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Self Help for Hard of Hearing Nov.-Dec. 2013
GENERAL MEETINGS
All Members and guests are welcome to attend our meetings held on the 2nd Wednesday 2nd of the month except for July and August. We meet at the San Jose Masonic Center at 2500 Masonic Drive in San Jose. There is ample parking around the building.
Our meetings begin at 1:00, but come early at 12:15 for lunch and socializing. Lunch tickets are $5.00 which can be bought at the door. Our meetings are looped, an induction loop listening system which enables you can use the t-coil switch on your hearing aids. We also provide captioning; our realtime speech is converted to text which is projected on a screen in the front of the meeting room.
LUNCH MENU
November-Turkey and all the Fixings
December-Holiday Potluck We will be having our annual Holiday Pot Luck to celebrate the seasons.
Bring your favorite side dish and Enjoy the Festivities!!
UPCOMING MEETING PROGRAMS By Maggie Iller
November 13, 2013
We will have a couple of speakers from Council on Aging, now known as SOURCEWISE visit us. Tere Johnson currently serves as a Resource Specialist and as Outreach Coordinator for them. As well as Angelina Vallejos, whose specialty is explaining and clarifying the differences of Medicare, MediCal, and the Affordable Care Act. December 11, 2013
Josephine Smith will talk about Sit-down Yoga; how it is related to relaxation for the stressful holiday period, especially for the hard of hearing person. Please wear comfy clothes as we encourage you to do these exercises with her.
January 8, 2014
Zina Jawadi is a member of our chapter and the HLA-CA Board. She is also a high school student in San Jose that interned this summer at UCSF, observing actual Cochlear Implant surgeries and learning more about it with doctors and patients.
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ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 2014 By Pat Parsons
We are coming to the end of the term of the current board and need to elect new officers. At our November meeting, we will be voting for next year’s executive board. The elected officers will be installed at the regularly scheduled December meeting. The Nominating Committee has selected the following chapter members to be on the board for the 2014 year. The Presidential Chair will be filled as a Co-Chair position for the new term. Earl Mizaguchi and Maggie Illier will work together in this capacity. They will preside at all meetings of the Chapter, the Executive committee and the Board of Directors; appoint, with the approval of the Board of Directors, all chairs of standing and special committees; fill vacancies on the Board of Directors by appointment, with the approval of the Board. 1st Vice President is Gerri Osborn. She will be responsible for arranging programs and getting individual speakers for monthly chapter meetings. She will also assume the duties of the president in his/her absence or in case of emergency. 2nd Vice President is Wes Rusley. He is chair of membership; as well as assumes the duties of the president and the First Vice President when they are absent. Secretary is Lynne Kinsey. She will record minutes of the Board of Directors meetings and carry out the correspondence and letter writing duties as directed by the President. Treasurer is Amy Miziguchi. She knows the system and has been a helping hand for Earl (former treasurer) for quite a while. She will act as custodian of all funds belonging to the Chapter; make a treasurers report at the Board of Directors meetings; Chair the Budget and Finance committee, and inform the Membership committee of new members and each renewal. We wish to thank the Nominating Committee for their conscientious efforts and hard work- Wilkes Joy and most of all, to Pat Parsons.
We have openings for the general committee chairs-Advocacy, Dining Out, Historian, Looping Initiative and Outreach. To Our Members- here is your chance to become personally involved in the management and success of the Chapter. If you have ideas to benefit the chapter and time to serve, contact someone on the nominating committee. Get involved! This is YOUR Chapter and only YOU can make it succeed and work for our members and the hearing loss community.
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THE NATIONAL HLAA CONVENTION EXPERIENCE By Lynne Kinsey
The Hearing Loss Association of America’s National Convention in Portland, OR this summer was attended by Judie Cordy, Maggie Iller, Earl and Amy Mizuguchi, Lynne and Stephen Kinsey, and Evelyn and Norm Gardner. For me, a highlight was meeting and reconnecting with people from all over the United States. Hearing loss is the initial common bond upon which to find other commonalities and to share ideas and successes from our chapters. There were numerous well-planned and fully-packed workshops. I heard Juliette Sterkens, again, for a slightly different hearing loop presentation. I always learn so much from her. Hospital Kits was another interesting workshop. On a lighter note, Gael Hanan, a Hard of Hearing (HOH) humor writer presented to an overflowing room. She was so good; she should have been a featured main speaker. Every example or tidbit she shared was something with which I identified, but never was able to find the humor in it. I attended “How to Better Hear in Noise” and “How to Advocate for State Legislation”. I chose topics to benefit both myself and our chapter. The inspiring main speakers were well chosen. Howard Weinstein talked about how he was able to develop and provide affordable solar hearing aids to children in developing countries. Wouldn’t we all love to have more affordable hearing aids and not have to keep buying disposable hearing aid batteries?
Jacob Landis, was riding his bicycle cross-country to raise $150,000.00 to help pay for cochlear implants for children that cannot afford them. You may have read that he unfortunately was side-swiped by a large semi-trailer truck near the end of his trip. He is doing okay and didn’t complete his whole ride, which besides stopping at the HLAA National Convention included all the Major League Baseball Parks. His accident may have ended his ride, but it didn’t deflate his enthusiasm and drive to raise the money for children’s cochlear implants and to feed his passion by seeing all the National Baseball Parks.
Author Katherine Boulton, spoke about her new book, "Shouting Won't Help", which we have in our library. As usual there was a large exhibit hall with products to see and try lots of literature and samples to take home. I was able to talk to vendors and will be receiving some literature for our library table.
We met the new National Director of HLAA, Anna Gilmore. Also, this convention had significantly more young people than in the past, due to a special campaign to recruit young people. Our member, Zina Jawali, participated in the special extra activities for this age group. If you missed it this year, consider going next year. Feel free to ask me about this year’s convention and, when information is available, about next year’s. Also, in 2014 or 2015 there will likely be an HLAA-California Convention closer to home. We will keep you updated!
S.H.A.R.E CARD
Shop at any of the Save Mart family of stores: Save Mart Supermarkets, S-Mart Foods, FoodMaxx and Lucky. Swipe your card before your purchase and HLAA-Silicon Valley gets a rebate –
UP TO 3% OF QUALIFIED PURCHASES
Pick up your S.H.A.R.E. card at our next chapter meeting or check out www.savemart.com/shares/
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MEMBERSHIP DONATIONS
By Earl Mizuguchi
Membership donations continue to play an important role in our overall chapter finance. Over the years, we have been fortunate to receive ongoing donations to support our scholarship program and other chapter activities. We would like to thank the following members who donated to our Scholarship Fund: Robert De Grasse, Ivan Fawley, Marsha Haines, Kats and Alice Hikido, Wilkes and Ann Joy, Hiro and Joyce Kurotori, Rex and Geri Osborn, Evelyn Taravella(2 donations), Connie Turner and Elaine Van Bruggan. Also, our thanks to Alice Hikido, Andy Sermersheim and Rufus Wesley who donated their 50-50 winnings to our Scholarship Fund. Finally, Sandra Hocker, a new member and professional who works with hearing impaired students, generously donated to our Scholarship Fund. Donating to our General Fund were Wilkes and Ann Joy and Keith Peterson. Finally, there were a number of memorial donations on behalf of HLA-SV friends and members. These include: Jeanne Sandretto on behalf of Edward and Florence Sandretto; Deborah Homan on behalf of Wil Parson; Kats and Alice Hikido and Hiro and Joyce Kurotori on behalf of Frank Turner; and Judie Cordy, Kay and Yoshiko Kanazawa, Stephen and Lynne Kinsey, and Earl and Amy Mizuguchi on behalf of Anne Sermersheim. These memorial donations were placed into our Scholarship Fund.
Thank you all for your ongoing financial support to our organization
CAPTION CALL CHANGES
By Lynne Kinsey
Caption Call (CC) is now requiring signed hearing loss verification forms; now charging a $75 fee; the need to affix stickers to your phones; and the need to make appointments (10-15 minutes each) for a representative to come to your home. They are now required by the FCC to implement all these new regulations. There will be no more free captioning phones (at least for now). All people that currently have phones, but who were not required to have forms verifying their hearing loss, must now sign or have signed verification forms. If you have any questions about the new requirements or about the legitimacy of a person that calls or visits you, you are encouraged to call Caption Call at 1-877-557-2227 (M-F, 7am-8pm, Sat/Sun 8am-5pm, Mountain Standard Time. You may also check out their website: www.captioncall.com/captioncall. Look at their Regulations section for more in depth explanations and information!
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!!THANK YOU FOR RENEWING!!
Kats and Alice Hikido Wilkes and Ann Joy
Keith Peterson Gerald Preston
Mary Ann Samuelsen Evelyn Taravella Harley Whitcomb
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
November December 3 Gail Swanson
4 Doris Traber 6 Milton Antrim
7 Thelma Bridges
7 Lucy Florio
7 Karen Lowenstein
17 Jennie Stonehouse
17 Valerie Tomasetti 18 Marvin Marshall 26 Earl Mizuguchi 26 Marjorie Hart 28 Alice Hikido
The Palo Alto Tinnitus Support Group
This group meets on the second Thursday
of every month
When: Thursday, Nov. 14th and Dec. 12th
Where:
Congregation Beth Am - Room 16 26790 Arastradero Rd.
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
For more information, contact one of the group facilitators: Ken Adler T: (650) 494-1607 E: [email protected] or Ben Greenberg T: (646) 937-1776 E: [email protected]
Check out The American Tinnitus Association website: www.ata.org
BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS
Meet First Wednesday of the Month Next Meetings are Sept. 4 and Oct. 2
At 1:00 pm at
Pat and Jim Oswald’s home 1436 Gerhardt Avenue
San Jose, CA
All Members are welcome and encouraged to attend
3 Ardeth Greenquist 5 Casey Rodriguez
7 Nancy Strong
8 Rachel Santos
14 Richard Morgan
15 Cella Thomas
17 Bill Law
18 Tami LeValley
21 Vera Hurlburt 27 Rose Wesley 30 Monica Knott 31 Betty Hjelmeland
31 Deborah Homan
!!WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!!
Robert De Grasse Marjorie Hart
Sandra H. Hocker
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JOIN US!
New Renewal Date: Name: Address: City, State, Zip:
Telephone:
E-mail: Membership Information is kept Confidential Birthday: His Hers Month and Day Month and Day
DUES: Silicon Valley Chapter Membership Dues Includes Newsletter bi-monthly
☐ $15 Individual
HLAA Membership (National) includes Hearing Loss Magazine bi-monthly and The Hearing Loss Californian quarterly
☐ $20 Student ☐ $35 Individual
☐ $45 Couple ☐ $60 Professional
DONATIONS: Chapter Donation: Scholarship Fund: TOTAL ENCLOSED $
Make checks payable to: HLA-SV
And mail to: Earl Mizuguchi-Treasurer 6136 Oak Forest Way
San Jose, CA 95120
Executive Board
President- Judie Cordy 408-923-9205 [email protected] 1st Vice President- Maggie Iller 408-867- [email protected] 2nd Vice President-OPEN Secretary- Lynne Kinsey 408-265-4038 [email protected] Treasurer- Earl Mizuguchi 408-977-6377 [email protected] Newsletter- Teri Butcher
Committee Chairs
Advocacy- OPEN Cheer & Courtesy- Evelyn Taravella 408-629-2428 [email protected] Dining Out- Wilkes Joy 408-395-4826 [email protected] Historian-OPEN Hospitality and Welcome- Jenny Stonehouse 408-448-5280 Library- Lynne Kinsey 408-265-4038 [email protected] Looping Initiative- OPEN Outreach- Maggie Iller 408-867-9557 [email protected] Publicity and White Elephant- Dorothy Mensinger 408-251-9055 [email protected] Scholarship- Earl Mizuguchi 408-997-6377 [email protected] Sound Systems- Jim Oswald 408-978-1189 [email protected]
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Thank you to our Advertisers!
DISCLAIMER
Opinions Expressed in Articles appearing in this newsletter are those of the author. Mention of goods and services in articles and advertisements does not mean HLA-SV endorsement, nor should exclusion suggest disapproval.
2784 Babe Ruth Dr. San Jose, CA 95132
Q
Don’t Forget to Renew!! The Date on your Mailing Label is Your Membership Renewal Date
Please use Form on Page 6 You’re Dues Help Support our Chapter and Scholarship Programs
The Silicon Valley Chapter is still working on their website and Facebook page. We plan to have it updated in the near future. Any suggestions, problems or questions for these sites as well as for the newsletter, please let me know. Teri Butcher, Newsletter Editor at [email protected] Check out the Hearing Loss Association Online-Facebook and Websites: Our Chapter- https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Hearing-Loss-Association-of-Silicon-Valley For the Young Adults http://www.facebook.com/HLASVYOUTH For California- https://www.facebook.com/hearinglossca HLAA -Nat’l www.hearingloss.org HLA-Silicon Valley http://www.hearingloss-sv.org HLA-CA www.hearinglossca.org
BOARD OF DIRECTOR MEETINGS
Meets First Wednesday of the Month, Next Meetings are Nov. 6 and Dec. 4, At 1:00 pm at Pat and Jim Oswald, 1436 Gerhardt Avenue, San Jose, CA
All Members are welcome and encouraged to attend
We are a 501(c) (3) exempt organization. Your dues and donations may be tax deductible