[Nfb-idaho] Reflections on 3 Bands for Blind Kids Concert and the Power of the NFB of Idaho

[Dana Ard]

When I was talking to the concert audience during one of our breaks, I
commented that it takes a village to do an event like this and that the
National Federation of the Blind of Idaho is that village.  The idea for the
concert came from a discussion in the Palouse Empire Chapter where members
felt that there needed to be more opportunities for blind kids in Idaho.
Justin Bonner, using his band connections, got the 3 great well-known bands
to donate their performances for this event. Ramona agreed to chair the
concert committee and the planning for the event was off and running.  The
committee and the bands had many discussions about date and place before the
final date of October  15 and the Marty Gras were agreed upon. Fliers and
tickets and the ticket website had to be designed, and Erin Olson got this
done and Kevin got the event up on our website.  Numerous people, both
members and friends of members, distributed fliers sent to email lists,
posted on social media, community calendars and other media.  The NFB of
Idaho board agreed to spend money for targeted advertising on Facebook and
the River radio station. Kevin managed and monitored the targeted Facebook
adds and Al Schneider helped with the radio adds with guidance from others.
As president, I had a radio interview and was able to get an article done in
Boise Weekly. We had numerous volunteers the day of the event. The
enthusiastic audience, including those who could really cut a rug on the
dance floor contributed to this joyful event. The performances of the blind
kids, under Alison's Steven's leadership, the music of our teenage blind
performer Keekei Lopez and the Full Circle band added a sparkle to the
event. In other words it took all of us contributing in our own ways using
our own talents to make this the successful event it was. Did we make
mistakes? Perhaps, but we learned a lot and thanks to all of our efforts, we
had a successful event. Thank you  all for your hard work and determination.
We are truly a proud affiliate of the National Federation of the Blind.