on her remarkable recovery from such a badly broken ankle-an injury which occurred the day after Christmas, 2007.
•  Margie Singer, whose rehab and brain surgery were mentioned in recent newsletters, is also to be commended on her recovery. Though Margie had been seriously ill for four months, she is back to work and riding buses.
• Happy Birthday to Maggie Fagliano, June 20; Cindy Groome, June 12; Peggy Walsh, June 27; and any additional BOLDSTERS with June birthdays.
• A lot of appreciation to Bob Dulik for having recruited several new members from Uniontown PA, and also for the work he has begun on four-wheeled tandem biking.
• A belated Thank You with apologies for the lateness to Peggy Walsh who so generously donated six Pirate tickets to BOLD.
• From the Disability Connection:  Tell Us Your Story

• To celebrate and preserve the life stories of people with disabilities in the Western Pa. Region, Voices of Our Region, a project of the Allegheny County Disability Connection would like to record your story.  All recordings will be put on a CD and made available to the public as a living history of the triumphs and struggles people with disabilities have experienced.  If you are interested in recording your story, contact The Disability Connection, 1-877-755-5222, TTY: (412) 350-5205

• The Carnegie Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped has been hard at work developing a Summer Reading Program.   For information on dates, book selections for June through August, and registration, phone 412-687-2440.
• Do you need new furniture? Do you have a friend or family member with this need? If your answer was a resounding YES!! or even just a maybe, the following information from Ann e Fogoros Walsh and the United Way of Allegheny County, will be useful:

• Furniture for Needy Families - United Way of Allegheny County is partnering with Roomful Express furniture to present the 50 Years, 50 Families program.  The program will provide up to $3,000 worth of new home furnishings to 50 deserving families throughout the Pittsburgh region.
• Two recipients will be selected on a weekly basis through September 3rd, 2008, this program having begun in April.  One recipient's story will be featured each Thursday evening on the KDKA TV news at 5 or 6 PM.
• Families or individuals can be nominated for the program by completing a nomination form at www.50years50families.com or by picking up an application at any Roomful Express location.  (This Editor will research Roomful Express locations, and list them in the next two BOLD Ventures.)
• Those submitting nominations to the program must write a 250 word essay about why the family they are nominating needs and deserves new home furnishings.  Nomination finalists will be judged each week by a selection panel consisting of Roomful Express and United Way representatives, including volunteers from its Women's Leadership Council and Young Leaders Group.  Judging will be based on compelling need and the circumstances leading to that need.  Please visit www.50years50families.com for more information.

• If you have a BOLD Bit, please contact newsletter Editor Terri Winaught via E-mail at songbird1953@access995.com or by phone at 412-969-0210.

BOLD MARKETPLACE

• Do you have an item you want to buy, sell, or swap? If you answered Yes to any of those questions, then this column is for you. To list an item, please phone Terri Winaught at 412-969-0210.

MAY CALENDAR

SATURDAY, 5/24

• Disability Awareness Day from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Pirates with Group Sales Representative Chaz Kellem coordinating this event, the location will be on Federal Street, right outside of PNC Park. BOLD will have a table at which literature will be distributed.

SUNDAY, 5/25

• Mall walking reservation deadline with Marty Mathews: 412-745-0311.

WEDNESDAY, 5/28

• Mall Walking.

THURSDAY, 5/29

• 6:00pm reservation deadline with Sherri Crum, 412-682-1800, for May's meal at the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center:  535 North Neville Street, Oakland. Sherri can also be contacted via E-mail at director@plcb.net.

SATURDAY, 5/31

• The Ideal Husband:  2:00pm at the Irish and Classical Theater; audio-described by MaryAnn Graziano.
• The last monthly meal until September at the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind will take place from 5:00pm till 7:00pm. This will be a picnic-style meal.

JUNE CALENDAR

SUNDAY, 6/1

• 10:00pm reservation deadline with Marty Mathews, 412-745-0311, for Mall Walking.
• 10:00pm is also the deadline with BOLD President Joyce Driben: 412-521-4385, to be put on BOLD'S meeting agenda.

TUESDAY, 6/3

• 6:30pm Board meeting in the Moorhead Tower Community Room: 375 North Craig Street, Oakland.

WEDNESDAY, 6/4

• Mall Walking, starting at 9:15am in the Monroeville Mall. Since walkers also eat lunch together when the walking is done, please remember to bring at least $10 to cover the cost of your meal. If walkers are celebrating a birthday, then bringing between $10 and $15 dollars is suggested.

THURSDAY, 6/5

• The Rowing season begins at Washington's Landing: 300 Waterfront Drive, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The $65 subsidized cost of this event is due on the 4th. Rowers who attend at least half of the sessions will be reimbursed half of the cost at the end of the Rowing Season.

SUNDAY, 6/8

• 10:00pm Mall walking Reservation deadline with Marty Mathews for Mall Walking.

WEDNESDAY, 6/11

• Mall Walking at Monroeville Mall
• 10:00pm reservation deadline for Kennywood with Jim Winaught: 412-417-4942. This is also the deadline by which Veronique is to receive $8 co-payment:  2269 Tilbury Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217

THURSDAY, 6/12

• Rowing at Washington's Landing from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. This trip to 300 Waterfront Drive is allowable under conditional Access.

SUNDAY, 6/15 - Happy Father's Day!

• 10:00pm Mall Walking reservation deadline.

WEDNESDAY, 6/18

• Mall Walking.

THURSDAY, 6/19

• Rowing at Washington's Landing.

SUNDAY, 6/22

• Mall Walking reservation deadline.

MONDAY, 6/23

• 10:00pm reservation deadline with Tammi Swiantek, 412-488-6298, for kayaking.

WEDNESDAY, 6/25

• Mall Walking.

THURSDAY, 6/26

• Rowing.

SATURDAY, 6/28

• Salome: a 2:00pm performance at the Irish and Classical Theater.

SUNDAY, 6/29

• 10:00pm Mall Walking Reservation Deadline.

MONDAY, 6/30

• Kayaking at Kayaking, Pittsburgh, under the Sixth Street Bridge.

The following people are thanked for their assistance in the capacities indicated below:

Annette Brown, Audiocassette edition; Joyce Driben and Tammi Swiantek: Contributed the BOLD Bits item about Bob Dulik.  Marty Mathews, Print editions, envelope stuffing, labeling, and mailing; Tracy O'Neil, E-mail edition, and Contributor of Jerry Duke's correct address. Thanks, also, to the RIS Braille Project, with special emphasis on the contributions of Kathryn (Tina) Wassermann.

THE END