mark james
IAP Collection, Curator
This is a Pre-Announcement, Announcement . Just to get folks thinking.
I responded to a thread asking for assistance with a potential program in Portland, Oregon for a Center for Visually Impaired Woodturners: http://www.penturners.org/forum/f14/penturning-blindin-portland-oregon-155517/.
As a result of conversations with the founder of these programs - Andi Sullivan , I saw an opportunity for IAP members to assist. I visited the program in Phoenix, Arizona, managed superbly by our very own Sharon Wertz (sbwertz).
After my visit and apt training from Sharon, I continued to chat with Andi and Malcolm Zander who is assisting from the side of AAW. We are now in the middle stages of identifying how IAP members can assist in these programs (Tampa, Phoenix, Atlanta, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and recently Portland).
This is not anything that IAP is spearheading - we will simply be assisting for an up-and-running set of programs established by Andi with local agency representatives.
I will continue to chat with Andi to establish how the IAP membership can assist, then will convey that to the membership. I will wait until the Summer Extravaganza activities are done to present more defined roles.
This is just an FYI for a soon-to-be future area where IAP can be a positive member of our own communities.
AAW has supported establishing these programs admirably, but most of the projects these programs use are Key rings, Single barrel pens with paired bushings, letter openers, etc - Projects IAP members are intimately familiar with and can easily assist with blank preparation; this familiarity is our strength.
Please ask any questions, offer thoughts, and I will refine the parameters of how IAP can assist going forward and report back more formally in a few weeks! (This may be an "Activities Manager" posting in the future - Mike and Jeff will advise).
Happy Turning!
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