[Massachusetts-NFB] Cambridge Chapter October Meeting Minutes

[dticchi at comcast.net]

Cullen, the Capital switchboard is: 202.2243121.  Thanks, David

 

From: Massachusetts-NFB <massachusetts-nfb-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of
Cullen Gallagher via Massachusetts-NFB
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2022 12:00 AM
To: massachusetts-nfb at nfbnet.org
Cc: Cullen Gallagher <cullen.gallagher at gmail.com>
Subject: [Massachusetts-NFB] Cambridge Chapter October Meeting Minutes

 

Hello Everyone,

Attached and pasted below are the minutes from the October meeting. 

Looking forward to seeing many of you in-person next month.

Thanks,

Cullen

The October meeting of the Cambridge Chapter was called to order at 6:31 PM

In Attendance: 

Mika Pyyhkala

Cullen Gallagher

George Kamara

Shara Winton

David Ticchi

Kristina Constant

Amalia Alexandre

Bronwen Tedesco

Cristine Diaz

Debby Malone

ElizabethAnn Johnson

Jenn Bose

Kobena Bonney

Laurie Mattioli

Al Sten-Clanton

Nicole Tolbert

Barbara Lomax

Shirley Dorris

John Oliveira

Masha Sten-Clanton 

Audra DeePina

Justin Heard

Kristina led the NFB Pledge.

The September minutes were accepted as written. 

Mika gave the Treasurer's Report for September and October, as well as an
update on walk donations. The checking account balance as of September 12,
the date of our September meeting, was $2,475.16. Account activity includes
our $50 PAC donation, deposits from the walk, and $0.02 in interest. The
checking balance as of October 10 is $3,755.18. 

>From the latest walk tabulation from Scott Hurley from Cambridge Savings
Bank, the current total is $3,095.00. This includes donations made via
PayPal and mailed to the bank. 

Shara indicated that she will be depositing the contents of the cash box
this week, which includes cash and checks received in-person at the walk.
The amount received is still lower than normal, so please continue to work
on getting donations. Even $25 donations can make a difference. 

Cullen moved that the Treasurer's Report be accepted as presented; the
motion was seconded and passed. 

Justin presented highlights from the October Presidential Release. You can
access the release at the following link:
https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2022-10/presidential_release_live_octobe
r_2022_chapter_version.mp3

The transcript can be found at this link:
https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/presidential-releases/trans
cripts/presidential-release-520-0 

The main announcement from the release is that the Websites and Software
Applications Accessibility Act has been introduced in both the Senate and
the House. The bill number in the Senate is S4998, and HR9021 in the House.
Senator Markey is cosponsoring the bill. Please contact Senator Warren and
your representative and ask them to cosponsor. To contact your
representative by phone, you can call the Capital Switchboard at
212-224-3121. 

Justin gave an update from the Chapter Location committee. The committee is
still waiting to hear from the senior center for setting an official meeting
time. We discussed whether or not we could meet in-person next month if the
center is available to us, instead of waiting to announce and discuss it
over a Zoom meeting. If it is possible, multiple announcements will be sent
on the listserv. November 14 might not be available at the senior center due
to Veterans Day. We will meet on Zoom if it is not available to us. There
were no objections to this plan. Please keep an eye on your email for info
on the November meeting. We will also do our best to insure that Zoom access
for our meeting is still made available. 

John Oliveira presented his report on the employment seminar at convention.
The meeting was well attended. They covered resumes, networking and
introducing yourself in a one minute speech. Participants had the
opportunity to practice giving their speech to the group. These skills are
valuable when looking for a job.

If you received funding assistance to attend the National Convention and
have not given your report on a meeting you attended, you can present at a
chapter meeting or a Thursday night call. Contact Justin if you wish to
present at a chapter meeting, and Shara if you want to present at a Thursday
night. The short presentation should include what happened, what you gained
from the meeting, and what might be useful for others. 

Justin gave an update on ax throwing and the standard rates. The group rate
for 7 to 20 people is $50 per person for two hours.  For a group of up to
six people, the rate is $30 for one hour. The price includes instruction and
safety in throwing axes, and the ability to purchase drinks and food. The
$50 rate is a bit high, and members felt that the cost should be no more
than $40 to ensure that it is affordable. Justin will contact them to see if
they would be willing to lower the rate to $40 for us. Stay tuned for more
information. 

Meeting adjourned at 8:01 PM. 

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