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:
Relay information displayed on the golf simulator screen (ie, distance, direction, water, sand)
Help participants get lined up with the simulator screen if needed
Find golf balls and set up tees
Give pointers on techniques
Recommend which clubs to use
Coach putting
Practice schedule:
Fridays 1:30 – 3 p.m. (weekly through May, if possible)
Saturdays 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. (weekly through May, if possible)
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.
Audiobook Club
We’d like to bring back a new chapter of book club this year. Our plans are still an open book, with options to meet at Outlook, at area coffee shops, or via Zoom. Time and frequency will depend on the participants’ availability. Ideally, each reader will suggest a book for the group to read and lead the discussion meeting for that book. We will meet monthly or every other month. If you are interested, please fill out a registration form, and you will be contacted to weigh in on where, when, and how we will meet for book club discussions to begin in February. Please note that all books should be available to the group via BARD. If you have questions or need help getting set up with this free audiobook service, we can help with that, too.
