The Hope Bus

Sunday, October 4, 2009

10/03/09 La Quinta Hotel, Bannockburn, IL

A special 'Thank you to the La Quinta Hotel in Bannockburn, IL for sponsoring our Hotel Rooms for the Chicago Event!

La Quinta Inn and Suites
2000 S. Lakeside Dr.,
Bannockburn, IL
(847) 317-7300

10/03/09 Alison - Hope Day

The Hope Bus declares October 3rd 2009 as 'The Alison - Hope Day' - in Memory of Alison Votaw who passed away 5 years ago of Pneumonia. She didn't have the money for Health Care. Alison's life could have been saved if she would have been aware of FREE Health Care.

A special 'Thank you' to her son Tom Votaw from North Canton, OH for taking on Alisons Legacy and stepping up to help others. Tom did take in the Hope Bus Team for a night.

10/2/09 'We Care and Friends', Annapolis, MD

http://www.wecareandfriends.com/

We Care and Friends is located in the Stanton Community Center
92 W. Washington Street, Annapolis, MD 21401 Phone: 410-263-2874 Email: wecareandfriends@yahoo.com

We Care and Friends is dedicated to supporting the building blocks to create strong families and communities in areas affected by drugs, poverty, and crime in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

We Care and Friends, led by Larry Griffin, has helped thousands of people by...

Connecting citizens with proper resources for housing, work, clothing, and food
Providing programs and mentoring for youth
Assisting citizens with drug addiction to find and fund long term treatment
Supporting citizens returning to the community from drug rehabilitation programs or prison
Providing confidential, free support to individuals and families in need

If you are interested in our programs as a participant, mentor, teacher, or supporter, please contact us at 410-263-2874 or wecareandfriends@yahoo.com

Help for Drug and Alcohol Addiction
School on the Water
Thanksgiving Dinner for the Needy
Holiday Toy Drive

10/1/09 Boys and Girls Club, Annapolis, MD

http://www.bgcaa.com

The Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (BGCAA) was founded twenty years ago in Annapolis by a group of concerned community members who felt there was a need for neighborhood youth to have a positive place to grow, learn and have fun. Our mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

The Clubs currently operate in five locations throughout Anne Arundel County. Bywater, the first Club in Anne Arundel County, is located in Annapolis along with Admiral Oaks. Meade Village is located in Severn, and Freetown Village is located in Pasadena.

BGCAA is a part of the national Boys & Girls Club of America movement that serves some 4.8 million boys and girls at over 4,300 Club locations in every state and overseas locations.

Four key characteristics define the essence of each Boys & Girls Club. All are critical in exerting positive impact on the life of a child:
1. Dedicated Youth FacilityThe Boys & Girls Club is a place – an actual neighborhood-based building – designed solely for youth programs and activities.
2. Open DailyThe Club is open every day, after school and on weekends, when kids have free time and need positive, productive outlets.
3. Professional StaffEvery Club has full-time, trained youth development professionals, providing positive role models and mentors. Volunteers provide key supplementary support.
4. Available/Affordable to All YouthClubs reach out to kids who cannot afford, or may lack access to, other community programs. Dues are low, averaging $5 to $10 per year.

QUICK FACTS

- Reaching out to over 7,900 youth in AA County annually since 1988
- Five Club locations in Severn, Pasadena and Annapolis
- Staffed by full time youth professionals and supported by an esteemed Board of Director Educational programming & services

Programs & Services
Every day after school, kids fill our Anne Arundel County Clubs to do their homework, play in the Games Room and shoot baskets. But more than that, our members are learning to be filmmakers and poets. They have won scholarships to study abroad. Our youth leaders have traveled the world from California to Scotland. Most importantly, they are having fun in a positive environment.

Supported by qualified staff members who complete annual training requirements, our members grow up with a variety of proven after-school programs, in the following core areas:

- Character and Leadership Development
- Education and Career Development
- Health and Life Skills
- The Arts
- Sports, Fitness and Recreation

9/30/09 Children's Inn at NIH, Bethesda, MD

The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health is a residential "place like home" for sick children and their families. Children come from across the country and around the world to stay together with their families in The Inn’s healing environment while receiving groundbreaking medical treatments at the NIH, the world’s leading biomedical research center. While the NIH takes care of the child’s medical needs, The Inn tends to the child’s heart, soul and spirit.

In June 1990, The Children's Inn at NIH opened its doors to pediatric patients and their families. Since then The Inn has been in continuous operation: 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Our doors never close. During the past 19 years, 10,000 seriously ill children and their families have made 40,000 visits to The Inn.Children and families travel from all over the world to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) because conventional treatments have failed to have sufficient impact on their illnesses. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, NIH is the world's premier biomedical research facility. Children receive treatment for illnesses such as cancer, heart, lung, blood, bone and growth disorders, mental illnesses, and HIV infection.

The warmth and camaraderie of The Inn stand in sharp contrast to the isolation of a hotel room. In the lively atmosphere of The Inn, the kids and their families can put aside the challenges they face. The Inn gives kids a place to be kids for a while, instead of patients. At the end of the treatment day, they leave behind the IV drips, the needles, the nurses and doctors to return to The Inn and, most importantly, to the comforting presence of their families and caring staff and volunteers.

The overriding philosophy at The Children's Inn is that families make a difference in the lives of their sick children. To treat a patient effectively, the healthcare team must care for the family and child as one. The emotional comfort a family gives to a sick child and the mutual support among kids and families who share the same experience together are invaluable.

9/29/09 National Federation of the Blind

National Federation of the Blind

1800 Johnson Street

Baltimore, MD 21230-4998

(410) 659-9314

www.nfb.org

The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of information that exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a physical nuisance.

About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.

Mr. Marc Maurer, President of NFB and Helena Nyman

The NFB has affiliates in all fifty states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters.About the National Federation of the Blind
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.

Interview with Dr. Marc Maurer, President of NFB (Part 1)

Purpose

The ultimate purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is the complete integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality. This objective involves the removal of legal, economic, and social discriminations; the education of the public to new concepts concerning blindness; and the achievement by all blind people of the right to exercise to the fullest their individual talents and capacities. It means the right of the blind to work along with their sighted neighbors in the professions, common callings, skilled trades, and regular occupations.

Interview with Dr. Marc Maurer, President NFB (Part 2)

Changing What It Means To Be Blind

It is estimated that over one million persons in the U.S. are blind and each year 50,000 more will become blind. Studies show that only AIDS and cancer are feared more than blindness. However, blindness need not be the tragedy which it is generally thought to be.
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is a consumer organization of blind people working together to improve opportunities for the blind and the understanding of blindness by the general public. The NFB has affiliates in all fifty states, in the District of Columbia, and in Puerto Rico, and over seven hundred local chapters in most major cities. There are currently more than fifty thousand members nationwide.

Dr. Marc Maurer talks abou the difficulties of finding a job when you are blind

State and Local Organizations

The purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression by the blind. Since its beginning in 1940, the NFB has been working toward the ultimate goal of helping blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-respect, and the complete integration of the blind into society on a basis of equality. The National Federation of the Blind is doing this by providing public education about blindness, information and referral services, scholarships, literature and publications about blindness, aids and appliances and other adaptive equipment for the blind, advocacy services and protection of civil rights, employment assistance and support services, development and evaluation of technology, and support for blind persons and their families.

In the NFB we say, “The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight, but the misunderstanding and lack of information which exist. If a blind person has proper training and opportunity, blindness can be reduced to the level of a physical nuisance.”

The Hope Bus Team asks Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind for clarification of the term 'legally blind'.

The newly blinded person faces difficult adjustments. One of the best medicines is to meet other blind people and learn of the techniques they use.

Membership in the NFB provides this common meeting ground and a sense of participation and restoration of confidence. By means of speeches, pamphlets, and radio and TV appearances, members of the NFB strive to educate the public that the blind are normal individuals who can compete on terms of equality.

Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind answers some questions regarding Health Insurance for Blinds.

The Newly Blind

Members of the NFB contact newly blinded persons to help them with problems of adjustment and orientation.
Information is also given concerning available services from governmental and private agencies, as well as facts about laws and regulations concerning the blind.

The Hope Bus asks Executive Director Mark Riccobono questions regarding membership benefits of the National Federation of the Blind.

Resources for the newly blind

NFB-LINK provides mentoring relationships for individuals who would like resources and guidance on a variety of blindness topics. The easy-to-use online system will match you with a knowledgeable, experienced mentor who can answer your questions and refer you to additional resources. Information on a variety of vocational, educational, and recreational interests is available through this innovative program.

Straightforward Answers About Blindness is a general information online document which includes answers to many common questions about blindness, information about services and programs for the blind, and resource listings. This document points the way to new hope and unexpected opportunity for those who are blind or are losing their sight.

The Hope Bus at Technology Center of National Federation of the Blind.

A Distinctive Role

The Federation corresponds to blind people in the same way that labor unions correspond to workers, the Chamber of Commerce to business people, the American Bar Association to lawyers, the NAACP to blacks, the American Medical Association to doctors, and the Farm Bureau to farmers. It is a vehicle for joint action by the blind. In other words, the National Federation of the Blind is the voice of the blind. It is the blind speaking for themselves.

The Hope Bus visits the Technology Center of the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore, MD www.NFB.org

Blind People have Dreams, too!

The Hope Bus brings awareness to the Community that Blind People have Dreams, too! Executive Director of NFB - Mark Riccobono

Who Represents the Blind?

There are numerous governmental agencies and private charitable organizations and foundations providing services for blind people, but only the blind themselves (acting through their own organization, the National Federation of the Blind) are able to speak for the blind. This is a basic concept of democracy.

The government has a Department of Labor, but it cannot truly speak for workers. They speak for themselves. Likewise the Department of Agriculture does not replace farm organizations, nor do governmental agencies or private foundations take the place of democratic membership organizations of minority groups. This is true even if the agency or foundation is headed or largely staffed by members of the minority. As with others, so with the blind. More and more of the governmental agencies and private foundations are becoming responsive to the views and needs of the blind and are learning new concepts and attitudes about blindness. The future looks bright. There is an overwhelming feeling of goodwill and a wish to help on the part of the general public. Most important of all, the blind are moving forward to speak for themselves and take a hand in the management of their own affairs through their organization, the National Federation of the Blind.

The Hope Bus is treated with a visit of the Library at the National Federation of the Blind.

Protection of Rights

There are barriers to full participation in society by the blind. The National Federation of the Blind stands ready to help blind people overcome these barriers when collective action is necessary.

Many blind mothers and fathers are currently experiencing challenges from social service agencies who want to take their children. The recent increase in the number of such reported instances reflects not just an increase in government meddling or custodialism (although there is plenty of that), but heightened awareness and determination to take action on the part of the blind and their friends.

The National Federation of the Blind is responding to the challenge. A blind mother in Florida is once again busy raising her child without interference from a social service agency. The agency backed down when the National Federation of the Blind came to her defense. Several cases are currently under way in which blindness is a central question in a custody suit. Because the National Federation of the Blind was not contacted, it is already too late for some blind mothers and fathers. The organization is determined to establish sound case law on this issue.

The NFB Is Important To You

Blindness knows no discrimination. Any child can be born blind. Any individual can become blind in childhood or in later life. It is in the best interest of every individual to understand blindness and how to cope with its problems.

You Can Help

The most important thing you can do is help us spread the new concepts about blindness. When you see our literature in the mail or meet one of us on the street, remember that we are people, just like you — with all the range of talents and capacities, wits and wants that you possess. You can also help by making cash contributions to our organization or remembering the National Federation of the Blind in your will. The National Federation of the Blind is principally supported by public contributions. Donations are tax-deductible.

The Courtesy Rules of Blindness

When you meet me don't be ill at ease. It will help both of us if you remember these simple points of courtesy:

I'm an ordinary person, just blind. You don't need to raise your voice or address me as if I were a child. Don't ask my spouse what I want — "Cream in the coffee?" — ask me.
I may use a long white cane or a guide dog to walk independently; or I may ask to take your arm. Let me decide, and please don't grab my arm; let me take yours. I'll keep a half-step behind to anticipate curbs and steps.
I want to know who's in the room with me. Speak when you enter. Introduce me to the others. Include childen, and tell me if there's a cat or dog.
The door to a room or cabinet or to a car left partially open is a hazard to me.
At dinner I will not have trouble with ordinary table skills.
Don't avoid words like "see." I use them, too. I'm always glad to see you.
I don't want pity. But don't talk about the "wonderful compensations" of blindness. My sense of smell, touch, or hearing did not improve when I became blind. I rely on them more and, therefore, may get more information through those senses than you do — that's all.
If I'm your houseguest, show me the bathroom, closet, dresser, window — the light switch, too. I like to know whether the lights are on.
I'll discuss blindness with you if you're curious, but it's an old story to me. I have as many other interests as you do.
Don't think of me as just a blind person. I'm just a person who happens to be blind.

In all 50 states, the law requires drivers to yield the right of way when they see my extended white cane. Only the blind may carry white canes. You see more blind persons today walking alone, not because there are more of us, but because we have learned to make our own way.

9/29/09 Public Justice Center, Baltimore, MD

Public Justice Center

1 North Charles Street

Baltimore, MD 21201-3740

(410) 625-9409

www.publicjustice.org

***

Public Justice Center

Pursuing Systemic Change to build a more Just Society

http://www.publicjustice.org/

From left to right: Executive Director John Nethercut, Jennifer Pelton, Director of Development and Helena Nyman, Founder of the Hope Bus

We all see the faces of the hungry, the homeless, those without medical care, and the hard-working people who struggle to support their families. But we know that sympathy is not enough: we react with a sense of outrage and act to confront the institutions, laws and practices that create or allow injustice.

The Public Justice Center is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization founded in Maryland in 1985 that seeks to enforce and expand the rights of people who suffer injustice because of their poverty or discrimination. We advocate in the courts, legislatures, and government agencies, and through public education and coalition building. Current projects focus on tenants, workers, immigrants, prisoners, homeless children, families needing medical assistance, and creating a right to counsel in civil cases.

Together, we are creating a society where justice is truly for all!

Areas that the Public Justice Center focuses on:

Tenant Advocacy (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Rights of Homeless Students (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Foster Children Lawsuit (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Prisoner Rights (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Access to Heatlh Care (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Right to Counsel in Civil Cases (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Worker Rights (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Immigrant Rights (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Appellate Advocacy (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

Legislative Advocacy (To leran more about this subject, click here!)

The Hope Bus visits Public Justice Center in Baltimore and learns about the incredible courage that the PJC Team has to take on cases that make a difference in the community. John Nethercut, Executive Director gives intro about PJ

http://www.publicjustice.org/

Introduction of Public Justice Center Staff of Baltimore, MD

Introduction of Public Justice Center Team # 2 of Baltimore, MD

The Public Justice Center informs community about issues around rights for prisoners that await trial. Issues like medical care, etc.

Discussion about Prisoners Rights Part 2

Public Justice Center informs community about the Tenant Advocacy Program. Education. http://www.publicjustice.org/

The Public Justice Center in Baltimore, MD informs Public about Tenant Advocay Program Part 2

The Public Justice Center informs community about Tenant Advocay Program Part 3