[Charlotte-Mecklenburg-Chapter] Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship

[gerald moreno]

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship by Tracy Soforenko From the Editor: Tracy is a member of our National Board of Directors and is the president of the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia. He is also the chairperson of the Kenneth Jernigan Fund Committee, and it is in this capacity that he writes: Have you always wanted to attend an annual National Federation of the Blind convention but have not done so because of the lack of funds? The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund invites you to make an application for a scholarship grant. Perhaps this July you, too, can be in the Marriot New Orleans enjoying the many pleasures and learning opportunities at the largest and most important yearly convention of blind people in the world. The three biggest ticket items you need to cover when attending an NFB national convention are the round-trip transportation, the hotel room for a week, and the food (which tends to be more expensive than at home). We attempt to award additional funds to families, but whether a family or an individual is granted a scholarship, this fund can only help; it won't pay all the costs. In recent years, the grants have been $750 for individuals and $1,200 for families. We recommend that you find an NFB member as your personal convention mentor, someone who has been to many national conventions and is able to share money-saving tips with you as well as tips on navigating the extensive agenda in the big hotel. Your mentor will help you get the most out of the amazing experience that is convention week. Who is Eligible? Active members of the National Federation of the Blind, blind or sighted, who have not yet attended an in-person national convention because of lack of funding are eligible to apply. If you have attended a convention virtually but have never attended an in-person convention, you are still eligible to apply. How Do I Apply for Funding Assistance? This year we will be accepting applications online. Since applications must be completed in a single session online, we strongly recommend that you prepare your responses in a document, and then cut and paste your responses into the application form. The application form does not support complex formatting, so we recommend avoiding features such as bullet points and different fonts or styles. Effective January 1, 2025, the application form can be found at the following link: https://nfb.org/form/convention-scholarship . The application will ask for the following information: Are you applying as an individual or a family? Contact information: Include your full name and both your primary phone where you can be contacted by your state president and your mobile phone you might use at convention, if available. Please include your mailing address and, if you have one, your email address. If you don't have an email address, please consider whether there is a friend or chapter member who might be able to assist with email correspondence. State affiliate/chapter information: Include your state affiliate, your state president, chapter, and chapter president, if you attend a chapter. Mentor information: Include your personal convention mentor and provide that person's phone number. Funding request: Include your specific request and explain how much money you need from this fund to make this trip possible for you. We suggest you consult with other members to make a rough budget for yourself. Essay questions to explain why this is a good investment for the NFB: How do you currently participate in the Federation? Why do you want to attend a national convention? What would you receive? What can you share or give? Any special circumstances you hope the committee will take into consideration. Please note that applicants must be eighteen years of age by the time of the convention or must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. If you cannot apply online, you can still apply by writing a letter to your state affiliate president answering the above questions. This letter should be emailed to your state affiliate president. Once you have decided you will apply, please contact your state president in person or by phone to request their help in obtaining funding. Be sure to tell the state affiliate president when to expect that your application will be submitted and mention the deadline. Once your application has been submitted, your application will be provided to your state president via email. It is still your responsibility to contact your affiliate president. They must email a president's recommendation directly to the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund Committee at [email protected] . Your president must email the recommendation no later than the deadline of April 15, 2025. If you have applied outside of the online form, the state affiliate president must email both the recommendation and the application letter. Notification of Award If you are chosen to receive this scholarship, you will receive a letter with convention details that should answer most of your questions. The committee makes every effort to notify winners by May 15, but you must do several things before that to be prepared to attend if you are chosen: Make your own hotel reservation. If something prevents you from attending, you can cancel the reservation. (Yes, you may arrange for roommates of your own to reduce the cost.) Register online for the entire convention, including the banquet, by May 31. Find someone in your chapter or affiliate who has been to many conventions and can answer your questions as a friend and mentor. If you do not hear from the committee by May 15, then you did not win a scholarship this year. Receiving the Award At the convention, you will be given a debit card or credit card loaded with the amount of your award. The times and locations to pick up your card will be listed in the letter we send you. The committee is not able to provide funds before the convention, so work with your chapter and state affiliate to assist you by obtaining an agreement to advance funds if you win a scholarship, and to pay your treasury back after you receive your debit or credit card. More Information For additional information, please contact the chairperson of the Kenneth Jernigan Fund Committee, Tracy Soforenko, at [email protected] or 410-659-9314, extension 2020. Above all, please use this opportunity to attend your first convention on the national level and join several thousand active Federationists in the most important meeting of the blind in the world. We hope to see you in New Orleans. 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