Fall 2023
From our Executive Director, Barbara Loh:
Fall is the time for harvesting crops and sharing its bounty. Of course, Valley Eye Radio is neither a farm nor a garden, but it is an organization needing to grow and prosper for its listeners to stay connected and informed. But how?
After almost 50 years of being the only accessible local broadcasting service in the Pioneer Valley, we are embarking on a fertile time in our history to determine where we should be going in our future and what new innovations we should be considering.
To do that, we will need in the months ahead to take some time and reflect on what seeds we may want to plant to harvest new ideas and innovations to help us with our role with countering the growing epidemic of loneliness. For now, we need to make sure we are preparing the ground to ensure a successful harvest in the future.
So, as always, stay tuned in the months ahead to hear more. We welcome your suggestions and new ideas. Who knows, those contributions could be the seeds we plant this spring.
Giving Tuesday is fast approaching!! Please mark your calendars for November 28 and help us have another successful fundraising day. We thank you as always for your continuing support.
Speaking of generosity, we would like to thank The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation for their recent support of our operations to keep us on the air 24/7 for our listeners. We are truly grateful for their ongoing support.
- This Fall, Valley Eye Radio is pleased to continue our collaboration with Baystate Health with the audio rebroadcast of their latest webinars.
These recordings have dealt with such important subjects as Parkinson’s Disease, Shortness of Breath, Mammograms, Pancreatic Cancer and more!
Our thanks as always to Baystate Health for allowing us to bring these programs from experts in their fields to benefit our eligible listeners.
- Valley Eye Radio also thanks Accessible Pharmacy for providing us with the audio file of their informative webinar on Blindness and Mental Health.
- Valley Eye Radio joined with the MCB in promoting White Cane Awareness Day on October 13th to remind all of us of the importance of the white cane in helping those who are blind and visually impaired make the most of their lives.
We were able to receive an audio copy of the State House event in Boston for rebroadcast on Valley Eye Radio for those who were not able to attend the event in person.
- With all that local farmers have had to deal with this year, Valley Eye Radio was pleased to rebroadcast the audio from the “Field Notes 2023” live storytelling event earlier this year from CISA (Community Interested in Sustaining Agriculture) the event creator and host. Field Notes featured local farmers sharing their adventures (and misadventures) in farming, cooking, navigating new cultures and relationships, building community, and more.
- Valley Eye Radio has added some important short programs every week with updates for eligible listeners from the SSA blog “Social Security Matters”, health updates on viruses, vaccines and more from Dr. Katelyn Jetelina’s “Your Local Epidemiologist” newsletter and the latest from Medicare.gov.
● Please check out our website www.valleyeyeradio.org for the latest updates to our programming schedule and spread the word to anyone visually impaired or unable to read print material about our free service that is solely for them.
Happy Birthday to all of our dedicated volunteer readers who felt the love from friends and family on their special day in September: Tom, Mary M., Dolly, Jeff S., Harold, Eileen S., Antonia, Bridget, Nicole, Jan and Karen B.
Happy Birthday also to all of our valued volunteers who began another trip around the sun in October: Andrea, Joshua, Deb, Karen M., Steve, Dan, Annie M., Melinda and Maryellen.
…and a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday to You” to all of those in our volunteer reader family who will get their cake and presents in November: Cheryl, Linda K., Heather, Ellen B., Colleen, Jane, Laurel and Diane.
