[MN-at-Large] Affiliate Board Meeting Tomorrow & Important Ask for our NFB-BELL Academy (Paid Teaching Opportunity)

[Andrews, David B (DEED)]

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I'm excited to start this email with...Hello from Saint Paul!

As much as I found ways to enjoy living in a Rochester hotel these past few weeks, there's nothing quite as comfortable as my own bed! Thank you for your intentions, calls, and social posts. While the kidney transplant didn't last more than five days, I'm grateful to have such a strong team of medical experts and loving community. If you're looking for more details, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or check Facebook/LinkedIn. In short, I hope to return down south in 2025 for another transplant.

I'd like to offer a special thanks to all of the members of our affiliate board who stepped up to keep our programs and advocacy moving forward these past three weeks while I recuperated. You, our members, also deserve special thanks for the work you do every day to raise expectations of blind people around the state and country.

I know this time of year can be challenging for many of you. From grieving the loss of family this past year to personal medical conditions that flare up at the worst times, please know that our community is here to support you. don't hesitate to reach out to any member of our leadership team - chapter presidents or our state board of directors - and let us know what you need. Whether it's a virtual hug, connection to local resources, or someone to help you around the house, I can assure you that our community is a group upon whom you can depend.

There are two announcements in this email, so please read to the end!

Announcing the Coordinator for our NFB-BELL Academy...and Our Need for a Teacher
A small committee (Dave Andrews, Mike Colbrunn, Steve Jacobson, and Steve Sawczyn) met last week to review applications from those interested in serving as the coordinator for Minnesota's NFB-BELL Academy. They selected Samantha Flax to again lead our summer program to teach braille to kids aged four to twelve, who has the following announcement:

I'm looking forward to building on our success and making next year's program even better. This year, we're implementing a similar application process for the teacher position as we did for the coordinator role. If you're interested in teaching in our BELL program this summer, we'd love to hear from you!

The responsibilities for this role include:

Attend an extended weekend seminar in Baltimore with other teachers and coordinators

Based on individual student needs, develop a localized curriculum from the national program guidance documents

Teach braille and other activities of daily living throughout the two-week program this summer

Assess and document students' progress at the beginning, middle and end of the program

Assist in completing final program reports for our national office and grantors

The ideal candidate must be fluent in Unified English Braille (UEB). Additionally, the ability to teach and read while wearing learning shades is preferred. A certification in UEB or a degree as a Teacher of Blind Students is a strong plus.

Upon successful completion of the program, the teacher will receive $1,500 and be paid as an independent contractor by the affiliate.  The teacher will also be reimbursed for pre-approved costs of travel and supplies.

If you're interested, please submit a letter of interest to bell at nfbmn.or<mailto:bell at nfbmn.or>g by Monday, December 9 . The review team will conduct brief interviews with some candidates, and they hope to make a final selection within two weeks.

I'm looking forward to working with all of you to make next year's BELL program a success!

Board Meeting Tomorrow
We typically aim to announce our affiliate board meetings more than a day in advance, and we fell short this time. thank you for your patience.

Please join us tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3, for a virtual meeting of our affiliate board of directors. In addition to approving funding for Washington Seminar and our representative to the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind, we'll be discussing our plans for 2025. As I've brought up in the past with several of you, it's now time to begin discussing the potential of hiring an employee/contractor to assist our Membership Committee in growing our organization throughout the state through compelling, repeatable events. We'll also discuss the makeup of our 2025 committees, and I'm eager to hear your recommendations and ideas.

Tuesday, December 3, 6pm-8pm

NFB of Minnesota is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: NFBMN Board Meeting
Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting<https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/98114196649?pwd=eHFsN0wrMm0xOVY3TlRVRjBhdm90dz09>

One tap mobile: +16469313860,,98114196649# US

Join by phone:
* +1 646 931 3860 US
Meeting ID: 981 1419 6649
Passcode: 894589

See you there!

Corbb

Corbb O'Connor (he/him), President
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota
www.nfbmn.org<http://www.nfbmn.org/> | (612) 872-9353


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