It has been quite a year for Minds Eye already. The first six months of the year have flown by and we have been hard at work making sure our listeners are up-to-date on the biggest news stories, have all the dirt on all the celebrities, and are ready when they go out to the stores with the ads for the biggest sales. I am sure you will agree that the past six months have been tough ones for everyone financially, and they have been extremely hard on our Minds Eye listeners, many of whom live solely on Social Security or
their investments. The financial situation has made Minds Eye even more important to them. Sales ads for local grocery stores, retail stores, and pharmacies have long been a staple to our programming, but they have become increasingly popular as the recession amplified. Dax S. from Maryville told one of our volunteers that he “makes a list of groceries and saves money by listening to ads.”

We all know that making a list helps curb that urge to splurge at the grocery store, but how do you make a list when you do not know what you are going to cook? Minds Eye has that covered too. Our In the Kitchen program features articles about food and cooking techniques and articles from Everyday with Rachel Ray and Gourmet, as well as local publications. Ashley G. from Belleville told us that In the Kitchen is her favorite program and without it, she “wouldn’t be able to cook!”

We also include healthy recipes in our Weight Loss Show from Weight Watchers Magazine, Fitness, and Shape. Many of our listeners’ vision loss is connected to diabetes and there are many others who are working on getting into healthy lifestyles so that they can strength their hearts. Whatever their motivation, this show, along with the To Your Health and Blindness and Disability News Hour programs, give our listeners the information to lead longer and healthier lives. And of course, we are sure that none
of the listeners to these shows would be disappointed to put those Sears, J.C. Penney’s, and Kohl’s ads to work to find some smaller and less expensive clothes too!

These shows are just a sampling from the over 100 hours per week of original programs that Minds Eye’s volunteers produce. Using these programs, listeners not only get the news, but they also learn to adapt the everyday tasks that many sighted people take for granted, like shopping and cooking. “It is a map to the real world, and it’s right in my home,” said Jeanette S. of Moro.

Just as Minds Eye’s listeners need their radios, Minds Eye needs you to make sure we can continue to produce these great shows and deliver them to our listeners. I hope you will consider making a tax-deductible gift to Minds Eye to help us continue to put on great shows. Each show that enriches our listeners’ lives costs $80.00 each week and serving one listener for one year costs
$46.50. Please help today so that people who are blind or physically disabled in your neighborhood can continue to get all the information that they need to be their best.

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