[Missouri-l] [leadership] convention press release: Watermelon 5K

[peter altschul]

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Dan Dillon, Chair, ACB Walk/Run Committee

Phone: (615) 874-1223; cell: (615) 739-4665

E-mail: dan.dillon at bellsouth.net



American Council of the Blind Conventioneers to Participate in 
the Track
Shack 19th Annual July 4th Watermelon 5K Run/Walk



ORLANDO, June 22, 2009 -- Members of the American Council of the 
Blind are
participating this year in the Track Shack 19th Annual July 4th 
Watermelon
5K Run/Walk under the Care Program.  The event is being held in 
Mead Garden,
1300 S.  Denning Dr., Winter Park, Fla.



American Council of the Blind (ACB) is having its annual 
convention in
Orlando and its members will be participating in the July 4th 
Watermelon 5K!
Dan Dillon, ACB's Walk/Run Committee Chair, says: "For the first 
time ever
the ACB is using a fun run/walk to raise funds and encourage its 
members to
embrace an active and healthy lifestyle."



The ACB participants will be boarding a bus early Saturday 
morning, July 4,
to head off to Mead Park for the big event.  "We have been 
planning and
working on this walk/run now for the past several months," says 
Dr.  Ron
Milliman, Public Relations Committee Chair for the American 
Council of the
Blind.  "We hope to raise several thousand dollars from this 
event.  Our
members have been seeking sponsors and pledges for several weeks.  
Like
people in general, many of our ACB members do not get nearly as 
much
exercise as they should to promote healthy living, and so, we 
hope our
participation in the Track Shack 19th Annual July 4th Watermelon 
5K Run/Walk
will encourage more of our members to start an exercise program 
of their
own, and they will help ACB to raise some much-needed funds too."



Some of the ACB members will take pride in being able to simply 
walk the
distance while a few others will run the entire 5K.  One such 
runner is Doug
Powell, who is blind.  For the past several years, Doug has 
participated in
a couple of international distance triathlons each year, a couple 
of
marathon runs, and a century (over 100 miles) bike ride.  Powell 
says: "In
1996, I did my first triathlon with a buddy on a tandem bicycle.  
The swim
went OK - I only got a little lost.  The bike was great - only a 
few people
asked if that was cheating, and the run went fine on my own.  I 
didn't win
any prizes, but I was on the road to discovering how to adjust to 
my sight
loss and still do what I love."



Doug's dream is to participate in an Ironman distance triathlon.  
In early
June, he completed his first half-Ironman distance triathlon - 
1.2-mile
swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run.  He didn't win any prizes, 
but you
couldn't have told that from the smile and high-stepping he did 
at the
finish line.  He has another half-Ironman scheduled in early 
October of this
year, and has his sights set on a full Ironman race in Wisconsin 
in 2010 -
the year he turns 60 years old.



So why is Doug doing the Track Shack/ACB 5K?  "I'll do anything 
to get a
good workout in on the road," he quips.  "But seriously, I'm 
doing it
because I enjoy sports, and I enjoy being around people who enjoy 
them also..
But mostly, I'm doing this race because I believe in the American 
Council of
the Blind and the programs and services they provide blind and 
visually
impaired people.  This is a fundraiser for them, and I wanted to 
do my part
to support the organization that has helped me become a more 
fulfilled
person.  I also want to show people that it may take us a little 
longer to
learn some new skill.  It may take a little more support to keep 
us going.
But we are as committed to excellence as anyone else and will do 
a great job
at whatever goal we set ourselves.  Our sight may be impaired, 
but our
dreams are intact and, with the right tools, we'll get it done."



More than 2,000 blind and visually impaired people will gather at 
the Rosen
Centre Hotel (407-996-9840), from July 3-11 for the 48th annual 
national
convention of the American Council of the Blind (ACB).  According 
to the
Orlando & Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau, an 
estimated
$2,960,300 will be injected into the greater Orlando economy 
thanks to the
ACB conventioneers.



Among the many attractions of the ACB national convention, there 
will be a
large trade show in which visitors can see state-of-the-art 
devices designed
to make life easier for blind and low-vision people.  The exhibit 
area will
feature a wide variety of products including mobility devices 
such as white
canes and even talking GPS navigation units, all types of 
magnification
devices, talking watches and clocks, and special computer 
equipment that
translates print books and magazines into braille or artificial 
speech, and
much, much more.



The American Council of the Blind is a national membership 
organization.
Its members are blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted 
individuals who
are concerned about the dignity and well-being of blind people 
throughout
the nation.



Formed in 1961, the ACB is one of the largest organizations of 
blind people
in the world, with more than 70 state and special-interest 
affiliates and a
nationwide network of chapters and members spanning the globe.



For more information about the American Council of the Blind or 
the ACB
national convention, contact: Melanie Brunson, Executive 
Director, American
Council of the Blind, 2200 Wilson Blvd., Suite 650, Arlington, VA 
22201;
phone (202) 467-5081 or (800) 424-8666; or visit the web site, 
www.acb.org.