From The President's Desk.....

This page contains the ICRID President's column from the most recent issues of INSIGHTS, ICRID's Bi-monthly newsletter.

June 1st, 2010

Summer is soon upon us. Time to focus on families and yard work. Take time to make sure you are balancing your life and making time for YOU! When we allow our focus to be only on the end result, we often forget there is a journey to enjoy along the way.

Recently, the Deaf and interpreting communities lost a great friend and advocate. Bob Canty will forever be remembered as someone who bought a smile wherever he traveled. He was a frequent presenter at ICRID’s Annual Spring Retreats and Conferences, rarely turning down the request to be there for us. Bob enjoyed his journey more than most, and I will truly miss him, as countless others will as well. Remember his family and send them peace as they go through this difficult time.

The second ICRID Members Family Picnic is Saturday, July 10, 2010. Take a look at the website for more information.There’ll be food, games, and fun. Don’t miss it!

The Deaf Educators and Educational Interpreter Conference is June 10 and 11. Many great educational opportunitiesare offered for an astoundingly low cost. This year it is taking place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.See http://www.indstate.edu/blumberg/dhh/conferences.htm for the conference flyer.

Enjoy your summer journey!!

Ronda Bilz, CI & CT
ICRID President

April 1, 2010

A Bite-Sized Change for a Lifetime of Fulfillment

Fulfillment is something we seek in every area of our lives. It seems illusive despite having lots of great things happening around us. You may be surprised to know that you can increase your level of happiness simply by adopting a new way of thinking. Research shows that about half of our happiness quotient is a natural ‘set point’ and 10 percent depends on individual circumstances. The remaining sixty percent is up to us; how we react to events, how we cope with stress and how we choose to spend our time. By making small bite-sized changes in decision-making, you can reap life-size long-term transformations.

One bite-sized change that I have recently made in my life is to start walking every day. My inspiration was
watching my mother go through bi-lateral knee replacement surgery. Imagine, replacing both knees at the
same time—eek! Next Mom endured physical therapy. We affectionately called it ‘physical torture’ which
better describes the process. Bi-lateral knee replacement has to be one of the most excruciating surgeries to experience. In the end, Mom says it will be worth it. She was practically incapacitated before the surgery and can already walk almost normally a mere three months post-operation. Seeing her endure this in order to do something so simple as walk, a task most of us take completely for granted, made me realize something. I need to do whatever is necessary to ensure I can continue to be agile into my senior years—which are just around the corner! I have my grandmother’s treadmill and exercise bike, formerly used as clothes trees, in my house . I decided to stop making excuses and get my butt moving. Now every morning I walk. I started with 30 minutes a day and am now up to 45 minutes of sweat producing exercise. Some days I just don’t want to do it, but I remember how good I feel when I am finished and it gets me on the machine and moving. Other days I am watch every minute and can’t wait for it to be over. Then when I have accomplished my goal I feel a happy sense of fulfillment. It also helps that I can use this as guilt free TV watching time! This was a bitesized change, just 45 minutes out of my day, but it has transformed so much of my life. My goal is to improve how I feel about myself; however weight loss may be a pleasant side effect.

Take a look at your life. Do you see an area you would like to change? Think of some small thing you can do to make that part better. If you can’t think of it yourself, talk it over with someone you trust. A spouse/ significant other, colleague or child (they have great insight that adults somehow lose in the growing up process) are all people that can give us advice about our lives.

One bite-sized change that you could make could be volunteering for ICRID. There are many opportunities
coming up. You can definitively find something that will fit your lifestyle and schedule. The Annual Spring
Retreat, ASR, is a prime example of the variety of volunteer opportunities available within ICRID. The Annual Spring Retreat Committee works year round to plan this event and there are practically endless jobs that need to be done. Thinking of a theme is a creative process and one of the first steps in the planning. This job requires from five minutes to several weeks or months, depending on how the creative juices are flowing. The decorating committee plans ahead and relies on people to show up onsite to get it all together. This could be one hour of work setting up or cleaning up. If you have more time to give, the fundraising committee needs people to make calls and visits to organizations and companies to secure funds and donations for the event. Contact the 2011 ASR Chairperson, Robin Reid at 2mal@icrid.org for more information on needs for the 2011 Annual Spring Retreat and watch your bite-sized change provide the nourishment that ICRID needs to continue thriving.

Ronda Bilz, CI & CT
ICRID President

January 1, 2010

What is my favorite thing about the interpreting profession? Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens—oh sorry, my mind wandered off to a mountain in Austria. Actually I love to see interpreters working together! It is a new year. The new board has hit the ground running and we are working on some very specific goals for ICRID.

Our first goal is to have our current website updated. Dalonda Young, our longtime webmaster, and yours truly are working together to bring the current website up to date. Our goal is to have all of the information posted correct and relevant. Send any suggestions for corrections to: webmaster@icrid.org or to president@icrid.org. We are also planning to launch a new website as soon as possible. Secretary Zach Evans has cleared some space on his plate and will learn Dreamweaver software for the new website.

Another goal is to increase communication with the membership through an improved newsletter. Part of this goal includes making sure that all members are receiving their electronic newsletters. As you network with fellow interpreters, mention the electronic newsletter. If someone you know is not receiving his or hers, have that member contact the newsletter editor at: editor@icrid.org to have his or her email address updated with ICRID’s records.

Vice President Lena Van Manen is very motivated and has lots of wonderful ideas for the PDC committee. She will be setting the groundwork to get educational opportunities planned and implemented for 2010. Watch the website and newsletter for more information.

Along with our goals we have a major theme for 2010 and that is TEAMWORK! The ICRID team is now 222 members strong. Whatever skills you can bring to the playing field are needed and appreciated. Watch the newsletter and website for opportunities to get involved. In addition, know that we are here for you. If you need help with a project, don’t hesitate to ask a board member. The board is a great resource for ideas and places to get help. All of the board contact information is available through INSIGHTS or www.icrid.org.

Check the list of board meeting dates on page two, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for July
10th, 2010, the second annual ICRID Members Family Picnic. The location for this year will be announced
soon. See you there!

I sincerely hope you are having a great start to 2010 and that it will be a healthy and productive year
for us all!

Ronda Bilz, CI & CT
ICRID President