[Massachusetts-NFB] At-Large Chapter March Minutes

[Cullen Gallagher]

Hi Everyone,
Resending the March At-Large chapter minutes. See below.
Thanks,
Cullen
At-Large Chapter Minutes, March 10, 2026

The March 10, 2026 meeting of the At-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts was called to order at 7:03 PM
In Attendance:

Liz Lesperance, President
Sandy Burgess, Vice President
Cullen Gallagher, Secretary
Allen Larkin, Treasurer
Shara Winton, Affiliate President
ElizabethAnn Johnson
Stephen Yearardi
Lavender Darcangelo
Pam Kalinoski
Zach Gousie
Al Elia 
Brian Langlois
Sengil Inkiala
Kyra Sweeney
Ren Lovegood
Icebreaker: “You’re wearing a badge at an event that says ‘ask me about .’”##NFB Pledge
Kyra led the NFB Pledge
Secretary’s Report

Stephen moved acceptance of the February minutes; the motion was seconded by Pam and passed unanimously.
Treasury

Allen indicated that 15 members had paid dues. Sandy agreed to send Allen the previous starting balance, and the amount of paid dues was to be added to make the updated balance.
State Convention Door Prizes

Donating a door prize for the upcoming state convention was discussed. The chapter had typically contributed. Cullen moved that the chapter donate two $25 prizes for a total of $50; the motion was seconded by Allen and passed unanimously.
New Member

Al Elia joined the chapter and introduced himself. Following his introduction, Shara moved that he be accepted as a new member of the chapter. The motion was seconded by Cullen and passed unanimously.
Affiliate President’s Report

Shara presented an update on National events and our State Convention.
NATIONAL UPDATES

The national scholarship program application deadline was March 31.
The summer internship at the national office was returning, with a deadline of March 14.
Applications for the Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship were open for first-time national convention attendees. Members were instructed to contact Shara for a letter of recommendation.
STATE CONVENTION

Shara highlighted some of the exciting activities at our State Convention. Registration would open at noon on Friday. 
Breakout sessions would include a tactile drop-in art room and possibly blind tennis. General sessions would begin at 3:00 PM and would feature a speaker who was an advocate, singer, VoiceOver artist and entrepreneur. 
At 7:00 PM, an Italian dinner would be followed by a talent showcase. Members wishing to participate were asked to contact Cullen to sign up. Participants could sing, dance (preferably with audio description), act, or perform comedy. Members were also encouraged to dress as their favorite entertainers. There would be prizes for the best acts and costumes. 
There would be general sessions on Saturday morning and afternoon. Blind fencing would follow the general sessions. The exhibit hall would be open on Friday and in between general sessions on Saturday.
The banquet would be held at 7:00 PM on Saturday and would feature scholarships, door prizes, and auction.
Sunday morning would feature a philosophical discussion and the business meeting. Elections would be held for three two-year board positions and one one-year vacant position. Members interested in running were advised to contact Shara to inform the nominating committee. Members were required to have dues paid in order to vote.
There would also be votes on resolutions.
Members were encouraged to bring door prizes in auction items, and cash for raffles.
Legislative Updates

Kyra encouraged members to contact their representatives and senators to support the Blind Americans Return to Work Act (HR1175) and the Assistive Technology Affordability Act (HR1529 in the House and S1918 in the Senate). Cosponsors were needed for these bills.
Al asked if there were any updates on the service animal and ride-share bill in the State House, and Stephen indicated that it was still in committee.
Presidential Release

The March Presidential Release  <https://nfb.org/sites/nfb.org/files/2026-02/presidential_release_march_2026_chapter_version_final.mp3>was played.
April Elections

Liz reminded members that elections would be held at the April meeting 
Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:27 PM. The next meeting was scheduled for April 14. For the April meeting, Shara would come up with the icebreaker, and Liz would lead the NFB Pledge.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/massachusetts-nfb_nfbnet.org/attachments/20260414/b5b9be20/attachment.htm>