Pioneer Life Enrichment Programs

The Pioneers have a special dedication for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Making a difference in people’s lives is something we are passionate about. Life enrichment projects include building wheelchair ramps and educating seniors on modern technology.   

Check out some of our stories below. Find your local chapter or club and volunteer today!

Enriching the lives of the visually impaired is a Pioneer legacy. Using recycled telephone parts, TelecomPioneers invented Beeping Easter Eggs. Pioneers build the eggs, which are then used in Easter Egg hunts for visually impaired children around North America, including a hunt on the White House lawn. 

Enriching the lives of the visually impaired is a Pioneer legacy. From the creation of the original beep ball to continuing to work with the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA), Pioneers are in the trenches ensuring the blind and visually impaired can participate in America’s greatest sport. From beeping softballs to blindfolded batters and bases that resemble football pylons, it’s clear that beep baseball is no ordinary baseball game. But it’s a game with deep roots embedded in Pioneer volunteer history and Colorado history. The Baseball Hall of Fame credits the creation of the game to Colorado telephone engineer and Mountain Bell employee, Charles Fairbanks. In 1964, he created a “beeping” baseball when he modified the core of a regulation-sized softball to emit beeping sounds. Twelve years later, the National Beep Baseball Association was founded.

They meet every week at the Colorado Talking Book Library , where the equipment they make is shipped to 42 teams all over the world. Creating the beep balls takes time and patience. First, the volunteers meticulously remove the factory stitching before drilling a carefully measured hole into the core of the ball. Inside that hole, they place a cylinder with a circuit board that contains the battery-operated beeper. At that point, they stitch the ball shut and drill more holes so the beeping can be heard. State librarian Nicolle Davies said it’s fitting that the Colorado Talking Book Library shares its space with the Pioneers Beep Ball volunteers. She said the staff of both share a passion for serving the state’s low and no vision community. “They're bringing joy to people, and they're bringing an opportunity for individuals who wouldn't normally be able to access athletics,” Davies said. “They're bringing that opportunity together, and, again, there's great passion with this group.” Here is the original story and video showcased last fall on a local Colorado television station as part of their “Everyday Heroes” campaign.

 In southern California, the AT&T Pioneers Pacific and Coastal Valley chapters have supported and worked with a local beep baseball team, the SGV Panthers in Pasadena, for the last few years. This year, they are helping the team and the SoCal Beep Baseball Association by co-hosting an inaugural charity golf tournament in April. They hope to raise more funds to support the program and expand into new communities to help more players experience the joys and benefits of playing beep baseball.

Here is an inspiring story about the team which was featured on the NBC Today show when they played in the Beep Baseball World Series last year.

Talking Book repair is another special project the Pioneers focus on. Through the Library of Congress, The National Library Service (NLS) uses the Talking Books Program to assist people who are unable to read standard print material due to visual and/or physical impairments. NLS provides Braille and recorded books and magazines that can be borrowed, free of charge, or delivered by postage-free mail to those in need. Our volunteers help NLS and their patrons by repairing and refurbishing the equipment used in the Talking Book Program and by serving as outreach volunteers to promote and explain the program. 

The Southeast Council Pioneers chapter in Columbus/Zanesville, Ohio continue to support the local Pilot Dogs service organization. Pilot Dogs provides guide dogs to individuals who are blind and/or visually impaired or have other disabilities. Roughly 20% of Americans have reported hearing loss and every seven minutes, someone becomes blind or visually impaired. Many people need access to the resources and assistance a trained service dog can provide.

Pioneers help the Pilot Dogs organization by assisting with socializing new litters of puppies. When the puppies are 6-8 weeks old, Pioneers volunteer and help get the puppies socialized. Their task is to show the puppies new faces, sounds, and experiences—and Pioneers have a lot of fun doing it!

In 2019, Pioneers volunteered 200 hours of time to this project helping golden retriever, lab, and poodle puppies become socialized. These puppies have unbounded energy, and they love having new people to play with. Pioneers leave knowing that once their mission is accomplished the guide dogs will go out into the world and provide a disabled person mobility and friendship.