The Journey is the Reward

GDB alumna Maia Scott with her Golden guide Tessa recently returned home to San Francisco from a jaunt to Europe earlier this summer. We caught up with her at the California campus Fun Day, where she said she was "still floating around in a blissful state of afterglow from such an incredible excursion." She sent us the following highlights of her trip:

• Getting held back by Eurostar going from France to England which resulted in an unexpected stay in Paris and Tessa ending up with a French passport.
• Receiving an extra fifteen minute touch tour of Stonehenge after our group's hour within the circle of the stones (I don't know if very many people - or dogs - get to stand on the alter stone!).
• Visiting the stones at Avebury; the whole little town is inside a stone circle.
• Spending time at Chalice Well with Tessa. She drank the iron-rich water as if it were going out of style. People pilgrimage there to walk on the Tor and drink the water for its healing properties. Whenever we walked by the garden entrance, Tessa wanted us to go back in for another drink.
• Both in England and Ireland, it was really funny to hear people commenting near us, "Do you think that dog is really from the States?"

School District is Going to the Dogs!

By puppy raiser and leader Alice Garcia

Four years ago when I interviewed for a District School Nurse job with the Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD), in Calabasas, Calif., my fourth Guide Dog in training, Garfield, attended the interview with me. Garfield was on his best behavior and actually slept through the interview process. At the end of the interview, I was asked if there was anything I'd would like to share about myself with the interview team. "If you hire me," I said, "you will have the privilege of having a Guide Dog in training in the district for years to come.” I did get hired, and I'm now raising my seventh Guide Dog puppy, Tally.

As you can imagine, a puppy-in-training is quite popular on campus with the students. I cover preschool through high school and am at a different school each day. The puppy visits the health office and can quickly cure a stomach ache, soothe a child that is having a bad day, or just put a smile on anyone’s face by snuggling for a hug or rolling over for a belly rub.

The staff and faculty are also positively affected by having a Guide Dog pup on campus.

Now the LVUSD has two additional puppy raisers. Kim Ellis is a biology teacher at Agoura High School, and is raising her first puppy, black Lab Cole. Cole is quite comfortable with the high school students changing classes. He knows the routine of snoozing in class and is a crowd favorite at staff meetings. Carol Martino is the principal at Sumac Elementary School; she and her husband, Gary, are also raising their first Guide Dog puppy, yellow Lab Narita. Narita was delivered to the Martinos over the summer. She will start school in September along with the 500 students that attend Sumac.

What an outstanding educational opportunity the LVUSD has presented to us as puppy raisers and the students of their district. The students, staff and faculty have learned a lot about Guide Dog etiquette and increased their awareness of the visually impaired in our society. LVUSD has provided this golden opportunity and the three of us feel privileged to bring our puppies to school each day.

Embrace Your Abilities

By GDB Alumna Cindy Rogers

This past May, I received an email from C Different Foundation’s founder, Matt Miller, asking for my possible participation in an event as a blind or visually impaired athlete. Well, I do run a few 5K races each year, but does this qualify me as being an athlete?! But the phrase that caught my attention - “All you have to do is get to New York City” - piqued my interest. What would I need to do once I reached New York City?

The email from Matt continued [paraphrased]:

“Recently, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) announced that they are requiring all visually impaired athletes, no matter what your level of visual impairment may be, to wear blackout goggles during the run portion of a triathlon. The ITU is changing the rule because they state there are not enough blind/visually impaired athletes competing in sports, therefore, [the blackout goggles are being required] in order to level the playing field. My proposal stated that the C Different Foundation will provide the following to all blind athletes who wish to compete at the NYC Triathlon, which is the paratriathlon US National Championships:

• Cover the cost of the entry fee for each athlete
• Coordinate and cover the cost of transporting your tandem through Tri Bike Transport to the city (it's extremely safe and secure)
• Find you a local guide from NYC who could guide you and provide you with a homestay
• Provide you and your guide with an official CDF racing top."

Triathlon?!? I know that ‘tri’ is three and the ‘athlon’ sounds like more running than I would ever do, but.... how could I NOT join C Different Foundation in support of those of us who are blind and visually impaired? All I had to do was pay round trip airfare to NYC and, oh yes, participate in a triathlon! I mentioned this email to my manager at Starbucks. Her response was that I absolutely had to participate and that our store would sponsor a fundraiser for my airfare!

In June, I made the commitment and registered. I probably should have committed myself for this commitment! Thus began my training and the countdown to July 18th. I was humbled by the outpouring of support from my friends and my Starbucks family to assist in my accelerated training program. It was arduous and daunting, especially battling Phoenix summer temperatures, but when July 16th arrived I boarded my flight with bike helmet and wetsuit in hand and my unconditionally loyal and fearless Guide Dog, Zamira, by my side!

There were 62 of us (31 athletes and 31 human sighted guides) representing C Different in the Nautica NYC Triathlon. We were “protesting by participation” the USAT ruling requiring blackout goggles. We were indeed visible as we proudly wore our bright orange C Different t-shirts with “No blackout goggles NYC 2010” printed on the back. Pre-race day was packed with preparation as we met our guides and practiced on tandems and tethered running. We finalized tether lengths for our 1500m swim in the Hudson River and arranged our gear in the transition area.

On Sunday, July 18, 61 very proud athletes approached the swim start as a determined and courageous team of men and women gathered together to make a statement and to make history. The crowd cheered with exuberance and my heart was filled with a pride that brought tears to my eyes. What a monumental moment this was!

The race did not progress as I had hoped and I did not finish the Triathlon. I continue to struggle with this disappointment, but each day I grow in more acceptance that I was willing to try. John Bingham once said: “The miracle is not that I finished, the miracle is that I had the courage to start.” I will be able to say this one day. For now, I will add one of my own words to this quote: “The miracle is not that I (didn’t) finish, the miracle is that I had the courage to start.”