[Greater-Baltimore] October 2022 meeting reminder

[Chris Danielsen]

Dear Federation family:

 

This is a reminder that the monthly meeting of the Greater Baltimore Chapter
of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland will take place this
Saturday, October 8. This meeting will be packed with important information,
including our White cane Awareness Day events (see more below); how members
can become election judges for the November midterms; appointment of the
nominating committee and planning for our chapter elections; and much more.
You won't want to miss it!

 

A few reminders and special notes:

.        We are planning to hold chapter elections in November, so if you
have not paid dues for 2022 yet, you will need to do so on Saturday in order
to be eligible to vote or to be considered for any elected position. We will
be reading off the list of members who are current in their dues, so if you
are not sure, listen for your name. If I read it you are all set; if not you
will need to be prepared to hand over $5 (or $125 for lifetime dues, should
you so desire) to our treasurer, Lou Ann Blake.

.        We will be having a prep meeting after the chapter meeting for
members who are volunteering for our participation in the Baltimore Running
festival on October 15. Please plan to take some extra time to attend this
meeting if you possibly can. We anticipate that it will take no longer than
an hour and a half.

.        We also have another White cane awareness day opportunity to man an
information and demonstration table at Morgan state University. Please think
about whether you would like to volunteer for this if you are not already
volunteering for the running festival. The time commitment will be from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 15 at Morgan state. We should need no
more than two or three volunteers.

 

Now for all of the usual housekeeping notes:

Our meeting will be held at the Nfb Jernigan Institute, the headquarters of
the national federation of the blind located at 200 East Wells Street,
Baltimore MD 21230. The meeting will be held in the NFB of Utah Auditorium,
just beyond the doors leading into the main building from the fourth-floor
atrium, and will begin promptly at 10 a.m. as you plan your attendance,
please read this entire message carefully.

 

We are excited to continue gathering face to face for our chapter meeting.
At the same time, we are taking measures to ensure everyone's health and
safety. To that end, please note the following:

 

.        The doors to the NFB Jernigan Institute, on Wells Street, will open
at 9 a.m. and no earlier. They will close and lock again at 12:30 p.m. Make
transportation plans accordingly, to the best of your ability. Please report
directly to the NFB of Utah Auditorium and do not plan to visit other parts
of the building other than the restrooms near the auditorium. To the best of
your ability, do not linger in the building after the chapter meeting.

.        Please do not attend the meeting in person if you have a fever or
are feeling ill.

.        Masks must be worn at all times. We will have some masks on hand to
provide to those who don't have them, but please wear your own mask if
possible.

.        Social distancing must be observed; this is one reason we are using
the auditorium instead of the fourth floor conference room. Except for
households sitting together, spread out as much as possible when selecting
your seat.

.        For further details, please read the full Policy for In-person
gatherings <https://nfbmd.org/eventpolicy>  instituted and recently revised
by the board of directors of the national federation of the blind of
Maryland.

.        Unrelated to the coronavirus but also for health and safety, please
remember that the NFB of Maryland has a no-fragrance policy for in-person
events. Please do not wear perfume, cologne, fragrant aftershave, etc., as
some of our Federation family members have allergies or other health issues
triggered by these items.

 

We realize that not everyone will be able to attend or will feel comfortable
doing so. For that reason, you can still participate in the meeting on Zoom
using the same ID and password we have been using for the past several
months, barring technical difficulties, which we will do everything possible
to avoid.

 

.        To dial in, call 301-715-8592. Once the call connects and you are

prompted, you will then need to dial the meeting ID, which is: 891 2543
1163. You will then need to dial the passcode 632422, which spells out
NFBGBC. The direct link is:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89125431163?pwd=a3R1WXFBakI5RGQ3c0p4ZGNIaTM3QT09

 

You can also simply tap the following number on your smart phone or save it
to your contacts:

+13017158592,,89125431163#,,,,*632422#

 

During the meeting, you can use the following commands:

.        Pressing Alt plus A on your Windows computer, or star then 6 on
your touch-tone phone,  will mute or unmute your audio. Please remain muted
unless and until you are recognized to speak. When the host unmutes you
because you have been recognized to speak, the Zoom app may ask you to
confirm that you want to unmute, and you will need to click the button in
the popup to complete unmuting.

.        Pressing alt+Y on your Windows computer or star and then 9 on your
touch-tone phone will raise your hand. This will let the meeting hosts know
that you seek the floor or have a question.

 

See you Saturday!

 

Warmly,

 

Chris Danielsen, Chapter President