January 2022
From our Executive Director, Barbara Loh:
Happy New Year to all!!
Let’s hope we are on the brink of returning to some new normalcy.
One of the joys of my position at Valley Eye Radio is to hear from our listeners about how our broadcasting service has made their lives better. Here are the recent words from one of them with visual challenges:
“My radio has changed my life. My ‘listening ear’ has been a great support for one who is visually impaired.”
Hearing such words truly keeps us—volunteers, board members, donors, and supporters—inspired. I wanted to make sure you heard them also. Our very successful End of Year Campaign also shared with all of you the remarkable story of how one of our radios kept a special friendship growing and thriving. These radios truly are life changing for so many.
Thanks to grants from The Beveridge Family Foundation and, most recently The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust, our special radios won’t be the only way listeners can get their local news and information and stay connected.
We must keep up with the times—21st century technology upgrading is critical for our listeners who deserve no less than everyone else. We want to be even more accessible, and these grants will enable us to do that in the year ahead.
Live streaming of our broadcasts from our website and the option of listeners using smart speakers are just the beginning. Stay tuned for all the latest developments.
Many thanks to all who made our Giving Tuesday and End of Year Campaign so successful. Your giving year after year is remarkable and truly helps us stay on the air for our listeners every day. We are so grateful for all of you.
- January once again brought us to remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and, thanks to our collaboration with Baystate Health, our listeners were able to share in a rebroadcast of their annual MLK Day Celebration. Wilmore Webley PhD, UMass Amherst Associate Professor of Microbiology and Director of Pre-Med / Pre-Health Advising was the featured speaker.
- Thanks to our collaboration with Ruth’s House in Longmeadow, Valley Eye Radio will be taking our listeners to their Lunch & Learn series again soon for their latest informative presentation. Mr. Russ Swallow, Certified Senior Advisor™ will clear up for many of us some of the choices regarding Medicare in his talk on “Understanding Your 3 Medicare Options”.
- Our listeners can also look forward to the latest timely presentation from the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts when Dr. Omar S. Dahi, Associate Professor of Economics at Hampshire College and a Research Associate at the Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst speaks at an Instant Issues event on "Rethinking Security from a Global South Perspective".
- Programming information, the many ways that someone who needs our service can listen and more is on Valley Eye Radio’s website www.valleyeyeradio.org
● The travel saga of the “Accidental Travel Writer”, continues on Valley Eye Radio. David Mould enthralls us with yet more exciting travel stories, this time from “Inexplicable India”, a country that fascinates us, but is largely unknown to many.
Our thanks to David and Storrs Library for bringing this series to our listeners.
Happy Birthday to all of those in our volunteer reader family who were born in the month of January: David K. celebrated on the 1st, Arvind had his day on the 4th, Marilyn and Warren both began another lap around the sun on the 6th, Jim was feted by family and friends on the 11th, Bob ate a big slice from his special cake on the 16th, Jack received his presents on the 17th, Tracy felt the love from friends and family on the 21st, former reader Kathy S. will be remembered on the 27th, Peter and former reader Karen G. each get their cake and presents on the 28th and Carol gets spoiled on her day, the 31st.
Happy Birthday wishes to all!
