[MN-at-Large] Summer Update

Mon Aug 1 22:38:03 UTC 2022

Hi Everyone,

It seems impossible that it could already be August 1. July was certainly a
busy month, especially because of our national convention. Over 100 of us
attended in person or virtually. An event like a national convention can't
happen without help from a lot of different people. Thank you to those of
you who helped in many different ways. More about this will be in the next
issue of our Minnesota Bulletin, so please look for that when it is
published. For now, thanks to many of you who went well beyond the call of
duty to make the national convention a success.  Your efforts are truly
appreciated.

So, with the convention behind us, what's next? Please read on.

Minnesota Bulletin

Please note that the deadline to submit articles for the next Minnesota
Bulletin is today. Get that article you are working on finished up and send
it to Jennifer Dunnam jennifer.dunnam1829 at gmail.com
<mailto:jennifer.dunnam1829 at gmail.com>  who is one of our hard working
Minnesota Bulletin editorial team.  If you have not had a chance to read the
most recent issue, be sure to check it out.  There are some very interesting
articles about blind parents as told both by parents and their kids. You can
also read the winning entry in the Metro Chapter Essay Contest by Matt
Langland which is both enlightening and moving. If you have not received
your copy yet, you can read it at Minnesota Bulletin Spring 2022
<https://nfbmn.org/minnesota-bulletin/spring-2022> 

Important Changes of Dates

Please note that a couple of activities have been moved on our calendar.
First, the Chapter Leadership Check-in meeting has been moved from tonight,
August 1, to next Monday, August 8. In addition, this month's meeting of the
State Rehabilitation Council - Blind meeting that was scheduled for this
Thursday, August 4 has been moved to August 11.

Next State Board Meeting

The next state meeting of the Board of Directors is scheduled for August 10.
Those who can come together in person will meet at our building, but there
will be a virtual component as well. There will be more details to follow.

Walk for Opportunity

Please save the date, Saturday, September 10, for our annual Walk for
Opportunity. This is our largest state fundraiser thanks to your efforts.
More details will follow, but it is not too early to start collecting
pledges and mentioning this event on social media.

What's Happening with Legislation

We are continuing to prepare for our legislative efforts next year. There
are a number of Child Protection Legislative Task Force meetings that are
open to the public. Some of our Legislative and Policy Committee will be
attending some of these meetings to learn how some proposed changes might
aid our efforts to add more protection for blind parents. 

Remember to Vote

The primary election is coming on August 9. As you may have read from my
earlier message on this topic, you might still be able to request an
accessible absentee ballot but you need to do that right away. In addition,
you can go to certain locations and use an accessible voting machines during
certain hours between now and the primary. A number of counties, including
Hennepin County, are now using a new accessible voting machine called the
Democracy Live OmniBallot Tablet. Some of us used this machine last fall. If
you used the AutoMark before, you will probably have no problems using this
new machine, but it does work a little differently. For one thing, an
election judge has to initiate the process for each voter. Please watch for
continuing updates on accessible election voting procedures, and report to
us any problems you encounter.

National Convention Highlights Available

Highlights of our national convention are already available on our
convention page at http://www.nfb.org/convention. If you move down the page
past the convention date and location announcement, you will find the
Presidential Report, the banquet address, resolutions, and a Youtube play
list of general sessions.

Hosting a live Presidential Release

At the Open Board Meeting at our national convention, it was announced that
affiliates or chapters can host the October Presidential Release. Here is
the announcement from President Riccobono.

By chapter, affiliate, or even region, we are asking you to submit a brief
proposal to have the October Presidential Release LIVE in your area. We will
come to you! Please email  <mailto:membership at nfb.org> membership at nfb.org
your pitch on what the release setup would be and any details that would
help us determine that your chapter is the right host for this opportunity.
Why should we come to you? Be creative and share stories on how it will help
your chapter build the Federation. Ideally the release would take place on
September 30, October 1, or October 2, 2022. Deadline to submit your
proposal is Sunday, August 28, and we will announce the accepted proposal on
the September release.

July Braille Monitor

The July Braille Monitor is available now. Read about the coverage on the
"We're With U!" concert, discussion on chapter chatter, stories from
members, and more. You can find it at
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm22/bm2207/bm2207tc.htm> Access
the Braille Monitor now.

Thank you for Donating

With the help of Netflix, we succeeded in reaching our national goal of
$50,000 in donations which were then matched by HumanWare. Part of that
accomplishment was due to our efforts here in Minnesota where your donation
was actually tripled because our state affiliate also matched your donation.
Our treasurer, Jennifer Dunnam, posted our state matching results here some
time ago. Thank you for your efforts.

Dates to Keep in Mind

*	August 2, 7:00 PM - Next Presidential Release (Not August 1)
*	August 6 - Metro Chapter Picnic
*	August 8 7:00 PM - Chapter Leadership Check-in Meeting 
*	August 9 - Minnesota Primary Elections
*	August 10 6:00 PM - State Board of Directors Meeting
*	August 11 5:30 PM - State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind
Meeting, with those who can attend in person meeting at 2200 University West
*	August 11 7:00 PM - RiverBend Chapter Meeting
*	August 20 10:00 AM - Virtual Metro Chapter Meeting
*	August 21 - At Large Chapter Meeting
*	September 10 - Walk for Opportunity
*	September 23 - begin voting early or by mail for general election
*	November 4-6 - NFB of Minnesota State Convention

*         November 8 - General Election

Best regards,

Steve Jacobson, President

National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota

www.nfbmn.org <http://www.nfbmn.org/> 

(612) 872-9363

www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> 

Live the life you Want.

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