[Community-service] 2018 National Federation of the Blind Community Service Division Elections

Tue Jul 3 10:41:38 UTC 2018

Fellow Federationists:

 As I am sure you are well aware, we are quickly approaching the 78th  Convention of the National Federation of the Blind. 
 On Thursday, July 5   The NFB Community Service Division will have our annual seminar and business meeting.  This meeting will be located at Wekiwa 10, level 2. registration will occur at 6:00 and the meeting agenda will start at about 6:30.
  At this meeting we will hear from scholarship finalists and other leaders and luminaries in our movement about how community service raises expectations of the blind and lifts us up as human  beings.
 We will also share with each other   the positives and challenges associated with the blind serving in a community where we are the minority and contemplate the  importance of this service for ourselves, our movement, and beyond.
 Of course, we will talk about the service project and our exciting trivia night.     We will  also discuss the programs, activities and overall future of our division.   . 

 Another  important part of  this meeting will be the election of the board of directors of the Community Service Division.
 These elections  are open to anyone  who is present and has paid their $5 membership dues, allowing them to  run and/or  vote for any   position at the time of elections   .
 The offices up for election this year, and the people who currently serve in those offices are as follows:
 President: Darian Smith 
Vice President: Ronnie Bellomy
Secretary: Janae Burgmeier 
Treasurer: Kyra Sweeney
Board member: Chris Parsons  
Board member: Johna Wright   
Board member: Jeanetta Price 

 What all is involved in serving on the board?
  a commitment to attend one teleconference board meeting a month.  
Chairing a committee (e.g. membership, fundraising, etc) or heading up a major project (e.g.  convention service project, trivia night, etc)
needs to be reachable and responsive via email, text,phone or some combination of these.  (basically, you need to be willing to work)

  possess a strong interest/belief  in community service, it’s impact on the individual and community.
 Possess a strong belief in the  true abilities of blind people and a desire to use service as a way to build up  our blind brothers and sisters and to support the mission of the NFB and fellow federationists.

What are the general responsibilities of each position?
I am sure that you are wondering just what are the responsibilities of each board position.
In general, there are some  specific responsibilities  associated with certain offices on the board of directors, but there is also a lot of flexibility or room for an individual to make an impact based upon the needs of the division, and the talents of the individual.

 Let’s start by quickly discussing the different board positions and their responsibilities.
President
 The President has the responsibility of overseeing the overall operations of the division.
this individual chairs board meetings,appoints committees, works with the membership and the board on setting the direction of the division, and develop initiatives and programing that grow the division, support it’s membership and strengthen the National Federation of the Blind.

Vice President
The Vice President Supports the efforts of the president, and the work of the division actively and consistently.
This individual is the right-hand person of the president,and as such counted on heavily as a tone  setter and steadying force.
This person is responsible for handling duties  normally  associated with the president when the president is unable to fulfill those duties (e.g. chairing or attending meetings or handling projects  or communications). 
This person is often the next in line to take on the office of the president should the president, for whatever reason cease to be the president. 

 Secretary.
The Secretary is primarily in charge of   recording and maintaining a written account of board meetings.  This person may be responsible for generating any other  written correspondence  or documents  as needed (think of them as the administrative assistant of sorts) and may chair meetings in the event that both the president and vice president are unable to chair a meeting.

 treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for the finances of the division. their basic job is to make sure that money the division is supposed to receive is received and is properly  deposited into the divisions treasury.
They are also responsible for seeing that money that is supposed to leave the treasury goes to the correct places at the correct times, and generally make sure that the correct balance is kept on record at all times.
 Generally, National Divisions don’t spend as much money as chapters or affiliates over the course of the year, so their job is not as labor intensive as others, but an  attention to detail, responsibility and consistency are huge asset here. 
This person will have access to the division’s checkbook, so they need to be organized enough to keep personal finances separate from division finances.

This person *may* be responsible for heading up the division’s fundraising efforts.  It is also important to note that this person will work with the president to make sure things run well, so they will not be left completely alone to fend  for themselves(it isn’t as bad as you are probably thinking it is).

Board Member
The Board Member position has a less defined role, but their leadership, contributions, and participation is just as important as that of the constitutional officers.. 
They, like constitutional officers, have a responsibility to attend meetings, support the work of the division, and take responsibility for projects, even if one might not be specifically assigned to them.
At the end of the day,we are talking about people who have a passion  for community service, and  want to use the power  of community service to lift out blind people and the federation, to show that  blind people are normal human beings capable of helping others, and the blindness doesn’t define our ability to do this.
 a person who believes in these things will find that the jobs themselves are not neurosurgery,  but simply require effort.  It’s not about holding a title, it’s about making a difference.
            . .     .     

 I also want to make very clear that a person  can be  an active member of the division, take a leadership role in the division and not be  an elected leader to do so. 
The truth is, that these people  are at least just as important as those holding elected leadership  positions, in fact a number  of these  off board leaders often make  important contributions to the work of the division all year round.
 If you are an individual that just wants to help and might not be interested  in elections, please don’t hesitate to be in touch, as we can always use some extra hands here and there during convention.  

 If  you are interested in running for an elected position on the division board,  and would like further  information  regarding the division, or specific responsibilities of each role, please feel free to contact me regarding your interest, and I’ll be glad to try to answer whatever questions you might have as best I can.
 My contact  information is  included in my signature below.
  Thank you for reading.
 Let’s Get Involved!
, Let’s Go Build  The Federation!  
  Darian 

Darian Smith
President, National Federation  of the Blind Community Service Division

Web: www.nfbcommunityservice.org

Twitter: @NFB_CSD

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CommunityServiceDivision"

E-mail: president at nfbcommunityservice.org <mailto:president at nfbcommunityservice.org>

(415)215-9809

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.

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