[Nfb-editors] Arizona August - President's Message

Sun Aug 10 16:28:21 UTC 2014

August 5, 2014 

Hello, fellow Federationists, 

There is no August edition of our News and Views newsletter, as the editor,
Debi Smith is out of country.  I have attached our most current NFBA roster,
so please examine it to see if your contact information is current, or if
any of our NFBA family is missing from the roster.  I have also attached the
state convention pre-registration form.  Here is what we are reading about
in this president's message - 

* August 9 quarterly affiliate board telephone meeting 

* State convention update -outreach to Spanish speakers; NFBA Dude Ranch
raffle tickets; volunteers needed to demonstrate NFB Newsline, KNFB Reader
app  

* NFBA annual fundraising raffle 

* Dog Guide committee at state convention 

* U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes free currency identifier
available 

* Tutors for blind students needed in Phoenix / Scottsdale area 

* The NFBA affiliate quarterly board meeting will take place Saturday,
August 9 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.  All are welcome to participate by dialing
our conference call number, 267 507-0370 and press 

Pin 6322 #  

We will discuss the upcoming state convention, efforts to reach out the
Spanish speaking community, 2015 BELL program, October Meet the Blind month
activities, 75 Days of Action, and other topics of interest to our members.

Our NFBA state convention will take place September 12 through 14 at the
Sheraton Phoenix Airport hotel in Tempe Arizona.  

1600 S. 52nd Street, Tempe, AZ 85281

t - 480-967-6600 

By the time you read this, the announcement and pre-registration form will
be on our website www.az.nfb.org <http://www.az.nfb.org/>  

You will also find the pre-registration form attached to this email.  

Mark Feliz is chair of the convention arrangements committee, and if you
wish to volunteer to help, please give him a call or email message
(480-560-0641 

 <mailto:Mafeliz0641 at gmail.com> Mafeliz0641 at gmail.com).  We will be
demonstrating NFB products such as NFB Newsline and the KNFB Reader to work
one hour shifts, and if you can staff our demonstration table, please call
or email Amy Murillo (Work: (520) 795-1331 

 <mailto:amurillo at saavi.us> amurillo at saavi.us). If you are fluent in Spanish
and want to help translate during convention, please contact Roxanne Torres
(520-336-4586

 <mailto:Troxanne22 at yahoo.com> Troxanne22 at yahoo.com).   

Our affiliate board of directors has made financial assistance available by
reserving two rooms for up to eight women, and two rooms for up to eight
men.  Please contact me soon if you wish to be booked into one of these
rooms! (888 899-6322 

krezguy at cox.net) 

* From Debra Smith, Affiliate Fundraising chair - 

Yes, it's roughly six weeks to our state convention! It's time to start the
final push of the state raffle ticket sales. Please collect sold raffle
tickets at your August Chapter meeting. Please send me the checks and the
ticket stubs. I will make sure tickets and money are all accounted for. Here
are a few tips to help you encourage your members to sell raffle tickets:

*Encourage your members to bring their sold tickets and money to your next
chapter meeting. (Let them know ahead of time by your calling committee or
your email list)

*Have a small prize for the person who sold the most tickets

*Write a personal letter and send it to your friends and relatives asking
for them to purchase a raffle ticket

*Put your personal story on social media

*Send a thank you note to the people who purchased a ticket from you

I am attaching my personal letter and order form to this message. You may
use it for ideas to write your own letter. Last year I did two separate
mailings, one to my fellow blind operators and another to my family and
friends. I sold over 80 tickets. Let's make this state raffle the biggest
ever!

Warmly,

Debra Smith

61 East Evelyn Lane

Tempe, Az 85284

480-299-4541

As many of you know Rocky and I are very involved in the national Federation
of the Blind. Many of our friends and family have asked "Why are they in a
group for blind people, they're not blind they just have some problems
seeing"? Well, the National Federation of the Blind helps all people with
vision loss: whether totally blind or are legally blind. The National
Federation also helps all ages from infants to seniors. We help in the way
of national or state legislation such as the Randolph Shepard Program: an
entrepreneuring opportunity for people who are legally blind. Rocky and I
have made a good living by using this opportunity. Our daughter, Kallie has
been able to earn scholarships through the National Federation of the Blind,
which helped her financially as well as a great honor to be acknowledged for
her hard work at two national conventions. Now Rocky and I have two little
granddaughters who have had cataracts removed. They will have some vision
loss (were not sure how much).

Our Arizona affiliate is sponsoring a BELL program Braille Enrichment for
literacy and learning. This is a summer program for young children to learn
Braille, cane travel and numerous other activities to support their
education goals. We also have a state scholarship program. We want every
child who has the desire to learn have an opportunity to do so.

We are asking our friends and family to join us and support the National
Federation of the Blind of Arizona's annual raffle. This year our raffle is
for a four night five day package at the Tanque, Guest Dude Ranch in Tucson,
Arizona.  This is a luxury resort. The package includes horseback riding,
lessons, tennis, fishing and more.  A food package, Oh yes, this is a
package for four people. This is a value of $6000. Raffle tickets are $10.
Each. We will be drawing for the prize at our annual state convention
Saturday September13, 2014.  

You may send me a check and I will fill out your ticket stubs and return
your receipts or you may go to our website and fill out an order form and
pay through our pay pal account.

I hope that when you are planning your financial giving for the year you
will consider our annual raffle or making a contribution to our affiliate.
We are a volunteer organization. Your giving will go directly to our
programs and not to overhead. I remember how tough school was with vision
loss, Rocky and I have a dream that when little Kyra and McKinley go to
school that they will have fun and spend their time learning and growing not
worried about how they are going to get their reading assignments finished
and how they are going to get their homework done on time. 

We want them to live the life they want!

Warmly,

Rocky and Deb Smith

                  TICKET ORDER FORM

Prize: Luxury Dude Ranch Package ($6000 value) The drawing will take place
on September 13, 2014.  Need not be present to win.

Please send me ____ raffle tickets ($10. Each)   

Total cost ____________Paid by enclosed Check.

Name: __________________________________________________-_______________

Address:
____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________
_________

Telephone: ________________________________ Email:
__________________________________

Mail this form to:

Debra Smith

61 East Evelyn Lane

Tempe, az 85284

* From Eve Sanchez - Call to all guide dog users.

                We have been struggling this past year to establish a
division of guide dog users in Arizona. No one's fault, just a lot of road
blocks preventing progress. We could overcome these road blocks though and
need every interested person's participation to make it happen. Let's all
plan on getting together at our state convention in Tempe this September.

                Interest has been expressed that shows we want an
organization that will lend support, education and assistance with concerns
towards our dogs. And I should clarify here that one does not need to have a
working guide dog to join in. We want ALL interested parties. There is much
to do. We need recognition to educate. We will need funds to lend support.
And we need a variety of people with differing experiences to assist each
other so no team has to suffer because of a lack of said support.

                One of the things that we should be doing when we meet is
organizing committees to take on some of the projects that will help
officially establish us as a division. Think of what you could do to help us
along and come prepared to volunteer. Watch for President Kresmer's coming
agenda for the exact date and time of our meeting and plan on being there.
Better yet, contact me for further information as I get it. I would love to
talk to all of you so that we could make this division a reality. My email
address is thirdeyeonlyinaz at gmail.com and my phone number is (208) 339-2430.

                I hope to see you all in Tempe and please remember; just as
the National Federation of the Blind is an organization of the blind for the
blind, we also must be. What I mean is that no one else is going to take
care of us and protect our rights if we are not willing to do so ourselves.
I do not think we would even want them to. Let's take up that harness and
take the lead.

* From Barbara MacPherson - 

You can get a free currency identifier by calling the Arizona Braille and
Talking Book Library 800-255-5578 and put your name on a waiting list.  The
library will send out the reader in late fall.  This reader is the size of a
playing card.  You slide the dollar in the slot and press the button on the
top.  The player speaks the amount or, if you are hard of hearing or just
don't want a voice announcement, it will vibrate to identify the bill.
These talking devices are provided by the Bureau of Engraving because bills
are not tactually accessible.  All readers of the AZ Braille talking Book
Library will receive the free device beginning in January.  If you would
like one sooner, call the reader and put your name on the list.  I plan on
keeping the money reader in my purse, so I will have it with me at all
times.

NFBAZ Logo K Rect* Varsity Tutors has a strong need for part time tutors in
the Phoenix/Scottsdale area with experience working with blind/vision
impaired students.  We are seeking Tutors for math, science, languages, test
prep, study skills, and all other subjects.  Competitive pay and make your
own schedule. 

To apply for a Tutoring position: http://www.varsitytutors.com/tutoring-jobs

Regards,

Amanda Gaspari

Associate Director of Recruitment

Varsity Tutors LLC

Phone: (720)588-0862 <tel:%28720%29588-0862> 

Website: www.varsitytutors.com

Looking forward to seeing you at convention, 

Robert Leslie Newman

Personal Website-

 <http://www.thoughtprovoker.info/> http://www.thoughtprovoker.info

President, NFB Writers' Division

Division Website-

http://writers.nfb.org

Chair, NFB Communications Committee

Vice President, Nebraska Senior Division 

First Vice President, Omaha Chapter

Commissioner, Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 3432 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfb-editors_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140810/e5830a67/attachment.png>