Audiobook Club – Heartwood

We’re turning the page for book club, and we’re onto our second book!

Featured Book for June
Heartwood
by Amity Gaige
BARD # DB128729

In the heart of the Maine woods, an Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is 42-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her heart into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping. At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Main State Warden tasked with finding Valerie on the ground. Meanwhile, Lena, a 76-year-old birdwatcher in a Connecticut retirement community, becomes an unexpected armchair detective. Rolling between these compelling narratives, a puzzle emerges, intensifying the frantic search, as Valerie’s disappearance may not be accidental. The mystery inspires larger questions about the many ways we get lost and how we are found.

Our audiobook club will feature books available on BARD. Books will be chosen by and discussions led by different book club members. Meetings will take place at various coffee shops in the Omaha metro area accessible by public transportation. Exact locations will be shared with registered participants. Meetings will take place every other month on a Saturday. Attending the meeting is free, but coffee is not included.

Family Beep Baseball (All Ages)

Batter up! Calling all our blind, low vision, and sighted friends and family up to the plate. It’s time for our annual beep baseball clinic and game. All athletes will cycle through batting practice with tees and live pitching, fielding balls, and running bases. It might sound like just a regular baseball clinic, but it’s not. This version is adapted for players with vision loss, including beeping baseballs and beeping bases. Friends and family are welcome to join, wearing sleep shades to level the playing field. The first half of the clinic focuses on skill-building, and the second half is an all-out beeping kickball game, followed by pizza for all! This event is open to individuals of all ages with vision loss, as well as their sighted friends and family. It is held at an indoor complex, so we’ll play ball, rain or shine.

Wildlife Encounters

Listening to shows about animals or hearing descriptions of them while at the zoo can get your imagination running wild! Outlook is bringing the zoo to you through our friends at Wildlife Encounters. From scales to feathers and fur, you’ll get a chance to feel it all. You can come face to face or be hands on and hold creatures you’re curious about. Wildlife Encounters will bring their most interactive animal ambassadors for a meet and greet you’ll never forget. We welcome youth and adults, along with their friends and family, to have fun and explore nature in a new, up close and personal way.

Sighted Volunteer Golfers Needed (Feb-May)

Do you love to golf? So do we, but we can’t do it without volunteers like you. We are holding practices at Outlook on our golf simulator from now until the end of May. Our participants are blind and low vision with varying levels of golf experience.

What you’ll do:

Practice schedule:

Please sign up today, and let’s get you on the schedule to have fun and help out with some of our practices!

Group Exercise Classes (now-April 30)

Don’t let your New Year’s resolution fade; we’re back with another round of CrossFit-style group exercise classes! Led by guest trainers from UNO’s Exercise Science program, these classes offer a mix of workout styles, personalized support, and a built-in cheering squad. Classes provide a full-body workout adapted to your fitness level and goals, using weights, exercise bands, kettlebells, and bodyweight.

Join us Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 2:00–2:45 p.m. Now through April 30. Available to participants ages 18+.

Teen and Adult Skiing and Snow Boarding (Ages 12+)

This is going to be SNOW MUCH FUN! We’ve been hitting the slopes with visually impaired folks for many years for our annual visit to Crescent Hill at Hitchcock. This year, we are offering downhill snow skiing and a chance to try snowboarding. This event is for anyone 12 years of age or older with any level of vision loss and requires no prior skill or experience. The day includes transportation to and from Outlook to Crescent Hill (for adults 19+ years), a lesson in the activity of your choice, a sighted ski or snowboard guide, and lunch. This adventure has everything you need to make the most of winter! Whether you’re a pro at carving out the snow or new to it all and just hoping not to fall, we’ve got a spot for you on this winter adventure.

As with all outdoor events, weather may impact our plans. We’ll keep you informed if any changes or rescheduling occur.

Transportation is being provided by a volunteer driver, so we prefer not to transport minors. Parents will need to drop off our younger skiers/snowboarders, then come in to sign a Mt. Crescent waiver before leaving. As always, parents can stay and watch.