[Massachusetts-NFB] November Cambridge Chapter Minutes

[Cullen Gallagher]

Hi Everyone,
I hope your 2025 is off to a fantastic start! It's certainly looking like a promising year. 
I look forward to seeing many of you at our Cambridge Chapter Meeting tonight at 6:00 PM. 
Here are the meeting minutes from November along with the Zoom link for anyone attending virtually.
Thanks,
Cullen
Cambridge Chapter Minutes, November 18, 2024

The November 18, 2024 meeting of the Cambridge Chapter was held as a hybrid meeting at Cambridge Citywide Senior Center and Zoom. The meeting was called to order at 6:04 PM.
In Attendance

Cullen Gallagher
Greg Bedard
Sengil Inkiala
Kobena Bonney
ElizabethAnn Johnson
Rashad Saadieh
Wesley Taylor
Adam Roberge
Rick Camann
Mika Pyyhkala
Laurie Mattioli
Ellen Bartelt
Vinod Chawla
David Ticchi
Masha Sten-Clanton
Al Sten-Clanton
Shara Winton
Helen Kobek
Shannon Canton
Stephanie Valdes
Kristina Constant
Stephen Yerardi
Amarion Jackson 
Shirley Dorris
Jen Bose
William Odonnel 
John Oliveira
NFB Pledge

Stephen Led the NFB Pledge.
Minutes

Kobena moved that we accept the October minutes: the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report

Mika presented the Treasurer's Report. 
Our account balance was $3,495.79 as of November 18. This is the point where we would make a transfer to the state account.
Scott Hurley continued to send updates on donations to the walk. As of the last report, the walk total was $4,710. Mikes Pastry in Harvard Square also made a donation. 
Expense was our standard $50 PAC contribution.
Inky moved acceptance of the Treasurer’s Report; the motion was seconded and unanimously passed.
Presidents Report

Shara presented a number of updates, including both national and state events. 
For those who voted, there was a Survey from national to report on the voting experience. They were interested in both good and bad experiences. 
For children who read Braille, Santa and Winter letters were available. 
Washington Seminar would run from February 3 to February 7. Several members expressed interest in participating.
The stipend would be determined at the board meeting the following day.
Hotel reservations were opened for our State Convention. The reservation deadline would be February 5, but Shara encouraged members to book them now before the hotel fills up. THe room rate was $139 per night. Students should contact Shara for room reservations.
Scholarship applications were available.
We would continue accepting donations for the walk. Shara indicated that funds were down considerably from previous years, by around $3,000. Members should continue to let people know about the walk and the NFB. 
Our second BELL Academy would be held in the Boston Area the first two weeks in August. We had received a lot of positive feedback from the academy this past year. A Pampered Chef fundraiser was ongoing to raise funds for the BELL program. The more funds that are raised, the higher the percentage we would receive. 
Presidential Release

Cullen played the November Presidential Release. <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/08-2024/presidential_release_november_2024_chapter_version.mp3>
Advocacy Team Update

Inky indicated that the advocacy team would meet on Wednesday at 7:00 PM to assess what was needed and plan next steps.
Bake Sale Update 

Shirley announced that $740 was raised from the Election Day bake sale. Participants were thanked for baking and contributing towards the event. Everyone seemed happy to see the baked goods and impressed that they were homemade. 
2025 Dues

Shirley reminded everyone that $10 dues needed to be paid at the beginning of the year. Payment could be made through PayPal, Zelle, and Cash. The Zelle address is Treasurer at nfbma.org. Members were reminded to put a note in the memo field indicating the payment was for Cambridge Chapter Dues. 
Holiday Party

Our December holiday party was discussed. A few date options were presented, including our usual meeting date of December 9, and the weekend of December 20. It was decided that we would hold the party on December 9 at 6:00 PM. 
Members suggested several options for restaurant locations. We decided to investigate four of them, John Brewers Tavern in Waltham, Donahues in Watertown, Veggie Galaxy and Mount Vernon. After finding out availability information, Shirley would make the final decision on the restaurant and send the information out to our list. 
RayBan Meta Glasses

Cullen gave a brief presentation on the RayBan Meta glasses and answered questions about them. They were also passed around so members could see them.
Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 PM.
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Cullen Gallagher
Affiliate Secretary and Cambridge Chapter Secretary: National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

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