[NFBA-Phoenix] September 2024 National Federation of the Blind of Phoenix Chapter business meeting Minutes

Sat Oct 5 16:04:27 UTC 2024

National Federation of the Blind of Phoenix Chapter business meeting Minutes

Sep 07, 2024 

In-person at Saavi Phoenix and virtual on Zoom.

Call to order at 9:30 AM

Jordan Moon, President called the meeting to order. There were eighteen
members and four guests in attendance.

Jordan led the group in the pledge of allegiance and NFB pledge. Prayer
requests were shared. 

Jordan gave a chapter update. He proposed inviting a representative from the
Maricopa County Recorder's Office to discuss general election voting
options. Members discussed the importance of active engagement and
fundraising to support community growth and national convention
participation. 

Secretary's Report Rachel Kuntz, July, and August 2024. Sharonda Goode moved
to postpone the secretary's July and August report to October. Vicki Farley
seconded. The motion carried.

Treasurer's Report, Donna Silba, September 2024. Sharonda moved to accept
the report as read. Mike Smith seconded. The motion carried.

Donna noted that the check written to Saavi for the 2024 chapter picnic has
not cleared and recommended that a new check be sent. Jordan agreed and they
planned to connect post meeting.

Guest Speaker Christine Tuttle, Outreach Librarian, Topics Talking Book
Library, and its services. Christine shared her experience in the library
sector and her family's history of blindness and deafness. She discussed the
current state of the library, mentioning that they are fully staffed and are
not hiring new employees because of the state hiring freeze. Christine also
mentioned that they are part of the Marrakesh Treaty, which aims to increase
the availability of books in different languages, and that they will be
offering more Braille books in the next fiscal year. 

She explained the application process for the Arizona Talking Book Library,
which includes options for schools, organizations, and individuals.
Christine highlighted the need for volunteers who live and work within their
community, emphasizing the value of personal interaction. 

National & Arizona Affiliate Updates

Presidential Release Recap: September, 2024.

Jordan reported upcoming changes in chapter meetings, including a condensed
version of the Presidential release and the second cohort of the Kenneth
Jernigan Leadership and Service program. He also addressed the issue of
rideshare companies denying service to blind passengers with service
animals, encouraging members to attend a protest in San Francisco on October
15th. Jordan emphasized the importance of reporting denials to the
Department of Justice and the National Federation of the Blind. He also
discussed advocacy efforts for better accessibility in transportation
services and the ongoing Paralympics. Jordan highlighted the new partnership
between NFB President Mark Riccobono and Jonathan Mosen, who won the Jacob
Bolotin Award at the National Convention. He recommended listening to
Jonathan Mosen's interview on the latest episode of Living Blindfully.
Jordan noted the upcoming national virtual career fair and the Midwestern
student seminar. He emphasized the importance of voting in the upcoming
general election and encouraged everyone to register to vote.

Chapter Committee Reports

Membership: Vicki Farley, Chair, discussed efforts to maintain connection
with members. She thanked committee members who volunteered to call members
about meetings and events. Vicki also mentioned the importance of collecting
demographic information for the National Office. She expressed gratitude to
Tanna Bielinski for making Braille copies of the membership roster. Lastly,
she mentioned that the Hilliker family, have paid dues over PayPal and are
joining the chapter. Vicki discussed welcoming Alison and Daryl as new
members, but their formal induction ceremony was postponed as they were not
in attendance. Jordan thanked Vicki for her leadership in a successful
membership meeting. Vicki reminded members about paying dues through various
methods and confirming payment via email. Donald Porterfield, Affiliate
President emphasized the importance of protecting the privacy of members and
not sharing their contact information outside of the organization without
permission. He warned that doing so would be a code of conduct violation.
Vicki and Jordan agreed and noted that they along with the secretary have
and continue to follow this policy. Jordan suggested the addition of a
disclaimer in emails to protect privacy. 

A membership committee meeting was scheduled for September 24th. 

Outreach: Vicki Farley, Chair, provided a Blind Equity Achievement Month
Update.

Outreach activities planned for BEAM were noted including a White Cane
Awareness proclamation, a game night coordinated by Sharonda, and a NFB
Newsline presentation in collaboration with Arizona Talking Book Library.
The team also agreed to participate in the Phoenix 1st Friday event in
October, with plans to meet at 6 PM and invite members from other chapters
and presenting at A Veterans Administration's White Cane Day event on
October 24th, which will have both in-person and virtual components. 

Fundraising: Betty Love, Chair, reported on the Driven Coffee Fundraiser.
Jordan proposed extending the coffee fundraiser to the end of the month or
even October. Betty discussed how to navigate the website for ordering
coffee and snacks, with 40% of the proceeds going to NFB Phoenix. Betty
clarified the importance of including the group name NFB Phoenix when
ordering. 

Betty discussed recent activities and plans for reaching out to potential
donors and supporters. She ended with a call to action for everyone to reach
out to ten potential donors and supporters.

Macaulay Beasley is working on a connection with Walmart to have a table for
outreach and fundraising. 

Jordan asked that the Social Committee Chair Lori Kirsop hold the annual
Christmas party report until the next meeting in the interest of time and
Lori agreed.

Arizona Affiliate Committee and Division updates

election results for the Senior and Parents Division were announced. 

New Business

Chapter Election Discussion 

Jordan introduced the nominating committee which is Chaired by Mike S and
has three voting members, Donna, Rachel, and Macaulay. Mike is a non-voting
member. Jordan encouraged members to run for positions. 

Jordan emphasized the importance of volunteering at the VRATE event and
interacting with new blind people. 

During Philosophy, members shared their personal experience of attending the
national and affiliate conventions and how they impacted their lives.

Jordan noted the upcoming State convention, affiliate board meeting, Martin
Luther King Day event, and Washington Seminar. 

No perspective members were present.

The chapter recited the NFB One-Minute message.

Members expressed well wishes for those celebrating Birthdays/Anniversaries
in September.

The chapter moved to adjourn at 12:30 PM 

Lunch: IHOP 

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