Fun with Bruce

Bruce Beck of Palisade, Minnesota is a Lions International Director.

 

 

At the MD19 Spokane Fall Lions Convention, Bruce delivered the keynote address to an appreciative audience. He echoed International  President Bob Corlew's Mountains to Climb message with humility, a passion for service and a healthy dose of humor.  

 

 

Bruce shared this 2 minute Lion Pancake Breakfast video with us. Bruce was fun!

We Like It Up Here

In Nezperce, Club  President Brian Kirkland greeted me at the curb. Having been awed on the way in by a fiery sunset over immaculate golden wheat fields I commented on the beauty of his place. After a pause, Brian smiled and said, "We like it up here."

The Nezperce club has bridged the generation gap with 9 of its 34 members under 40 years old. The meeting I dropped in on was two weeks before their 10th Annual Combine Demolition Derby. In about 45 minutes they ran through a punch list of 19 things that still had to happen so the Derby could take place. The young men of the group took those assignments on without griping and with a good measure of cheer and camaraderie.

At the meeting's conclusion Brian and several other club members invited me to come back to the Nezperce for Combine Derby. They were being polite and I could tell they really didn't expect me to make the 3 hour drive.

Nezperce Lion President Brian Kirkland

Surprise! It showed on their faces when VDG Crystal and I walked up to the flat bed trailer reviewing stand in the rodeo fairgrounds arena. The surprise turned to smiles and then to graciousness as they invited us up on to the platform to sit next to event emcees in what was the closest seat to the unfolding Combine Demolition Action...

... It was close enough to get dusted when the racing grain trucks rushed by, 

close enough to feel the shock wave of the impact of combines smashing into each other, 

close enough to watch the hail of numbered tennis balls aimed at the coffer of a grain harvester and close enough to see the delight on the faces of children and teens in broom horse races....

... and close enough to use our cells & Ipad to make you this video.

https://youtu.be/VgXP9ARF8A0

 Clink the Link

White Cane

Each year the Northwest Lions Foundation hosts the White Cane Days fundraiser with the help of Lions Clubs throughout Washington and Northern Idaho. The goal is to help blind children and adults in the Northwest regain their sight and self reliance.

Dayton Lion Holly Kaczmarski, District 19F's District Blind Services Organizations Coordinator, shared a rather fascinating link about White Cane Safety Day with me today. It comes from the Perkins School for the Blind. 

October 15 is national White Cane Safety Day, which acknowledges the independence and skill of people with visual impairments who use a white cane to navigate.

October 15, 2015

BILL WINTER

Tap tap tap. That’s the sound of independence.
That’s the sound of people with visual impairments around the United States – and all over the world – using a white cane to confidently navigate to work, around their neighborhoods or to wherever their plans take them.
 
There’s no better day to celebrate the power of the white cane than October 15 – White Cane Safety Day.  It’s the day set aside by the federal government to recognize the independence and skill of people who use white canes. It’s also a reminder that laws in all 50 states require drivers to yield the right of way to people with white canes, even when they’re not on a crosswalk.
 
In honor of White Cane Safety Day, here are 10 quirky facts about the white cane:

1. Yes, it’s legal to take a white cane through security at an airport, according to the TSA, but it has to go through the X-ray machine.
2. White canes are white because of George A. Bonham. In 1930, Bonham, president of the Peoria Lions Club (Illinois), watched a man who was blind attempting to cross a street. The man’s cane was black and motorists couldn’t see it, so Bonham proposed painting the cane white with a red stripe to make it more noticeable. The idea quickly caught on around the country.
3. White canes are going high-tech. Inventors in India, Great Britain and France have equipped white canes with ultrasonic devices that detect obstacles up to nine feet away. Vibrations in the cane’s handle warn users of potential hazards in their path.
4. The standard technique for using a white cane was pioneered in 1944 by Richard E. Hoover, a World War II veteran rehabilitation specialist. His technique of holding a long cane in the center of the body and swinging it back and forth before each step to detect obstacles is still called the “Hoover Method.”
5. Most people who are visually impaired don’t use a white cane. In fact, only an estimated 2 percent to 8 percent do. The rest rely on their useable vision, a guide dog or a sighted guide.
6. There are actually three different kinds of white canes. There’s the standard mobility cane, used to navigate. There’s the support cane, used by people with visual impairments who also have mobility challenges. And there’s the ID cane, a small, foldable cane used by people with partial sight to let others know they have a visual impairment.
7. Unless you’re willing to “walk the walk,” you can’t become a certified Orientation & Mobility specialist. O&M specialists teach white cane technique to people who are blind, but to become certified, you must spend at least 120 hours blindfolded, navigating with a white cane.
8. Today’s modern, lightweight canes are usually made from aluminum, fiberglass or carbon fiber, and can weigh as little as seven ounces. Some white cane users prefer straight canes, which are more durable, while others prefer collapsible canes, which can be folded and stored more easily.
9. White caning can be fun. The Braille Institute sponsors an annual Cane Quest, where youngsters aged 3-12 compete to quickly and safely navigate a route in their community using their white canes. The contest helps kids master proper white cane techniques and encourages independence.
10. In some states, it’s illegal for a person who is not legally blind to use a white cane to gain right-of-way while crossing a street. Get caught in Florida, for example, and you’ll face second-degree misdemeanor charges and up to 60 days in prison.