Rolling Start Inc. Blog

Pride Month

June is Pride Month, when the world’s LGBTQ+ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.

Pride gatherings are rooted in the arduous history of minority groups who have struggled for decades to overcome prejudice and be accepted for who they are. LGBTQ+ is an acronym meaning lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. The term sometimes is extended to LGBTQIA, to include intersex and asexual groups. Queer is an umbrella term for non-straight people; intersex refers to those whose sex is not clearly defined because of genetic, hormonal or biological differences; and asexual describes those who don’t experience sexual attraction.

Pride events also welcome allies from outside the LGBTQ+ community. They are opportunities to show support, to observe, listen and be educated. Rolling Start Inc. is happy to be supportive of our disabled LGBTQ+ community and offer a safe space for any and all to feel welcome!

June 2022 Calendar

The June Calendar is here!

Our schedule is up for the month of June. Go to our calendar and click the event to register. Our first In-Person class is coming at the end of the month. Join in at our San Bernardino office on 6/29 for our first indoor class since doors closed from covid in 2020! It is available as a hybrid class so you can still participate online from home if that is preferable to you. Sign-up to learn more!

Don’t Forget to Vote!

The Primary Election is coming!
June 7th is the California State Primary Election when we get to vote for candidates running for federal and state offices (U.S. Senate, and U.S. Representatives, Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Controller, Insurance Commissioner, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction and State Assembly). We also have local elections for Mayor, Sheriff, District Attorney, Assessor and local measures.
 
  • All California active registered voters will receive a vote-by-mail ballot for the June 7, 2022, Primary Election.
  • The last day to register to vote for the June 7, 2022, Primary Election is May 23, 2022.
  • Your county elections office will begin mailing ballots by May 9, 2022.
  • Your primary Election ballot will include candidates for U.S. Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner, Member of State Board of Equalization, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, U.S. Representative in Congress, State Senator, State Assembly Member, as well as other local candidates.
  • There are two contests for U.S. Senate on this ballot. You can vote for both contests.
    • One for a 6-year term ending January 3, 2029; and
    • One for the remainder of the current term ending January 3, 2023.
  • Return your vote-by-mail ballot by mail with prepaid postage as long as it’s postmarked on or before Election day and received by June 14, 2022, or in-person to a secure ballot drop box, to a voting location or your county elections office by 8:00 p.m. on June 7, 2022.
  • In-person voting locations will offer voter registration, replacement ballots, accessible voting machines, and language assistance to those who need it.
  • Vote centers open in all Voter’s Choice Act counties on May 28, 2022.
If you need assistance to register to vote – Contact Asia Sprewell, Rolling Start’s Systems Change Advocate, at (909)890-9516 or go to:
 
https://registertovote.ca.gov/

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

11th Anniversary

Thursday, May 19, 2022, marks the 11th Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital access and inclusion and people with different disabilities or impairments. 

It is estimated that 15 per cent of the world’s population has a disability, which means that more than one billion people could face daily challenges when using digital devices. With digital technology now playing a key role in our lives, it’s crucial that everyone has the same user experience.
Here are some basic things we can all use to make sure digital spaces are inclusive:
– Plain Language
– Alt-Text on Images
– Captions on Videos
[ID: Image with icons for sign language, blind, deaf, and wheelchair with text, "Celebrate GAAD Global Accessibility Awareness Day"]

Office Opening to the Public Soon!

Plans set to reopen our offices in June!

Since the Covid lockdown in March 2020, our offices have been closed to the public. Finally, our hopes are to return to indoor meetings in our offices next month in June! However, thanks to covid lockdowns stimulating our growth of online progress, we are happy to announce that we will continue with a hybrid approach to our meetings, classes, and groups! So if you are unable to travel to our offices or are still uncomfortable being in enclosed public spaces post-pandemic, you are still free to participate through our hybrid meetings remotely from home.

If you’d like to discuss the future of our hybrid classes/meetings/activities at Rolling Start and within the local community, we welcome you to join our Virtual Coed Support Group tomorrow (Thursday, May 5th), ONLINE, at 1pm. Meet our new staff member, Cynthia Robles, and discuss what sort of meet ups you would like to attend when we open our offices next month. 

[ID: A graphic with the text, "Rolling Start Inc. Virtual Coed Support Group. Introduction to staff and discussing ideas for our meetings (in office) coming in June 2022. May 5th, 1pm - 2:30pm"]

Older Americans Month

Age My Way!

Every May, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) leads the nation’s observance of Older Americans Month (OAM). In 2022, ACL will be focusing on aging in place – how older adults can plan to stay in their homes and live independently in their communities for as long as possible. The 2022 theme is Age My Way, an opportunity for all of us to explore the many ways older adults can remain in and be involved with their communities.

Historically, Older Americans Month has been a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older persons to our country, in particular those who defended our country. Every President since Kennedy has issued a formal proclamation during or before the month of May asking that the entire nation pay tribute in some way to older persons in their communities. See the President’s Proclamation here. Older Americans Month is celebrated across the country through ceremonies, events, fairs, and other such activities.

If you would like to see the ACL’s list of activity ideas click the logo below to go to their activity idea page! 

[ID: ACL OAM logo. “Age My Way: May 2022” Click logo to go to the ACL Activity Ideas Page]

[ID: A poster from acl.gov/oam showing several graphics of older americans doing various activities like reading, writing, playing music, gardening traveling, etc. with the text, "Age my way!"]