Heritage Council of the Blind
We have patiently waited for a year to become official as an affiliate of Missouri Council of the Blind. As of October 4, 2024, we have arrived!
We are excited to continue some of the activities that we have been working towards. Our big plan is to host the 2026 State Convention to be held in St. Louis. This will be the 70th anniversary and we are thinking of ways to celebrate. We are also working on our first “Black History” program. The title is, “The History of the Chittlin’ Circuit and Juke Joints”. This is to be held on February 16, 2025. We will be posting more as we grow.
For now, here is information about our group aspirations.
Heritage Council of the Blind
This is the name that we chose for our new organization as a part of Missouri Council of the Blind. We chose the tree as our logo because:
A tree’s roots go deep, providing strength and a firm foundation as the tree ages and faces threats to its stability. The roots compose 20% of a tree’s biology, and each root has its own set of stems that grow into smaller roots, aiding in the structure and growth of the tree by transferring life-empowering nutrients toward the trunk.
A tree’s trunk has the potential to grow and stretch to immense heights necessary to reach the warmth and activating power of sunlight. Sometimes called the main stem, it composes the majority of the tree at 60%. Despite its simplistic appearance, the biology of a tree’s trunk is quite complex.
A tree’s branches are the nutrient-rich highways between the trunk and the leaves. The branches are the sturdy arms that grow from the trunk, sprouting smaller fingers of stems and twigs which grow the leaves. Roughly 15% of a tree, the branches and stems are essential structural and transportational components with systems equally unique as each tree. Many trees have branches that grow outward and share space with other trees around it.

The mission and purpose of our Heritage Council is to provide an anchoring foundation of knowledge and values through the personal experiences and cultural teachings of previous generations. These strong, stabilizing, roots feed the multicolored leaves of today’s generations through a supportive and information-rich highway of dynamic techniques mixed with celebrated traditions.
Heritage is about progression and growth, connecting and flourishing, and we strive to develop a community of individuals fully able to reach the heights of their potential and activate their power, sharing and continuing the cycle from roots to leaves.
Officers:
President: Wilma Chestnut-House
1st Vice President: Tyrika Walton
Second Vice President: Ronnie Dowell
Treasurer: Troy Cleveland
Recording – Corresponding Secretary: Eleasah Chestnut-Brown
By-laws Representative: Courtney Tramble
Legislative Representative: Marco Bernard
Board Representative: Wilma Chestnut-House
We meet in the multipurpose room at Missouri School for the Blind. The address is 3867 Magnolia Ave. The building has Rehabilitation for the Blind on the front of it. We meet every third Saturday of the month. We also have a conference number if you can’t make it in person. The time is 10:30 am – 12:30 pm.
Wilma Chestnut-House and Jenny Cleveland at Long Elementary for Ability Awareness Day.
Wilma has some of the blindfolded students taking turns working on listening skills by homing in on the beep ball that is beeping.

We also worked on braille and using a braille writer, explained why blind people tap their cane from left to right when they are walking. We also showed them the Ray Ban Meta smart glasses too. We had lots of fun and laughs with the kids, and it was great fun to educate them about how someone blind can do different things. Knowledge is power!