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<h1><b>President's Notebook</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b>National Federation of the Blind</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b>Mark A. Riccobono</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b><a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a></b></h1><br><br>
<br>
<h1><b>(410) 659-9314</b></h1><br><br>
<br>
Dear Fellow Federationists,<br>
<br>
I hope that everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Just
because we are getting into December does not mean the pace of our work
has slowed down. The NFB Board of Directors will be here this weekend for
meetings to review our progress and plan for 2017, and the list of things
to discuss is impressive. As you will find in the critical items below,
there are a number of items that require your immediate attention. I also
want to call your attention to our communications survey that is not
quite time sensitive enough to be critical, but is very important and
will help shape a number of activities for us in 2017. Finally, I would
like you to stay on high alert just in case we need action on the
Marrakesh treaty during the next ten days. <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Critical Actions This Week:</b></h2><br><br>
<br>
Giving Tuesday:<br>
#GivingTuesday is right around the corner. Entering its fifth year,
#GivingTuesday is a global initiative for philanthropic activity. People
all over the world give through social media on the day after Cyber
Monday. You can all influence others. Please mark your calendars for
November 29, 2016. Let’s see if we can make this our biggest
#GivingTuesday ever. We are asking you to donate and to share, retweet,
and paste our “asks” on your social media. We are using
#NFBdonate2016 as our hashtag. Our social media campaign for
#GivingTuesday will direct people to our donation page through Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram. For more information, please read our
<a href="https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/it-starts-me-fundraising-national-federation-blind">
<i>Voice of the Nation’s
Blind</a></i>
<a href="https://nfb.org/blog/vonb-blog/it-starts-me-fundraising-national-federation-blind">
blog post on giving options</a>.<br>
<br>
Washington Seminar:<br>
The Holiday Inn Capitol is accepting reservations for the 2017 Washington
Seminar, which will occur from January 30February 2. Please call (8877)
572-6951 or go to
<a href="https://nfb.org/washington-seminar">
https://nfb.org/washington-seminar</a> to make your reservations using
booking code F7B.<br>
The rates are $188 for a room accommodating up to four persons, and the
applicable tax is 14.5 percent. These rates are good for check in as
early as January 29 and check out by February 3. While the reservation
deadline is December 28, I urge you to take care of this now before the
holidays get too busy. If you would like to reserve a meeting room during
the Washington Seminar, please contact Diane McGeorge before December 10
at (303) 778-1130, extension 219, or send an email to Lisa Bonderson at
<a href="mailto:lbonderson@cocenter.org">lbonderson@cocenter.org</a>.<br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>News:</b></h2><br><br>
Communications Survey:<br>
As we close out 2016 and plan for 2017 and beyond, we are evaluating
various aspects of how we accomplish our organizational goals. To help us
plan, we would value your feedback on the NFB's organizational
priorities, as well as which forms of communication are most useful and
effective for you. This information will help us build a successful
communications plan for the future. The survey is confidential and should
take approximately five minutes to complete. Please distribute the link
(<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B9MR89H">
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B9MR89H</a>) far and wide. We encourage
all willing participants to complete the survey by Monday, December
12.<br>
Slam That!:<br>
Some say that blind students cannot learn science, technology,
engineering, or mathematics. The members of the National Federation of
the Blind say “Slam that!” Dates and a location are now available for
the 2017 NFB Youth Slama week-long, hands-on, STEM learning program for
one hundred blind and low-vision high school students from across the
country. This program of the NFB Jernigan Institute’s National Center
for Blind Youth in Science will be held July 23-29, 2017, at Towson
University in Baltimore, Maryland. Individuals who are interested in
volunteering to help the members of the NFB “Slam that!” and are
available July 21-29, 2017, should apply at
<a href="http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam-volunteer-page">
http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam-volunteer-page</a>. The
deadline to apply is January 31, 2017. <br>
<br>
New Bulletin Board:<br>
We have a new bulletin board in the Betsy Zaborowski conference room. The
multi-layered, interactive bulletin board features highlights of the 2016
NFB BELL Academy. The background is Braille paper containing surplus
handouts from an NFB BELL Academy Training Seminar. There is a button to
the right of the board that, when pressed, plays "Braille is
Beautiful." <br>
<br><br>
<h2><b>Dates to Keep in Mind:</b></h2><br><br>
· January 30, 2017: Great
Gathering-In <br>
· January 30-February 2, 2017:
<a href="https://nfb.org/washington-seminar">Washington Seminar</a><br>
· March 30-31, 2017: Jacobus
tenBroek Law Symposium<br>
· March 31, 2017: Deadline for
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/scholarships">scholarship
applications</a><br>
· April 15, 2017: Deadline for
<a href="https://nfb.org/bolotin-award-main">Jacob Bolotin Award
applications</a><br>
· July 21-29, 2017: Youth
Slam, Towson University<br>
· September 12-17, 2017:
BLAST, Nashville, Tennessee<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
Mark A. Riccobono<br>
President<br>
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230<br>
(410) 659-9314 |
<a href="mailto:officeofthepresident@nfb.org">
officeofthepresident@nfb.org</a> <br>
<br>
<br>
<a href="https://nfb.org/">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20161128154100.018d1b98@visi.com.4" width=210 height=76 alt="National Federation of the Blind">
</a><br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/nationalfederationoftheblind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20161128154100.018d1b98@visi.com.5" width=24 height=24 alt="Facebook">
</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/NFB_Voice">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20161128154100.018d1b98@visi.com.6" width=24 height=24 alt="Twitter">
</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/NationsBlind">
<img src="cid:7.1.0.9.2.20161128154100.018d1b98@visi.com.7" width=24 height=24 alt="Youtube">
</a><br>
<br>
The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and
friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind.
Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want.
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br><br>
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