by Carly Eden Stokes | May 4, 2021 | Blog, News, Press, Press Releases
Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey welcomes William Schuldt, a seasoned nonprofit professional, as its new president and CEO!
William Schuldt, VLANJ’s New President and CEO, is smiling.
“Bill has solid management experience, and a passion for serving people with disabilities,” VLANJ Board of Trustees President Carl Augusto said. Schuldt’s selection by the VLANJ’s board of trustees culminated a nationwide search, Augusto noted. “We feel he’s a perfect fit to guide us toward growth and new heights of accomplishment.”
“I’m very excited to join VLANJ,” Schuldt said. “I’m very passionate about helping people with disabilities live their best life, and maximizing their independence.” Schuldt replaces Kris Marino, who led VLANJ for 6 ½ years.
Schuldt worked 33 years at Spectrum for Living, an organization serving more than 800 adults with developmental disabilities in New Jersey. He began his career working directly with clients, but moved into management positions over the years. He most recently served as vice president for operations.
“The connection with our clients is the most exciting thing to me. They feel like family,” the New Jersey native said. Schuldt said he was moved watching a recording of VLANJ’s 2020 virtual Dining in the Dark fundraiser and hearing participants’ stories about the impactful role the nonprofit has played in their lives.
Schuldt plans to work with VLANJ staff to expand quality virtual programming, while also preparing to reopen in-person classes. VLANJ quickly pivoted to online classes when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Enrollment increased three-fold, as people from across the state and beyond logged in or called in to a growing list of virtual programs.
“It’s time to take it to the next level,” said Schuldt, the father of three daughters. Schuldt’s other priorities for VLANJ include forming alliances and connections with other providers, and continuing to expand its exposure throughout the region and state. Schuldt and his wife, Sherrine, live in Hawthorne.
VLANJ, one of the state’s longest-serving nonprofits for adults who are blind or visually impaired, intends to expand services to meet the growing need, Augusto said. More than 160,000 New Jersey residents are blind or have severe vision loss, and that number is expected to increase as the population ages. By 2034, adults age 60 and over are projected to make up 25.4% of the state population.
by Carly Eden Stokes | Apr 4, 2021 | Blog, News
Via the National Federation of the Blind, it was announced that Amazon is to expand employment opportunities at Amazon Fulfillment Centers, making them more accessible to workers who are blind.
The Amazon logo is featured on a dark purple background.
Beginning in July 2021 and continuing through 2022, Amazon will provide accessible technology and accommodations to make fulfillment center job paths accessible to employees with blindness. They will also work with the NFB to identify accessibility solutions and innovations for employees who are blind. Learn more by clicking
here!
by Carly Eden Stokes | Apr 2, 2021 | Blog, News
VLANJ Board Member Ming Wu
VLANJ board member Ming Wu has a passion for improving the lives of people living with sight loss, and she often helps to raise awareness about related topics. She writes on her blog about how “…as a visually impaired woman, I find very few skincare and beauty products are designed with people like me in mind. I sometimes feel like the fashion and beauty industry has forgotten about visually impaired women.”
Click
here to read more about
Ming‘s perspective on this topic!
by Carly Eden Stokes | Mar 3, 2021 | Blog, News
We will continue to expand our free virtual offerings this winter, thanks to grants from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation and The Grotta Fund for Senior Care. We’re so grateful to these foundations for helping us remove barriers, so people with vision loss can access programs and interact with peers and our professional staff. The grants allow us to run online classes, support groups, and educational and enrichment programs at no charge to adults with vision loss.
Delores ‘Dee’ Eliassen smiles and holds light weights.
Our free winter 2021 virtual sessions offer 13 weekly Beyond Sight wellness classes that run through April 9, plus several shorter skills training and enrichment opportunities for adults with vision loss.
While VLANJ plans to resume in-person programs once the coronavirus is no longer a risk, virtual classes will continue as a means to serve people who cannot get to VLANJ. Transportation has long been a challenge for people with vision loss, and we also simply want to extend our free and virtual programs to everyone we can!
For more information about enrolling or supporting VLANJ, contact VLANJ Senior Program Manager Linda Groszew at lgroszew@vlanj.org or (973) 627-0055, ext.1312.
by Carly Eden Stokes | Feb 10, 2021 | Blog
Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day recipe? Look no further!
A slice of red velvet cake sits on a plate. Image via RecipeTin Eats.
VLANJ student and technology instructor Christina Brino recommends a recipe featured on Epicurious.com by Dora Charles: “Very Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans.” Here’s what you need to make it:
INGREDIENTS
- Cake:
- 2½ cups cake flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons red food coloring (from two 1-ounce bottles)
- Icing:
- 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Here’s how to make it:
PREPARATION
To make the cake: Set the oven to 350°F and adjust the rack positions to the middle and top third. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans well with baking spray.
-
- Sift the flour with the baking soda.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs well, then beat in the sugar, oil, and vinegar. On low speed, slowly add the flour and beat in well. Add the buttermilk slowly, then the vanilla, and then the food coloring.
- Pour the batter evenly into the pans and rap them on the countertop several times to eliminate any air bubbles. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans from shelf to shelf so they bake evenly and bake until the tops spring back when lightly touched, about 25 minutes altogether. Let the cakes cool in the pans on racks for 15 minutes.
- Run a knife around the sides of the pans and invert the cakes onto the racks to cool completely. Once they’re cool, refrigerate the cakes for 20 to 30 minutes to make icing them easier.
- To make the icing: Combine everything in a medium bowl and mix well until very smooth. It’s best to use the icing right away, when it’s soft and spreadable.
- Put one cake layer upside down on a cake plate or cake stand and cover the top evenly with frosting. Add a second layer, right side up, and spread with more frosting. Top with the third layer, right side up, and spread the frosting evenly around the sides of the cake and on top; check for any places where you can see through to the cake. Finally, sprinkle the pecans evenly all over the top of the cake.
- Once the frosting sets, cut into slices to serve. This cake keeps for up to 2 weeks in a cake keeper, but once it’s ready, people want to dive right in.
“I sometimes like to mix the pecan bits right into the frosting. Don’t worry, they’ll stay crisp. You can make 18 cupcakes from this recipe. They’ll take about 25 minutes to bake.”
Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us here at VLANJ!
