From The
Executive
Director's
Desk |
 Fr. Boniface Wittenbrink
Legacy Society Etablished
On March 1, 1973, armed only with boundless faith, ten
radio receivers, and a handful of volunteers, Fr. Boniface
Wittenbrink, O.M.I., founded Radio Information Service.
Fr. Boni, as he prefers to be called, is fond of telling
people that when he began his new assignment, all he
knew about blindness was “you couldn’t see” and all he knew about radio was “how to turn one on and change
the batteries.” Without prior experience in management
or technology, Fr. Boni founded a radio station, now called Minds Eye Information
Service, which has benefited thousands of blind and print disabled people
throughout the greater St. Louis area.
In honor of the 34th anniversary of Minds Eye Information Service, the Fr. Boniface
Wittenbrink Legacy Society has been established to ensure that Minds Eye can
continue to provide the highest caliber of news broadcasting and the widest variety
of informational programming to our listeners for future generations.
Many people have found that a bequest in their will is an effective way to ensure
that the important service that Minds Eye provides will continue for generations to
come. By making provisions in your estate plans, you can be assured that programs
that enrich lives, inspire minds, and build self confidence will always be available
to those who need it. This type of gift enables you to continue a legacy of generosity
well beyond your years.
There are several ways to leave a legacy to Minds Eye. These include bequests
through a will or trust specifying a dollar amount or a percentage of your estate or
naming Minds Eye as the beneficiary of a retirement plan or life insurance policy.
Consulting with your attorney or financial advisor will ensure your estate plans fulfill
your final wishes and provide substantial tax saving opportunities.
To join the Fr. Boniface Wittenbrink Legacy Society, call 618 394-6221 or
314 241-3400, Ext. 6221 and let us know you have remembered Minds Eye in your
estate plans. Members of the Legacy Society are recognized on a plaque in our station
and in our annual report. Members are invited to special events as well as an
annual recognition dinner.
Soiree pour la Vue
 Are you the King of your Krewe? Are you ready for
Mardi Gras Madness? If you are, join hundreds
of Minds Eye Information Service supporters at
Moulin Meetings and Events in Lafayette Square
on February 15, 2007 to celebrate Soiree pour la
Vue: An Evening for Sight.
The Soiree committee has planned an evening of wine tasting donated by Schnucks Markets
and Missouri Beverage, hors d’oeuvres, a silent
auction, and an oral auction hosted by KSDK
meteorologist, Mike Roberts. This year’s auction
will feature artwork, trips, gift certificates to area
restaurants and much more! Call 618 394-6221 for more information.
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Al Schon
Executive Director
Imagine how hard it is to be told that you must read your favorite magazine on Thursdays at one in the afternoon. How would you
feel if you wanted to read the newspaper at two in the afternoon,
but were told that you could only do it at eight in the morning?
Although Minds Eye listeners enjoy having our volunteers read
the newspapers, magazines, retail store ads, and books, they do
have to work us into their schedules based on when we air
these programs. One of the limitations of radio is that its
programming can only air at pre-set times.
Now imagine a world where our listeners could hear their
favorite programs any time they wanted to. A world where one
listener could be listening to the Wall Street Journal while
another heard the Funny Pages. This is the world we are
working towards at Minds Eye.
Many blind people are computer savvy and regularly surf the
Internet. Computer programs like Jaws and Window Eyes “read”
webpages aloud using synthesized voices, giving them access to a
wide variety of websites. Minds Eye currently has a web presence
through a single page on the website of the National Shrine of
Our Lady of the Snows. What we want to have is a stand alone
site where we can not only stream our broadcasts in real time,
but also archive our other programs. This would allow listeners
with computers to not only hear our programs just like our radio
listeners, but to also call up programs on demand and listen
to them at their convenience. We could also reach a wider
geographic area, since we wouldn’t be restricted to the fifty-mile
radius of St. Louis that we have with our radios.
All of this takes planning, computer infrastructure, and
sufficient bandwidth to make it work. The computerized
recording equipment that we installed a year ago was the first
step in making this dream a reality. We now have all of our
programming in a format that will allow us to send it over the
Internet. However, the cost of a server to handle the Internet
connections and the bandwidth necessary to enable many
listeners to access programming at the same time are expensive.
You, our donors, have made it possible for us to take this dream
to the planning stages. With your continued assistance we will be
able to move this project on to implementation. Thanks for your
continued support!
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