[Cinci-NFB] National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter, Meeting Minutes for August, 2022

Wed Sep 7 14:40:22 UTC 2022

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Cincinnati Chapter
Meeting Minutes for August 2022

  1.  The August 2022 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter was convened by President Gloria Robinson at approximately 1:30 P.M. on Saturday August 27, 2022. This meeting was held by telephone conference due to the Chapter's concerns related to the prevalence of Covid-19 and the membership. In attendance at today's meeting were President Gloria Robinson, Christopher Sabine, Emily Pennington, Dave Perry, Chris Windham, Frank Bragassa, Gary Warren, Lisa Hall, and Haley Thurston. Paula Collins and Robert Shoemake attended today's meeting as guests of the Chapter. Dr. Carolyn Peters and Suzanne Turner also attended today's meeting representing the Ohio Affiliate.

  1.  The Cincinnati Chapter Board of Directors met by telephone conference on August 25, 2022, prior to today's meeting. At that meeting, the Cincinnati Chapter Board decided unanimously to continue holding Chapter meetings by telephone conference until January 2023 due to ongoing concerns related to Covid-19 and the unavailability of a meeting location. The Fundraising Committee meeting, discussed later in this month's minutes, was held concurrently with the Board meeting.

  1.  Emily Pennington presented this month's Treasurer's Report. Christopher Sabine moved to accept this month's Treasurer's Report. Dave Perry seconded, and the motion passed.

  1.  Dave Perry gave a Membership Committee report for this month. He expressed that membership recruitment efforts are still ongoing, and he, President Gloria Robinson, and Christopher Sabine have been approached by the Ohio Affiliate and other community organizations concerning prospective members. Paula Collins also expressed interest in becoming a member of the Cincinnati Chapter, and President Gloria Robinson provided information to her regarding payment of dues using the Cash App. Finally, Dave Perry announced that the Tukandu Tandem Cycling Club, which is working with members of the Greater Cincinnati Blind Community, has begun scheduling rides beginning the morning of September 10 at the Loveland bike Trail. Dave expressed that this group, which was established in 1999 to provide tandem bike rides in the Greater Cincinnati area, is an excellent means of bridging the gap between the Blind and Sighted Communities and recruiting new members to the Federation. He encouraged anyone interested to reach out to him directly, and he will put them in touch with Mike Breeden, President of the club, who will coordinate transportation to the Loveland Bike Trail for interested members.

  1.  Chris Windham and Christopher Sabine gave a brief report from the Transportation Committee. Christopher Sabine indicated that the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTTA) has begun holding public comments on the second phase of its five-year service improvement plan, Reinventing Metro. New services, which are slated to begin in December 2022, include several new routes and a pilot of a new on-demand service in several Hamilton County neighborhoods, branded as Metro Now. This service will provide on-demand services between fix route bus stops and neighborhood locations in areas not served by a fixed route. Further information on the service is available from SORTA's website, https://www.go-metro.org. SORTA is the mass transportation provider that serves Hamilton County and several surrounding communities in Southwest Ohio. It currently operates Metro, SORTA's fixed route bus service, and ACCESS, the community paratransit service for riders with disabilities in SORTA's service area.

  1.  President Gloria Robinson gave an update from the community Outreach Committee. She reported that she is working on a project handing out book bags and other school supplies at the Cincinnati Technology Academy and plans to open a shelter to provide a place for children to weight for the bus. She is also working with community organizations to donate hats, gloves, and other items. No further information was given concerning these efforts at this time.

  1.  Dave Perry gave a report from the Fundraising Committee, which met concurrently with the Board meeting on August 25. He reported that the current popcorn fundraiser is still ongoing, and members can submit orders with cash payment to President Gloria Robinson. He also reported that the Committee is discussing a launch of a drawing for the Amazon Air Frier in the near future. Tickets will be sold for $5 apiece or 3 for $12, the same rate as in several past Chapter fundraisers. A previous initiative to provide a day of training for Blind Equality Achievement Month in October on the use of IOS was scrubbed due to concerns related to Covid-19. Further information will be shared on the Cincinnati Chapter and Affiliate Internet Listservs regarding IOS training in the future.

  1.  Dr. Carolyn Peters, Chair of the Ohio Affiliate, gave an update on activities of the Ohio Affiliate. Dr. Peters indicated that Dave Perry will be spearheading the information table for the upcoming Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, which is currently set for November 4-6 at the Hilton Double Tree Hotel in Independence, Ohio-outside Cleveland. She also thanked Cristopher Sabine for his work as chair of the Affiliate's Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

  1.  President Gloria Robinson expressed that she is considering renting a van to transport interested Chapter members to the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Convention on November 4-6. Anyone interested in transportation to State Convention should reach out to President Gloria Robinson by September 15. President Gloria Robinson and Christopher Sabine will also assist members with registration for State Convention as needed.

  1.  Suzanne Turner, Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, and president of the Cleveland Chapter, spoke regarding activities of the Ohio Affiliate and State Convention. After briefly reviewing the Federation's organizational structure, she announced that the State Affiliate's Board Meeting will be held on Saturday September 17 at the Hilton Double Tree Independence. Anyone interested in attending this meeting needs to reach out to Ohio Affiliate President Richard Payne and express their wish to be included in lunch. Suzanne also indicated that the Ohio Affiliate's Employment Committee will be holding a seminar for Blind Equality Achievement Month featuring four successful Blind professionals. This event is scheduled for Wednesday October 19 and will take place virtually on the Ohio Affiliate Zoom Room. A notice of this event has been posted to the Ohio-talk Listserv prior to today's meeting. Preregistration for this year's National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Convention is available on the Ohio Affiliate's web site at http://www.nfbohio.org. Preregistration is $25 and the cost of a banquet ticket is $50. Registration is required to be eligible for door prizes. Several boxed lunches will be available on Saturday November 5. The Convention will begin with a Board meeting on Friday November 4 and end with the Sunday General Session on November 6. There will be a hospitality suite in Room 121 of the Convention Hotel on Friday November 4 from 5:30 to 8:30 P.M. followed by a talent show facilitated by Wilbert Turner from the Cleveland Chapter. There will also be karaoke following the banquet on Saturday November 5. Registration is available at the door for an additional $5 for those unable to preregister. Rooms at the Hilton by Double Tree Independence are $104 per night, including free breakfast. The Affiliate is seeking volunteers to serve as human signs, work the floors during the General Sessions to pass the mic to those who wish to speak, work with those needing assistance to locate their rooms and other convention activities, and perform other duties as needed. Those interested in serving as a volunteer should reach out to Suzanne Turner directly. Mentors are also available for first time convention attendees, and those interested in mentoring should also reach out to Suzanne Turner.

  1.  Christopher Sabine gave a report from the Legislative Committee. He indicated that the office of Gov. Mike DeWine has issued a press release stating that the Governor's Office is offering $1,000 to students with disabilities seeking higher education or attending college who are consumers of services from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD). Those interested should contact their OOD counselors. This notice was posted to the Ohio-Talk Listserv on Thursday August 25, and Christopher indicated that some members of the Ohio Affiliate have already expressed interest in these funds.

  1.  President Gloria Robinson stated that she is seeking members for the Chapter's Community Outreach Committee.

  1.  After discussion with Suzanne Turner, Christopher Sabine moved that the Chapter allocate $25 each for the White Cane Fund, Money for the Movement, and door prizes for State Convention. Dave Perry seconded, and the motion passed.

  1.  Christopher Sabine expressed that he is in charge of compiling this year's Gavel Report for the Cincinnati Chapter. The Gavel Report, submitted each year by October 1 to the Ohio Affiliate, is a summary of the Chapter's activities for the current year. It also recognizes the accomplishments of individual chapter members to all levels of the Federation and the community at large. Christopher indicated that he would like each member with a contribution to the community that they would like included in this year's report to reach out to Christopher Sabine by September 15.

  1.  President Gloria Robinson and Christopher Sabine provided their updated contact information to the Chapter.

  1.  The August 2022 meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter was adjourned at approximately 2:26 P.M. on Saturday August 27, 2022.
  2.  The next meeting of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Cincinnati Chapter will be held by telephone conference on Saturday September 24, 2022, by telephone conference.

Respectfully Submitted,

Christopher Sabine

Secretary

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

Cincinnati Chapter

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