[il-talk] minutes from 4/1/11 at large meeting

[Leslie Hamric]

Hi all. Below are the minutes from the at large meeting on 4/1/11.  Please
contact me with any questions or concerns.

Leslie Hamric

 

Those who are in attendance:  Patti Chang, Bill Reif, Nicole, David Meyer,
Kelly Doty, Ryan Willms, Linda Hendle Charlene Elder, and Vanessa Thomas.
Hap Holly joined the meeting about 7:30.  State President Patti Chang
conducted the meeting as Leslie was ill and unable to do so.

 

Meeting began with introductions.  Ryan says he is encouraged by roll models
within NFB.  Nicole wishes to gain acceptance as a blind person and coming
back has helped her to do that.  

Vanessa says she plans to come back consistently because it is a good way to
network with blind people.

 

Parents Seminar:  The parent seminar will be scheduled next Saturday in
Chicago.  There will be separate sessions for adults, teens and a kid camp.
There will be a teen panel, as well as sessions to help parents focus on
parent rights and technology options.  There are 14 or 15 families coming
many of whom have small children.  The teen scene will expose kids to travel
skills among other things.   A seminar like this is a way to introduce NFB
to parents, teens and small children, something that did not happen all that
much before parent seminars came into being.  This is the third year in a
row that we are doing this.  Money for this came from the Imagination fund.

 

Membership Seminar:  People talked about what they got out of the seminar.
We then talked about how to build the at large chapter.

1.  Challenge each other to do more than we have done in the past, and be a
source of encouragement to each other while we do so.  One person is working
on braille.  Another member mentioned working on cane travel skills.  We
could do program items featuring people from different companies that sell
technology such as Freedom Scientific, HumanWare, etc.  Nicole may possibly
be a program coordinator for this group.  Patti suggested creation of a
program committee for this group.  One person talked about program items on
philosophy.

 

Membership Recruitment:  Everyone could call people from the white cane list
to explain to them what the at large chapter is.

Each person could target one area for a couple of months.  It was suggested
that people call folks from the white cane list from the next 3-6 months.
Vanessa will talk to Cathy Austin about having the At large announcement on
an ongoing basis in Guild Briefs.

 

She will also take on advertising our chapter in different newsletters.
There is a travelers' line that she will check out.

Ryan and Nicole should be assigned to work on programs with Vanessa and
Linda to work on advertising the chapter, in other words outreach.  

We should also advertise with the Blind Visionaries.  

 

Conventions:  Financial assistance is available to attend the National
convention which will be at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel in Orlando
Florida.  The Jernigan fund and the Chappell fund are the two ways to get
assistance.  Applications are available from the Illinois web site for the
Chappell fund.  Applications for the Jernigan fund are due on April 14.
State convention will be October 7-9 at the Holiday Inn in Rock Island.  You
can ride the bus along with the Chicago Chapter.

We adjourned at 7:54 P.M.