A publication of

Utah Council of the Blind

December 2020

For the latest news updates call the Utah Connection 801-299-0670 or 1‑800-273-4569. (You may also leave a message at the end of the announcement.)

Mail correspondence to: UCB, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. E-mail us at ucb.board@gmail.com. For credit card payments call 801-245-9264.

The UCB Buzz is available in large print, braille, audio CD, as a data (Microsoft Word and a plain text file) CD, and by e-mail. If you would prefer to receive your newsletter in a different format, please call the Utah Connection or send an e-mail to ucb.board@gmail.com and let us know.

Editor: Tom Mitchell
Utah Connection Manager: Linda Holladay

In This Issue

Disclaimer.................................................................................................. 2

From the Editor........................................................................................... 3

My Resignation........................................................................................... 4

President's Message.................................................................................. 6

UCB 2020 Membership Drive Letter........................................................... 8

Changes in the Cab Coupon Program...................................................... 10

Annette Jackson Remembered................................................................ 11

UCB on the Radio.................................................................................... 13

For Better Brownies:................................................................................. 13

General UCB Information......................................................................... 14

Board of Directors................................... 15

Disclaimer

Articles and announcements included in this publication are presented for your information and interest. They reflect the opinions of the respective authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the UCB.

From the Editor

By Tom Mitchell

I’m sorry there has been no magazine for so long, but changes have been affecting us so quickly that it’s been hard to keep up with them. One of the biggest changes is that Tina Terry, who has been serving as president for the past three years has found it necessary to resign the office for personal reasons and move to Nebraska. She has been replaced by Anna Jeffery, past-president, who will continue as president until the expiration of Tina's term. Articles explaining these changes appear in this magazine. I know that we'll all miss Tina's quiet, but effective, way of working, and personally, we will miss working with her. I think I'm safe in saying that we all wish her and Rick good luck in their future endeavors.

Please read the rest of this magazine completely, because there’s lots of information you all need to know. In the meantime, happy holidays to one and all.

My Resignation

By Tina Terry

This month's article is a difficult one for me to write. I am sad to announce that due to Rick's health and our finance problems related to COVID-19, we have made the tough decision to sell our home and move to Nebraska to be near my family. I will enjoy being near them, but I have loved being here and working with all of you. It is my pleasure to announce that Anna Jeffery has stepped back in as UCB president. She has done a wonderful job in the past, and I know she will continue to do so now. It will be exciting to see how the UCB grows in the future. I will still be available for technology questions and will serve in other ways over the phone. My new number will be (385)337-7042. We will still use the (801)245-9264 phone number for UCB business such as ordering Uber cards. We want to make the transition as smooth as possible. Please know that I care about all of you and will be thinking of you often. The virtual world that we live in will make it possible for me to assist in many ways. Thank you all for allowing me to be your President for the last three years. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. There were some difficult times with Leslie's illness and death, but serving with her was a great honor. I will forever be grateful to her for having the faith in me that she had. She believed that I could do things that I would not have dreamed of trying. Losing her was definitely a rough time for the UCB. There were some great times for me as well, like being able to participate in activities, watch the cab coupon program expand to Uber, and many others.

President's Message

Hello, members of the UCB,

My name is Anna Jeffery. I have accepted the office of UCB president. I have some very big shoes to fill after Tina Terry has served as president these past three years. I will be filling in for her until her term ends. I have been the past president since she became president and have enjoyed watching her take the reins and do great things with the UCB. For those of you who may not know me, and for those of you who may enjoy a brief update about myself, here it is.

I am the mother of four amazing children ages 24 to 10 years old. I know some of you may remember my oldest son as a baby, and it's hard to believe that he could possibly be that old; but, yes, he is, and he is married, as well. Where did the time go?

I have been a member of the UCB for longer than I can remember. I have had low vision since I was a youth. I enjoy spending time with family and friends doing anything that isn't sitting at home. I enjoy traveling and exploring this amazing world we live in. I love tactile hiking—well, that's what I like to call it. You can find tactile hiking in slot canyons and any rock climbing or bouldering sights. Since we live in Utah, you can imagine that there are plenty of those areas to explore.

As I take on this role as president of the UCB, I hope to meet blind and low-vision people throughout the state. I would like to try and build the organization's membership and share with people in various regions of the state all of the awesome programs that the UCB has worked so hard to create.

Since writing is not my forte, I will not be submitting a monthly President's Message, but will plan to submit one quarterly. As we move forward with the UCB in these uncertain times, I hope that you will support us and join us whenever possible.

Until next time,
Anna Jeffery

UCB 2020 Membership Drive Letter

Following is the text of the letter that is in the UCB membership packet you should have received earlier.

Utah Council of the Blind
PO Box 1415
Bountiful, UT 84011-1415
Telephone: (801) 245-9264
e-mail: ucb.board@gmail.com

Dear Friend,

We’re a bit late this year sending membership reminders. Since we are unable to hold our annual holiday party and we know that times are hard for many of our members and friends, the Board of Directors has voted to offer a $5.00 discount to anyone renewing a current membership or purchasing a new membership prior to December 31, 2020. Note that this means that junior memberships for those 17 years of age or younger are free when applications are sent prior to the end of this year. If you have already sent an application since September 1, 2020, feel free to send another with a $5.00 payment, and your dues will be paid for 2022.

If you would like to receive your membership application in braille, please call 801-245-9264 and leave your name, address, and phone number, and the braille version will be sent to you. As a special incentive, our braille transcriptionists, VLF Enterprises, will donate $5.00 toward the membership fee of the first 100 individuals who submit their applications in braille prior to the end of the year. This means that the memberships for adults would be free, and junior members would receive two years instead of one.

We are very grateful for your continued support.

Sincerely,
Utah Council of the Blind
Membership Committee

Changes in the Cab Coupon Program

Due to limited granted funds, effective January 1, 2021, cab coupons and Uber rides may be purchased at a discounted rate of 50%. You may purchase up to $200 worth per month at $100.00. Cab books will be shipped in a priority mailer. Please provide $5.00 for postage. If you have any questions, please call 801-245-9264.

Annette Jackson Remembered

By Cordie Weed

Annette Jackson passed away on September 20, 2020. She served blind people for many years.

Annette grew up in the same neighborhood with Leslie Gertsch. They became friends in elementary school and remained friends throughout their lives. Annette helped Leslie as a sighted guide in addition to reading for her. Annette and Leslie were the best of friends and did a lot of things together.

Annette was the first UCB ceramics teacher and taught ceramics for many years. She served as a member of the Board of Directors for the UCB Credit Union and later worked in the Credit Union office for a time.

I believe she received a UCB Talmage Award several years ago. Annette and her husband Clayne have been Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus for several decades at our annual UCB Christmas party. She also would take pictures of the kids sitting on Santa's lap; these pictures were given to parents or used for UCB grants. She donated many hours to the UCB until her declining health made doing so impossible.

Annette worked as a deaf-blind support service provider (SSP) for quite a few years. She would bend over backwards for the deaf-blind clients she served. When her health started to go downhill, she still volunteered time with a deaf-blind man because she was worried, he would not get the services he needed due to his health situation.

I enjoyed serving with her on the Board of Directors of the Credit Union, as well as working with her on UCB projects and Christmas parties while I was Christmas party chair. I loved having her as my SSP before her ill health made that impossible. She'll be greatly missed by the many UCB members and friends who knew her.

UCB on the Radio

UCB will be on the radio! Tune in to listen to Anna Jeffery answer questions and inform radio listeners about the awesome things that the Utah Council of the Blind is doing. You can listen on 104.3 FM (z104) or 1370 AM (classic country) January 16 at 6:00 a.m.

Don’t worry to all those who would prefer to sleep in on a Saturday, we will post the interview on all of our social media sites.

For Better Brownies:

A Helpful Baking Tip from Sandy England

I was so tired of my brownies and chocolate cakes getting hard around the outside. So, one day I turned the temperature down about 5 degrees and added more time. Then, for some reason we had to leave the house, so I put foil over the top of the brownies when they came out. Let me tell you, no more hard sides!

The foil brings back the moisture into the side of the brownies, and it is so good. Please try it, you may like your brownies better.

General UCB Information

Our office at DSBVI is temporarily closed. Watch The Buzz and listen to The Utah Connection for updates.

We are always looking for articles, book reviews, or interesting tidbits of information from our readers or other interested persons. You may e-mail any articles you wish to submit to tommit60@gmail.com or send braille, print, or audio to UCB Buzz, PO Box 1415, Bountiful, UT 84011-1415. Please allow extra time for processing braille, print, or audio.

Board meetings are currently being held by conference call on an as-needed basis.

If you have questions or concerns for any board member or to be placed on the agenda of a board meeting, e-mail ucb.board@gmail.com or leave a message on the Utah Connection, and you will receive a timely reply.