[Cabs-talk] Action Plan, Part 4

[Michael Peterson]

    This is sensational.
Like Joe says so many great ideas and we only need to latch onto a few and 
work those as the snowball gains momentum you can add more wood to the fire.
I know when Terra and I did the American cancer society's walkathon the 
second year we organized a team. Because of our rural setting we only had 5 
participants 4 of whom showed. Four of the five were blind.  We got some 
press coverage from the Antelope valley press and did the best we could but 
we didn't have nfb philosophy to the degree I would've liked.
We raised money also through selling candy but because Terra and I were the 
only sellers we actually lost money because we couldn't move the candy fast 
enough.
How awesome it could have been to have a student team raising  a couple 
grandmaybe even being in the top ten!  The Celebration of life the cancer 
society holds happens every year it happens in our case at the local 
community college.  It's 24-hours long and the team is suposed to keep 
someone on the track at all times, obviously we didn't because we didn't 
have enough people but early on we did get help because an ROTC class 
volunteered to help us in whatever ways they could.
We brought a tent a card table and we sold more of the candy but we also 
watched the bands walked about to the other booths etc.
Just think how much literature a student division team could pass out we 
could put something together like the California association of blind 
students is happy to join the thousands of people across the country who 
today are collectively fighting for a cure.
Perhaps we could connect with a form of cancer that causes blindness and use 
that as a lever to tie in the NFB and of course blind students who fight for 
a cure.
Another posability that a local student chapter could perhaps launch is 
really good in light of the current ecconomic downturn. It is something 
usually operated by churches but it could easily be done by a chapter and 
what a switch the blind helping the sighted with their food needs.
I'm talking about ANgel food ministries.
The food is overall pretty good and for about $30 you can get about double 
in food value.
They do distribute a doctrinal magazine but it's nonobtrusive in that they 
simply have someone ask would you like a magazine if they say yes you give 
them the publication if no you don't and if lots of people come to your food 
distribution your going to get good press coverage just because the 
uniqueness of blind people running it.
And, if they sign your organization up for each box of food you distribute 
the organization gets a dollar.
eed perhaps some sighted volunteers if you can get them.  The food is set up 
on an assembly line and is distributed once a month for two hours.  It can 
even be done in a parking lot. The truck brings the food on a saturday.
Many people purchase online and those who don't have to contact you and pay 
ahead of time.  Two days before the event someone calls and reminds them to 
come pick up their food.  If they fail to show their money is forfeited and 
the food is donated to a local charity.
Thinking as Joe has mentioned we have everything to gain a couple hundred 
dollars or more depending on how many people come, for a day's work.
dialogue with the community showing blind people as competent by 
distrigbuting food and even if need be helping carry boxes to the people's 
cars.
WHat do you think
Mike

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Orozco" <jsorozco at gmail.com>
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Sent: Thursday, June 04, 2009 2:02 PM
Subject: [Cabs-talk] Action Plan, Part 4


> Dear all,
>
> 1. The Student Slate
>
> In my opinion, no job in the NABS board is more frustrating than the
> editorship of the Student Slate.  Thankfully, I have never had to wear the
> hat of editor for the newsletter, but I have in some way assisted with its
> revision and compilation for the past four years.  You will of course 
> notice
> that in the past four years the publication of the newsletter has not been
> consistent, and while it may be all too easy to blame the editor, perhaps
> even the board as a whole, for not doing their job, I assure you the blame
> is completely your own for not writing an article when articles have been
> requested.
>
> It's ironic really.  On the NABS-L list alone you might come across twenty
> posts from a single individual telling you the same thing twenty different
> times in the course of a single day.  Some people wonder where they find 
> the
> time to post so much.  I wonder why these people haven't written articles?
> This is not a rhetorical question.  If the shoe fits, talk to Jennifer
> Kennedy about how to submit something for publication.  Unless things have
> changed, it was my understanding she wanted to put out another issue prior
> to convention.
>
> I offer two alternatives:
>
> A. Impose a moratorium on the Student Slate
>
> Every national organization should have a regular publication, but if this
> cannot be done, put it to sleep temporarily.  Instead, come out with a
> monthly briefing.  ...  I know, you're thinking that if we can't get our 
> act
> together on a publication that is supposed to be published four times a
> year, how in hell are we going to push one out once a month?  People 
> assume
> a publication has to be long and brimming with information.  It does not
> have to be written that way.  A simple update on the state of the division
> would suffice.  A word from the president letting the membership know what
> the board has been doing and what it is planning is sufficient.  Think of 
> it
> as a condensed version of the Presidential Releases Dr. Maurer puts out 
> for
> the organization at large.  Even a well-written, well-organized one-pager
> would keep the masses happy, because it lets them know that their board is
> doing something beneficial.  Later, when the division picks up steam and 
> the
> Student Slate can be revived, feel free to bring it back.
>
> B. Turn the Student Slate into a magazine format
>
> If the idea of putting the Student Slate is too much of a break from
> tradition, consider changing the overall format of the publication.  Right
> now we have five or six different stories of people doing great things in
> their lives.  I think this is fine, but after a while we must surely 
> realize
> that there are only so many ways to be an awesome blind person.  As much 
> as
> I enjoyed the Kernel book series, I was not all that sad to see it end,
> because many of the stories are of the type of material that can be found 
> in
> the Braille Monitor.
>
> So, consider beginning special columns.  You can have an interview column
> that focuses on the accomplishments of a board member or another leader in
> the NFB, or consider going out and interviewing someone who is not in the
> organization but who is still doing something great with themselves.  I
> wouldn't mind reading an interview from Ginny Owens or David Paterson. 
> Now
> you're probably thinking it would be too hard to interview those people.
> Begin with their publicist, chief of staff, publisher, depending on the
> nature of the person's profession.  You could have a column on emerging
> technology.  You could have another column on fashion sense and 
> socializing.
> Another column could focus on following our legislative progress.  Dear
> Abby?  Remember, this is a student publication.  The idea is not without
> merit, especially if the inquiries are of the variety related to blindness
> that some people are too shy to ask.
>
> Whether you go with the first suggestion or the second, you need not feel 
> as
> though you yourself have to be generating all the news.  Sometimes
> newsletters focus completely on the noise other people are creating, but 
> the
> news is validated because it is coming from you.
>
> If partnerships are established, you can elevate your publication by
> incorporating the developments of those organizations.  Using last
> installment's examples, you could reprint an article from Sports and
> Recreation's Competition Corner.  You could help promote an event for the
> parents.  In either case, you can expect that the gesture will be
> reciprocated, and any opportunity to expand your scope lends you the 
> perfect
> opportunity to further highlight the funders that will begin to invest in
> your cause with all the popularity you slowly begin to accumulate.
>
> 2. Awards
>
> Hard work should be recognized.  Just as the state affiliate with the
> greatest number of registered convention participants is given a banner, 
> the
> state student division with the greatest number of registered students
> should receive a banner or certificate or trophy or some other type of
> incentive.  Maybe a contest should be arranged to find the best looking
> banner?  In either case, this begins to set up a friendly competition 
> among
> the state divisions to recruit and bring the most number of members they 
> can
> to convention.  Alternatively, recognize state divisions for simply doing 
> a
> good job regardless of the number of people they bring to the national
> convention.  Some states may not have the numbers but do wonderful things 
> to
> keep things happening in their states.
>
> I like the idea of the Blind Bargains web site recognizing companies for
> their innovative solutions.  Why could NABS not run a similar voting 
> session
> to recognize an exceptional DSS office, organization or company doing 
> great
> things on behalf of the blind population, particularly students?  Part of
> making a name for your organization comes with building your own sense of
> prestige.  You represent the greatest number of blind students in the
> country.  Now take this claim and legitimize your position by handing out
> certificates to groups deserving of your formal recognition.  If you are
> successful at creating a good image for your activities, other people will
> buy into your elevated position and will want to be associated with what 
> you
> have to offer.
>
> And, where is the harm in recognizing rising stars amongst the student
> ranks?  Some of you are really out there busting your butts, making a
> difference and generally making the rest of us look good.  We should know
> who you are, what you're doing and how we can learn from your success.  A
> student of the year award would not be, in my opinion, out of line as a
> well-organized promotion and recruitment tool.
>
> Make these awards a part of the annual business meeting or winter banquet.
> Create the right amount of hype around the occasion, and in no time this 
> new
> tradition could be manipulated to serve several important functions.
>
> 3. Community Service
>
> Nothing builds character more profoundly than the satisfaction of working
> hard to help others.  In the NFB we pride ourselves in helping other blind
> people achieve higher levels of independence and self-sufficiency.  I
> believe this should only be half of the equation.  The NFB philosophy is
> primarily built on the notion that blind people can and should adjust to
> society rather than expect society to adjust to the blind.  Therefore, in 
> my
> opinion, it is not enough to convince a person that it can be respectable 
> to
> be blind.  I believe the step beyond this persuasion is to show them how 
> to
> succeed despite being blind.  After all, it makes very little sense to
> produce a fully competent blind hero if said hero is not given a means to
> exercise his or her newfound skills.  To me, there is nothing more
> discouraging than seeing an awesome blind person stay in the blindness 
> field
> because they feel that is the only field where they can continue to be
> awesome.
>
> So, I think we should take our philosophy a step further.  If we truly
> believe that success is contingent on our adjustment to society, we should
> make it our business to help society as much, if not more, than we help 
> our
> fellow blind people.  To that end I believe every state student division
> should democratically select an issue the membership feels strongly about
> lending their support.  These issues can be poverty and homelessness,
> disaster prevention, civic action, health and fitness, etc.
>
> Benefits:
>
> A. Visibility
>
> Blind people are all too often seen as the beneficiaries of social 
> services
> rather than the contributors.  What better way to discourage this general
> notion than the active participation of blind people in social activities
> that help vulnerable populations.  Earlier I said that state student
> divisions should each select an issue, but I do not think it impossible 
> for
> NABS representatives to take time from National Convention or Washington
> Seminar to prepare and distribute food for the homeless at a local soup
> kitchen.  The argument will be made that there is already too much going 
> on
> during these national gatherings.  I would respond with a reminder that 
> most
> of the activities going on during these events are geared at promoting
> independence, and there will never be a better time to make a statement of
> this independence amongst ourselves and to the public than a concerted
> effort at putting independence into practice in the company of blind 
> people
> with such a wide array of skills.  Maximum impact will always be achieved
> away from the microphone rather than behind it.
>
> Imagine yourselves participating in a walk-a-thon supporting the cause of
> your choice with t-shirts sporting the name of your division.  It's a good
> public relations technique wrapped up in social integration.  You'll make
> new friends and therefore make yourself stronger as an individual while 
> you
> make NABS a stronger organization.
>
> You will not weaken your division because you are not making community
> service the centerpiece of your operation.  You are simply making service
> the added bonus of belonging to the group and a convenient avenue to
> practice what you preach.
>
> B. Job Readiness
>
> Blind people will have a more difficult task of finding a job if they have
> never been given the opportunity to learn the basic skills that are not
> taught in the classroom.  Budgeting, filing, e-mail etiquette, project
> management and so on could be learned by reading a number of web sites and
> enrolling in a few specialized courses, but if you do not have examples of
> how these skills have been utilized, what good are they in your resume?
> Volunteer opportunities do not always involve rolling up your sleeves and
> picking up garbage along the highway.  You should do these activities at
> least once anyway, because one of my more memorable bonding experiences 
> came
> about in a human chain as we worked to clear out trash from underneath a
> church building.  Yet, you could help an organization build and maintain a
> web site.  You could help them write press releases.  You could help a
> teacher at an after school program tutor children.  Whatever the case may
> be, pick a cause you and your members would enjoy doing and go out and do 
> it
> together.  You will grow closer as a group and learn to improve skills 
> than
> can later be used in the hunt for an awesome job.
>
> C. Partnerships
>
> In the last installment I wrote of the benefits of establishing
> partnerships.  In this context, think of the visibility another 
> organization
> could help bring you through your participation in their activities.  The
> Humane Society, the Red Cross, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts, the 
> American
> Cancer Society are all prolific outfits that could benefit from your help 
> in
> exchange for publicity.  Your involvement in their activities could also
> help generate more material for your fundraising efforts.  Sponsors like 
> to
> see what you're about, and while seminars to encourage blind students to 
> be
> great people are great things for us, a prospective funder will be much 
> more
> impressed if you can show how your preaching is ultimately helping your
> local communities.  Find different ways to maximize your bang for their
> buck, and perhaps even more importantly, find ways to have fun exercising
> the NFB philosophy.  Volunteer service really can be exciting if you find
> several ways to make it work for you and the organization you represent.
>
> This concludes the list of changes I would have offered in my hypothetical
> presidency.  As I've said, these were geared for the division at the
> national level, but I hope I gave you enough of a glimpse of how they 
> could
> be implemented at the state level with equal efficiency.  So far there are
> at least fifteen pages worth of ideas and suggestions anyone could take 
> and
> make happen both at the state and national levels.  Though the ideas may
> seem elaborate, they are really nothing more than cumulative blocks that
> work in sync with one another if properly coordinated.  My overriding 
> theme
> has been job readiness and collaboration.  Ultimately I believe the
> membership should enjoy being a part of NABS and to a greater extent the
> NFB.  The board ought to be able to count on partnerships with other
> divisions, organizations and companies to make the work of implementing
> these plans possible.  Other people could generate their own themes and
> platforms and produce their own lists of objectives with equal or better
> success if they only took the time to map it out.
>
> There would be a few other minor things I would like to see implemented
> regardless of who assumes the presidency of the national student division.
> Create a division song.  Roll out bracelets or some other apparel.  Write 
> a
> division pledge.  Propose a division toast at the winter banquet.  In
> essence, think of little customs and traditions that can be specific to
> NABS.  Make NABS something cool to belong to, and keep it balanced, 
> because
> remember your audience can range from the five-year-old Kindergartner to 
> the
> fifty-year-old doctoral candidate.
>
> I understand there are people in the ranks who believe my proposal is too
> much to swallow on account of us being volunteers.  To these individuals I
> say, "Come up with a better excuse."  The small group of volunteers who 
> met
> to dream of and conceive the National Federation of the Blind did not 
> think
> their vision was too ambitious, and their tasks in the thirty years
> following the organization's establishment were far more complex and
> daunting than my little rambling proposal as a whole.  I do not believe 
> the
> things I have outlined need to be implemented next week.  In fact, I 
> believe
> it would take a couple years to establish a good foundation, but the point
> is that you have to start somewhere.  You have to take a few risks.  You
> have to allow yourself to be held accountable.  You have to learn to want
> and expect more, and you have to allow your ideas to be challenged and
> changed by the people you will trust to get it all done.
>
> But, we can cover these points in the next installment of my meandering
> thoughts, where I offer my controversial views on student leadership.
>
> To be continued...
>
> Joe Orozco
>
> "A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the
> crowd."--Max Lucado
>
>
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