In a dark room, on a stage, there are two director's chairs on either end with blue lights illustrating them. Above the platform is a sign that says "Welcome to Relay NC 25th Anniversary Gala!" with smaller signs below that proclaiming "Lights!", "Cameras!", and "Actions." There are also two golden stars on either side.
Published June 6, 2016

Relay NC 25th Anniversary Gala

On Saturday, June 4th, 2016 at the Marriott at Research Triangle Park Hotelin Durham, NC, the Relay NC 25th Anniversary Gala commenced with the theme of “Hollywood.”

Before the presentation began, I had the opportunity to greet many of my connections in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community here in NC that were also in attendance.  While going around, I decided to get a photo shot done before the line got too long.

Picture frame that looks like a movie take indicator with three images of a man (Patrick) with a silver mustache that he is holding on a stick in his left hand and in is right hand is a gold Pom Pom. He is wearing a black button down shirt and is standing in front of a silver background. The fame says on the bottom Scene: "Relay NC 25th Anniversary Event" PROD NO: "June 4, 2016" Director: "Account Managers: Relay NC and Capital NC" And on the bottom right of the frame says "Take 1"
Image Description: Picture frame that looks like a movie take indicator with three images of a man (Patrick) with a silver mustache that he is holding on a stick in his left hand and in is right hand is a gold Pom Pom. He is wearing a black button down shirt and is standing in front of a silver background. The fame says on the bottom Scene: “Relay NC 25th Anniversary Event” PROD NO: “June 4, 2016” Director: “Account Managers: Relay NC and Capital NC” And on the bottom right of the frame says “Take 1”
–Relay NC 25th Anniversary Gala, June 4, 2016

The presentation that was given reflected on the 25 years of Relay Service and how it was originally set up back in the 90s through legislation.

After the presentation, we had a buffet dinner, with very delicious cuisine with Mediterranean salad, two different meats, mashed potatoes, and a quite yummy New York Cheese Cake topped with rashberries.

There are two dinner plates in the lower part of the image with Mediterranean Salad on the left plate, and two different meats, mashed potatoes, and some vegatables on the right plate. In the upper middle there is a dessert plate with a slice of New York Cheese Cake with raspberries toppings. There is also a pink water bottle and a water glass.
Image Description: There are two dinner plates in the lower part of the image with Mediterranean Salad on the left plate, and two different meats, mashed potatoes, and some vegatables on the right plate. In the upper middle there is a dessert plate with a slice of New York Cheese Cake with raspberries toppings. There is also a pink water bottle and a water glass.
–Relay NC 25th Anniversary Gala, June 4, 2016

After the dinner, everyone had a further opportunity to network, and I got to meet quite a few new people, including John Moore, regional manager for Sprint in the East Coast.

Another activity that was made available was access to a rollercoaster on a pair of virtual reality glasses.  Surprisingly, I didn’t get too dizzy, but I was quite fascinated with what I was seeing–although it was a little boring without the feel of the winds, the vibrations of the tracks, the rise and fall of the rails. . .  .

But, I became curious as to how VR would affect someone with Usher Syndrome–how much would they be missing out due to their tunnel vision?  Can we set the “perception” a little farther “away” so that they can see the full experience on the other end of the tunnel?  Something to look into.