2nd Thursdays
Eat, Share, and Connect
We have resumed our popular monthly lunch meetings, now held on the second Thursday of every month, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, at Mt. Nittany Residences (301 Rolling Ridge Dr, State College, 16801.)
The "new and improved" lunch bunch is a joint venture of the SLSG (Sight-Loss Support Group), the BBVS (Bureau of Blind and Visual Services), and the NCSS (North Central Sight Services). Open to the general public, the lunch bunch is a social, supportive, and informative afternoon. Representatives from each of the organizations will be present at each lunch, a new topic of interest will be presented each month, and a complementary lunch is provided.
2026 2nd Thursday Lunch Meetings:
January 8, 2026: Social
February 12: Steve Kechisen, from Blindness and Visual Services, will be speaking.
March 12: Social
April 9: Social
May 14: Zandy Dudiak from the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) will explain all the services from this free public library. It serves residents who are visually and physically challenged and have difficulty reading standard print. This is a Zoom presentation due to the travel distance between Pittsburgh and State College.
June 11: Maria Burchill from the Schlow Centre Region Library in State College will join us (in person!) for a presentation on Schlow’s library services. Maria will emphasize formats that make reading accessible to people with vision loss.
July: There is NO MEETING IN JULY. We are on vacation!
August 13: Louise Victor, our View Via Voice audio-description coordinator (and SLSG co-president) will introduce the fall theater season. In addition to providing a brief description of each audio-described performance, she will help all who are interested sign up for tickets. It’s one of the great joys of fall; we get to return to the playhouse!
2025 Lunch Meetings:
January 9: Enjoy the show a whole lot more: Pre-show notes for audio-described performances. Presented by Louise Victor, Coordinator of View Via Voice
February 13: CANCELLED due to hazardous wintery weather conditions predicted.
March 13: So many ways for VIPs to read. Presented by Shelley Haupt from the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services
April 10: Social
May 8: TED Talk by Isaac Lidsky. In this audio recording, the author of the inspiring book Eyes Wide Open, explains the powerful insights that inspired him to pursue his most ambitious dreams despite losing his sight to a blinding disease. It isn't external circumstances that govern our realty but rather how we perceive and respond to them.
June 12: Assistive Technology presentation by the specialist from the North Central Sight Services.
July 10: NO LUNCH MEETING.
August 14: Social
Sept 11: NO LUNCH MEETING. Our meeting space is getting an upgrade! Unfortunately, this means the room will be under construction in September.
October 9: Dan Longmore, pastor of the Marsh Creek Brethren in Christ Church in Howard, PA, will share his story - how he lost his vision and how he set upon his chosen path of pastor and spiritual guide. Prepare to be uplifted.
March 13, 2025: So many ways for VIPs to read. Presented by Shelley Haupt from the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services