Welcome to the ACB Maine Newsletter for September 2026
The newsletter is designed for accessibility and contains very few graphics. In the lower left hand section of the page is an accessiblity icon to change elements of the page.
Please forward the newsletter to any interested people or relevant agencies.
Our next board meeting is October 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM via ZOOM.
The Zoom link will be sent out separately.
Mission Statement
The American Council Of The Blind of Maine, originally established in 1903, is an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. As a grass roots non-profit organization, ACB of Maine promotes personal independence, provides educational resources and advocates for full inclusion for residents of Maine who are blind or have low vision.
We believe that by
increasing community awareness, advancing employment opportunities, and
advocating for full access to public, business and communication services,
we can enhance the quality of life for all Maine residents who are blind
or have low vision.
President's Message
Welcome and thank you for taking this opportunity to visit the American Council Of The Blind of Maine (ACB of Maine) webpage. I would like to take the time to introduce myself, my name is Amanda Frost and I am the president of ACB of Maine. I would like to share a little bit about myself. First and foremost, I am a mother of 12 children ranging from age 24 to 2 years old. We are a very active family traveling the states, learning about different cultures, advocating for individuals with special needs and helping individuals connect with services that has the potential to improve their life.
One organization that’s very near and dear to my heart is ACB of Maine. The roots of this organization brings individuals together to provide a sense of belonging through challenges and successes.
Please take the time to observe our mission statement as it
will shed some light on our nonprofit organization. Also, feel free to
browse this website taking special interest in our Board members, events
and a quarterly newsletter. We offer some really great resources
such as our annual convention in November, tech Talk once a month, a
scholarship to help with secondary school, and information
about support groups. If you have any questions, feel free to email acbmaine64@gmail.com
Website and Facebook
Check us out on the web - ACB Maine
Check us out on Facebook - ACB Maine Facebook
Convention Plans
Save the Date!!!
Event: Annual Convention, ACB of Maine
When: Saturday November 7, 2026 from 9AM
-4PM
Where: Embassy Suites Hotel by
Hilton
1050 Westbrook St. Portland, Maine
Come join your ACB Maine friends in person or
virtually on Zoom.
This year’s program
will include:
A complete schedule with instructions for registration
and hotel reservations will be ready for the next newsletter.
Looking forward to seeing many
of you in Portland in November.
Linda Porelle, for the
convention committee
We will have some great door prizes, including Olive Garden gift card, Meta glasses, and some other great items. Please come enjoy guest speakers, a great meal and socialization. Everyone is welcome!
Convention buffet will be plated and served! Everyone will receive a dinner roll, Garden salad, cup of New England haddock chowder, a side of roasted potatoes and seasonal sautéed veggies, and an choice of assorted Whoopie pies. the entrée choice is either grilled lemon and herb chicken, or eggplant roll Latini with mozzarella and ricotta cheese smothered in marinara sauce.
A Brochure anyone?
from Julie Welch
It is finally here!!! It was a long process, but we have a new amazing ACB of Maine brochure! For now we have it on a trifold pamphlet with the description of ACB of Maine printed in a outline of state of Maine. Our purpose is to spread the word of our nonprofit organization, and that people are not alone with their blindness and vision loss and the brochure will be passed out to the eye doctors offices, colleges, and churches.
We have included
improved updates on the mission statement along with our webpage and
Facebook link. We also have included Tech Talk support groups contact
information along with the Pine Tree Guide Dogs Users. There are
four QR individual codes to scan with your phone for quick
connections.
We will have these
brochures provided in our soon get together as well at the convention in
November.
White Cane Awareness Day
Our good friends at the Iris Network sponsor the White Cane Awareness Day.
October 2, 2026
4:30 - 6:30 PM
Information, Demonstrations, Food and Fun
Congress Square Park, Portland, ME.
See this link to learn more or volunteer.
Reflections On ACB National Convention
from Julie Welch
Hello everyone, this is Julie Welch. I am the secretary of the ACB of Maine.
I would like to share my experience with the national convention deligate vote.
In our June board meeting, we had asked someone to step in to do the national convention and we had no one at that time and I had asked questions about it how it works and what do we need to do considering that we are the affiliate of the national ACB and I was asked to see if this is something I could do. Of course this was all new to me and such short notice. So I stepped up I had some resources from the president, Amanda Frost and the vice president Linda Porelle with their experiences.
It appeared that I needed more informationin to better understand how to be a representative from our affiliate to cast Maine vote which led me to these two amazing women who were willing to help me with this process - Donna Brown from West Virginia and Katie Frederick from Ohio. These ladies were very helpful very informative with their knowledge and their involvement with the national ACB.
So I’m taking
this role of being in the being representative affiliate vote along with
Lolita Hodsdon our treasurer was the alternative. You really have to be
dedicated and committed this was not a one day process. It was a whole
week long then the convention to be part of know what you’re voting for
to represent from your State because every vote count which it invovoting
on the constitution and bylaws.
I was really beside myself when I got to cast my vote
and was able to hear all the states affiliates from Alabama through
Wyoming. With being a member and on the board committee, it is a great
opportunity to learn and gives you more confident of what you believe in
our ACB organization.
Recipe!
Peach Oatmeal Breakfast Bars -
Our peach tree did very well this year - for the first time in four years. This recipe is from Barefoot in the Kitchen.
I will try adding a cup of dried canberries for a special autumn taste. We actually got to freeze about half the peaches this year
Peach Filling Ingredients
5 cups peaches thinly sliced
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cornstarch½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Crust Ingredients
2cupsall-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1½ cups old fashioned oats
1 cup butter melted
This is the end of the newsletter for September 2026
