Walking, biking, strolling, Mov-A-Thon-style

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--It was a cool day to go for a walk in New Ulm. Or a bike ride. Or to cruise New Ulm's back streets in a pair of in-line skates.

The only kind of wheels not allowed at the National Federation of the Blind's 20th Annual Move-A-Thon was the motorized kind. All in all, it was a pretty successful day for the group. Nearly all of the event's 45 participants finished the 10K trek, which began at 9 a.m. Saturday. The organization's River Bend chapter collected $3,500 in pledges and many of its members believe that another $1,000 or $2,000 are on the way.

The day was also a chance for blind and nearly blind people from across Minnesota to get together and raise awareness of their cause. River Bend chapter president Charlene Childrey said the money received from pledges will go towards statewide projects like installing voice-activated automatic teller and voting machines. Pledge money is also used for programs about blindness, lobbying on blindness issues and college scholarships for blind students.

The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) is one of the country's largest organizations for blind people. It sponsors seminars and workshops to teach employers and others about blindness. It also donates braile books to charity and is currently working on establishing a voice-activated voting machine that will allow blind people to vote without the aid of a sighted person. Childrey said a dial-in news service that reads national newspapers is also in the works, but its success will depend on how many people need it.

Childrey herself works for Blind, Inc., a Minneapolis-based company that teaches classes to people who have lost their sight or are in the process of losing it. Topics range from cooking and traveling to writing resumes and choosing careers. Its motto has three tenets--security, opportunity and equality. NFB has four chapters in Minnesota. One is in the metro area, another is in St. Cloud, one is in Rochester and one is based in New Ulm.

"This is a chance to be alongside our sighted peers as equals, not as caretakers," Childrey said.

The Move-A-Thon started in Minneapolis about 20 years ago and has since then taken a trip to Rochester before settling in New Ulm six years ago. NFB State President Judy Sanders said the organization has seen marvelous luck in New Ulm and believes the Move-A-Thon to be the only one of its kind in the state. Childrey said others states had Move-A-Thons in years past, but believes Minnesota is the only state that still puts one on. One upcoming event is a state convention in Bloomington, where members will discuss issues and a legislative strategy that they hope will get NFB's message to the state government.

"It's fundamentally about education because blind people walking 10 kilometers is not something people expect," she said.

The Move-A-Thon started at Childrey's house on Second North Street and continued southward to Schell's Brewery, where participants stopped for cups of root beer. Checkpoints were also in parks along the route, where volunteers passed out water and snacks. Childrey said 14 local blind people participated this year. The event also saw a sizeable crowd from Minneapolis, who arrived by bus. Jennifer Dunovam of Minneapolis, an NFB member of 15 years and Metro chapter president, was one of them. This year marked her eighth Move-A-Thon.

"I felt refreshed," she said after the event was over. "I took the bus home and I felt rather refreshed. The day was on the cool side."

Jean Manning of Arlington and her seven-year-old daughter Megan participated in the Move-A-Thon for the first time this year. Jean said she joined NFB because Megan is blind and got involved with the Move-A-Thon through Childrey. She said that while her feet were sore at the end of it all, she learned quite a bit about how blind people adapt to life. Manning's two nieces, sisters and mother went along. Megan said that she thought next year's Move-A-Thon should be 12 miles instead of six.

"I think it's really fun," she said. "If you live in town, you should try it. With walking and biking and exercising, it's the best thing I've ever done."

Donations can be sent to the National Federation of the Blind,100 East 22nd Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55404.

Walking, biking, strolling, Mov-A-Thon-style