National Braille Press

Miss our eNews last week? Get all the latest stories from last month here: https://hubs.ly/Q02JkjQ40

NBP News: Wrap Up Your Summer with a Braille & Brew Event! Come join us on Tuesday, August 27th at 6:30pm at the vibrant Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. in Waltham, MA for an unforgettable Braille and Brew event!

It's time to save the date for this year's Million Laughs for Literacy Gala! We'll be celebrating 40 years of the Children's Braille Book Club program! Join us at Fenway Park on Friday, November 8th to celebrate four decades of the CBBC!
https://hubs.ly/Q02Jk7Bd0

The Boston Strong Beep Baseball team won their first TWO games at the World Series this week in St. Louis!! Let’s go Boston Strong Blind Baseball !!!

That winning feeling!

Test your tastebuds with a blindfolded beer drinking experience benefitting braille literacy! Braille and Brew is back at Mighty Squirrel in Waltham on August 27th at 6:30pm and we can't wait for you to try this year's flight (and pizza!!)!
https://hubs.ly/Q02HyKBV0


Image Description: The NBP and Mighty Squirrel logos with the Text Braille and Bew and Tuesday, August 27 next to a large cartoonized pint of bubbling beer

Want to re-live the Annual Meeting from last month? The recording is now available on our YouTube channel!

Annual Meeting NBP 2024 The virtual feed from the National Braille Press 2024 Annual Meeting

Who else is eagerly anticipating Paris?! We're so excited about the inclusion of braille on the Paralympic medals! These unique medals that celebrate the birthplace of braille even contain a piece of scrap iron from the Eiffel Tower, shaped like a hexagon and engraved with the Paris 2024 emblem. The front showcases a view of the Eiffel Tower from below, along with braille inscriptions and tactile line patterns for easy identification.
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Join us for a day of golf for a great cause at the National Braille Press Golf Tournament on Monday, September 30th! ⛳️ Enjoy a 7:30am shotgun start at the beautiful Indian Ridge Country Club in Andover, MA. Help support braille literacy and have a blast on the greens! Sign up today and let's make a difference together. 🏌️‍♀️

National Braille Press 2024 Golf Tournament 7:30AM Shotgun Start Breakfast & Lunch - Silent Auction & Entertainment Details to Follow The 1st Annual National Braille Press Golf Tournament brings together golf enthusiasts, supporters of braille literacy and the blind community for afternoon of golfing and comradery. Proceeds f...

Our very own Joe Q has been featured in this month's issue of the Boston College Magazine! https://hubs.ly/Q02FK-pH0

Joe Quintanilla A vice president at National Braille Press and an elite marathoner, Quintanilla ’98 has never let blindness slow him down.

Want a recap of our Annual Meeting? The virtual feed is now live on our YouTube page: https://hubs.ly/Q02FL68L0. You can re-live the awarding of the Touch of Genius Prize to Touch Graphics Inc, a live display of the T3 Tablet and Games system, and the presentation of the 2024 Sue Ammeter Volunteer Award to Lori Tsuruda for more than 30 years of service to NBP's community, and the 2024 Group Volunteer Award to Columbia Threadneedle Investments!

Image Description: (1) A close up of two hands using one of the tactile graphics from the Tablet. The graphics are in a pile on a wooden table. (2) A white woman and two white men stand together behind a podium posing and smiling. The woman has long dark wavy hair and is wearing a green top with short sleeves. The man in the middle has short white and gray hair and is wearing glasses and a blue patterned collared long sleeve shirt, with the sleeves partly rolled up. The man on the right has short white hair and is wearing a suit with a red tie. (3) A white man with glasses and short gray and white hair stands behing a stand-up tablet sitting on a table. He reaches with his right arm over the top of the tablet to point to a portion of the tactile graphic covering half of the tablet.
Another white man with white hair stands next to him holding the microphone over the tablet speaker. The tactile graphic includes many different types of fish. (4) A white man, a Latino man, an Asian woman and a white woman stand together posing and smiling. The man on the far left has white hair, the second man has dark wavy hair and is holding a white cane with his right arm. The woman second from the right has dark and white hair that is pulled back and is holding an award placque. The woman on the far right has long dark wavy hair. (5) A Latino man and two white women stand together posing and smiling. The man has dark wavy hair and is holding a microphone with his right hand and a white cane with his right arm. With his left hand, he holds the side of an award frame. The woman in the middle has short dark hair and holds the award frame with both hands. The woman on the right has long dark wavy hair. (6) A close up of a white woman with dark-rimmed glasses and dark, long wavy hair stands behind a podium holding a microphone and smiling. (7) A white man with white hair stands behind a podium holding a microphone and smiles.

During our recent visit to Hartford, Connecticut, we were truly touched to receive a grant from the generous J. Walton Bissell Foundation. The ceremony at Charter Oak Boxing Academy was a memorable moment, as our Vice President of Development and Major Gifts, Joe Quintanilla, presented Sarah Anthony, the Executive Director and President of the Foundation, with a heartfelt gift - a special copy of Ira Sleeps Over, the June CBBC book dedicated to the Bissell Foundation. We are deeply grateful for their support and partnership.

Happy Helen Keller Day! We're so excited to celebrate the birthday of one of our favorite braille readers from history!
Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880. Apart from being a world-renowned activist, public speaker and author, she was also the first deaf and blind woman to graduate from college in 1904. Her birthday has been celebrated nationally as Helen Keller Day since 2006!



Image Description: A photo of Helen Keller with the text June 27th Happy Birthday Helen Keller and her quote "The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart." All on a beige background.

FUN FACT: NBP is a proud supporter of ’s 2024 National Conference on Student Assessment! We're having a blast engaging in discussions about education and assessment with state leaders and practitioners across the country!.

Image Description: The National Braille Press Exhibitor Table - a white tablecloth with the blue nbp text logo is covered with a variety of braille materials. Two women are standing behind the table close together posing and smiling.

Thanks so much to these volunteers from the Boston Office of .stanley for coming in to assemble our Children’s Braille Book Club selection for July, ‘The Paper Bag Princess’ by Robert Munsch!

Image Description: (1) A group of volunteers stand together in front of a long table smiling. One volunteer in the middle of the group holds a completed copy of The Paper Bag Princess. (2) The cover of The Paper Bag Princess: a green dragon with red spikes and smoke puffs coming out of his nose and mouth reaches his head and neck through a doorway to look at a small girl with short blond hair wearing a paper bag dress who is facing him. (3 & 4) Many volunteers surround a long table covered around the edges with piles of print and braille pages. Volunteers are taking pages off the piles and speaking to one another.

Thanks so much to for coming in last week to assemble a new run of “I’ll Love You Til The Cows Come Home”!

The Boston Marathon revelaed their new logo last week and as we apply for next year's Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program, we're getting so excited for 2025!!

It's Men's Health Week and Blueprint for Men's Health is available in the online bookstore to help raise awareness!
https://hubs.ly/Q02B8ynY0
Did you know that men are generally less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy than women? Many premature deaths among men can be prevented. This book delves into the key health issues that men commonly face. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific condition or related group of conditions - from diabetes and cancer to prostate health, addiction, and substance abuse. It discusses the risk factors, symptoms, and offers practical strategies for prevention and treatment.

https://hubs.ly/Q02zlq9n0
Join us at Northeastern University in Boston for an unforgettable evening of community celebration! Enjoy delicious food, honor our dedicated volunteers with prestigious awards, and gain valuable insights into the current state of National Braille Press from our esteemed President & CEO, Brian Mac Donald.

In addition to all the excitement, we are thrilled to announce the presentation of the prestigious Touch of Genius Prize, and volunteer awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to the Press.

For those unable to attend in person, we invite you to join us virtually by registering online. Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with our community and stay informed about our mission.

The evening kicks off with a reception featuring delectable hors d'oeuvres from 5 - 6pm, followed by an engaging program from 6 - 7pm. Convenient parking is available at the Northeastern University Columbus Garage on Columbus Avenue, and the MBTA Northeastern Stop (Greenline) is just a quick 2-minute walk away.

Don't miss this chance to be a part of something special - RSVP today and secure your spot at our Annual Meeting!

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today that the total funds raised
through the 2024 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America reached a record total of $71.9 million! This brings the total charitable fundraising since the program began in 1989 to over $550 million.

At NBP, we set our own record this year, with the team raising almost $82,000 to support braille literacy programs! We got to close our our fundraising last night with Kevin Barron and the Woburn Lions donating the final $5,000 to the team! Thanks once again to our incredible team members who made this a truly unforgettable year of Marathon fundraising!

Nicole Juri, Director of Development for the B.A.A. said, “We set a high bar for our fundraising at the Boston Marathon this year and I am delighted to be able to share today that thanks to our amazing runners and supporters – we did it. This amount will have a huge impact on the Greater Boston community and all those who receive support and services from these incredible organizations.”

Thanks so much to our wonderful friends from the 33K District Lions for coming in to assemble more than 400 copies of “Ira Sleeps Over,” our Children’s Braille Book Club selection for next month!! We love Lions!! 🦁



Image Description: (1) A group of volunteers stand together in a group smiling -some kneeling and some standing. One volunteer who is standing right of center in the photo is holding a completed copy of the braille book. (2) A photo of volunteers in line down a long wooden table with edges covered in piles of print and braille page. The volunteer in the foreground has a hand out in the midst of picking up a page off a stack. (3) A photo of print and braille pages lined up on a long wooden table taken from the opposite side of the table. Volunteers are in the midst of picking up the top page from each pile. (4) A photo from behind volunteers picking up pages from piles lined up on either side of a long wooden table. To the left is a large bin filled with already collated print-braille copies. (5) The cover of “Ira Sleeps Over” by Bernard Waber. A side perspective drawing of a little boy with black hair walking down stairs with a bannister. He is wearing a bright green robe and holding a small yellow stuffed animal.(6) A photo of the full collating table- piles of print and braille pages on the edges of each side-as well as many Lions volunteers in royal blue and dark blue collared shirts. A container with already collated copies is in the middle of the table and many of the volunteers are reaching onto the piles to grab print or braille pages.

Thanks so much to our wonderful friends at Voya for hosting us in Connecticut this past week for a special on-site volunteer project! More than 60 volunteers completed full runs of "Rockabye Forest" "That's Not My Train" and "Animal Kisses".

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day! Check out this post from Olark on how they've managed their own accessibility goals over the last year! Thanks for being a leader in the space Olark

Toward Accessible AI Chatbots: Olark’s Annual Report for GAAD (Year 3!) Our third annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day reflection and commitment write-up.

Happy Mother's Day from NBP!!



Image Description: Graphic with a pink circle with the black text Happy MOM (in braille) Mother's Day surrounded by green, yellow and pink flowers

Don't forget to join us today at Horn Pond for the Woburn Host Lions Club Charity Dog Walk in support of NBP!
Bring your fuzziest family members for a walk around the Pond, great food, music and family fun today from 11:30am-3pm!
https://hubs.ly/Q02whCp30

The are hosting a charity dog walk this weekend in support of NBP! Join us at Lions Park at Horn Pond this Saturday from 11:30am-3pm and bring your favorite furry family member!

https://hubs.ly/Q02whJ_z0

We're celebrating our Braille Across America Team tonight!! Our team members from across the country will gather together virtually this evening to be acknowleged for their accomplishments during the challenge the last 2 months! If you'd like to celebrate the team and haven't gotten the chance to donate yet, the donation pages are still open!!

https://hubs.ly/Q02whBNB0

Image Description: A collage of images from Braille Across America team members overlain with the challenge logo and confetti