[NFB-Idaho] State President's Update, April 2022

Wed Apr 6 16:50:55 UTC 2022

State President's Monthly Update

April 2022

One of our popular federation songs is titled "It's Convention Time." It
talks about all the fun we have at convention seeing each other and
celebrating our wonderful organization. In Idaho, it's convention time! Our
state convention will be held April 21-23 at the new Holiday Inn hotel in
Idaho Falls. The address is 3005 S. Fork Blvd. Idaho Falls 83402, phone 208
227-9800. The room rate is $109.00 plus $14.00 tax per night. The cut-off
date for getting a room is April 15.After that time, you could still get a
room, but you wouldn't have the convention rate. Rooms are now available, so
you can call and book a room. Be sure to state that this is for the state
convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Idaho, and that you
want the room rate of $109.00. The registration form is available on our
website, www.nfbidaho.org   or from your chapter president. Please contact
me with any questions. We will have to have all food orders in to the hotel
two weeks before the convention, due to supply chain issues. This means that
board dinner, boxed lunch, and banquet orders will have to be in by Friday,
April 8th. Amy Ruell, national board member from Massachusetts is our
national representative. She and I will be working on activities to build
our federation spirit and strengthen our membership. The agenda will be
varied and there will be something for everyone. Sensory Safari will have a
display of exotic animals and birds that are mounted so we can touch, and we
will have other vendors as well.

There will be a meeting on Saturday for parents of blind children and others
who are interested. Emily Gibbs, president, Texas Parents of Blind Children,
and Jordan Engebretsen, 2021 NFB Blind Teacher of the year will facilitate
this group.  We will have baskets to raffle for our after banquet
fundraiser. Tickets will be $5.00 each or 3 for $12.00. We want a nice
variety of baskets, so I need all members and chapters to get their baskets
ready.  Please have a list of items included with your basket. We would
appreciate having both a print and braille list. If you can't braille the
list of items, we will find someone who can help. We need the baskets ready
and labeled before the convention. We need door prizes. The value should be
at least $10.00. Also, we are doing a community project and bringing
donations for the Humanitarian Center in Idaho Falls. Sandy Streeter has
sent out a list of items that is needed.Please find it in my February
update.

Our National convention is July 5-10 in New Orleans. Registration is open.
Register on-line at nfb.org registration. Room rates at the New Orleans
Marriot are $109.00 per night for singles and doubles, and $119.00 for
triples and quads. There will also be a 16.2% tax and tourism fee and a
$3.00 occupancy fee added per night. The phone number for the Marriott is
1-800-654-3990. Please consult our publication "The Braille Monitor" or the
website for additional details. 

Applications for the Kenneth Jernigan scholarship close April 15. This
scholarship is for first time attendees and provides funds to help cover
convention costs. I know of several individuals in our affiliate who could
apply. I will include the information at the end of this update. 

As you can see, "It's Convention Time." Come join us and celebrate our first
in-person convention since 2019. If you know parents of blind children,
please invite them. See you in Idaho Falls

If you have never attended an NFB convention in person, you need to apply
for this scholarship. I can think of several people who would be eligible,
and I hope I can write a letter of support for all of you. The deadline is
April 15. Please send this information far and wide. 

The 2022 NFB National Convention is an experience you do not want to miss.
Many of those who have attended our national NFB  conventions are amazed at
how meeting and interacting with over 3000  other blind and low vision
convention attendees has positively changed their  lives. They not only
learn how the problems of vision loss can be overcome, but also experience
the confidence that comes with solutions.

If you have never attended an in-person  convention, the Kenneth Jernigan
Convention Scholarship program is designed to assist you in attending the
convention and getting the most from the experience.
>From the January 2022 Braille Monitor:

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship 

By Tracy Soforenko

Have you always wanted to attend an NFB annual convention but have not done
so because of the lack of funds? The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship
Fund invites you to make an application for a scholarship grant. Perhaps
this July you too can be in the Marriott New Orleans enjoying the many
pleasures and learning opportunities at the largest and most important
yearly convention of blind people in the world.

The three biggest ticket items you need to cover when attending an NFB
national convention are the roundtrip transportation, the hotel room for a
week, and the food (which tends to be higher priced than at home). We
attempt to award additional funds to families, but, whether a family or an
individual is granted a scholarship, this fund can only help; it won't pay
all the costs. Most years, the grants have been in the range of $400 to $500
per individual.

We recommend that you find an NFB member as your personal convention mentor,
someone who has been to many national conventions and is able to share
money-saving tips with you and tips on navigating the extensive agenda in
the big hotel. Your mentor will help you get the most out of the amazing
experience that is convention week.

Who is eligible?

Active NFB members blind or sighted who have not yet attended an in-person
NFB national convention because of lack of funding are eligible to apply. If
you have attended the 2020 or 2021 virtual conventions but have never
attended an in-person convention, you are still eligible to apply.

How do I apply for funding assistance?

This year we will be accepting applications online. Since applications must
be completed in a single session online, we strongly recommend you prepare
your responses in a document, and then cut and paste your responses into the
application form. The application form does not support complex formatting,
so we recommend avoiding formatting such as bullet points and fonts/styles.

Effective January 1, 2022, the application form can be found at the
following link:

https://nfb.org/form/kenneth-jernigan-convention-scho?q=form%2Fkenneth-jerni
gan-convention-scho

The application will ask for the following information:

*	Contact information: Include your full name and both your primary
phone where you can be contacted by your state president and your mobile
phone you might use at convention, if available.
*	Please include your mailing address and, if you have one, your email
address. If you don't have an email address, please consider if there is a
friend or chapter member who might be able to assist with email
correspondence.
*	State Affiliate/chapter information: Include your state affiliate,
your state president, chapter, and chapter president, if you attend a
chapter.
*	Mentor information: Include your personal convention mentor and
provide that person's phone number.
*	Funding request: Include your specific request and explain how much
money you need from this fund to make this trip possible for you. We suggest
you consult with other members to make a rough budget for yourself.
*	Essay questions to explain why this is a good investment for the
NFB: 
*	How do you currently participate in the Federation?
*	Why do you want to attend a national convention?
*	What would you receive?
*	What can you share or give?
*	Any special circumstances you hope the committee will take into
consideration.

If you cannot apply online, you can still apply by writing a letter to your
state affiliate president answering the above questions. This letter should
be emailed to your state affiliate president. Once you have decided you will
apply, please contact your state president in person or by phone to request
his or her help in obtaining funding. Be sure to tell the state affiliate
president when to expect that your application will be submitted and mention
the deadline.

Once your application has been submitted, your application will be provided
to your state president via email. It is still your responsibility to
contact your affiliate president. He or she must email a president's
recommendation directly to the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund
Committee at kjscholarships at nfb.org. Your president must email the
recommendation no later than the deadline of April 15, 2022. If you have
applied outside of the online form, the state affiliate president must email
both the recommendation and the application letter.

Notification of Award

If you are chosen to receive this scholarship, you will receive a letter
with convention details that should answer most of your questions. The
committee makes every effort to notify winners by May 15, but you must do
several things before that to be prepared to attend if you are chosen:

*	Make your own hotel reservation. If something prevents you from
attending, you can cancel the reservation. (Yes, you may arrange for
roommates of your own to reduce the cost.)
*	Register online for the entire convention, including the banquet, by
May 31.
*	Find someone in your chapter or affiliate who has been to many
conventions and can answer your questions as a friend and mentor.
*	If you do not hear from the committee by May 15, then you did not
win a scholarship this year.

Receiving the Award

At the convention, you will be given a debit card or credit card loaded with
the amount of your award. The times and locations to pick up your card will
be listed in the letter we send you. The committee is not able to provide
funds before the convention, so work with your chapter and state affiliate
to assist you by obtaining an agreement to advance funds if you win a
scholarship, and to pay your treasury back after you receive your debit or
credit card.

More Information

For additional information, please contact the chairman of the Kenneth
Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund Committee, Tracy Soforenko, at
kjscholarships at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2020.

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