[NFBMO] FW: 57th NFB of Missouri Convention Highlights

Tue Mar 26 01:44:26 UTC 2019

Daniel,

You are to be commended: As someone who did not attend convention, through
reading your highlights below, I certainly felt like I was there.

Thanks for wonderful highlights.

Sincerely,

Cory McMahon

-----Original Message-----
From: NFBMO <nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Daniel Garcia via NFBMO
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2019 8:35 PM
To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List (nfbmo at nfbnet.org) <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Daniel Garcia <dangarcia3 at hotmail.com>
Subject: [NFBMO] FW: 57th NFB of Missouri Convention Highlights

Hello, Missouri Federationnists:

Below you can read a message I sent to my chapter with convention
highlights. Though the beginning focuses on items of interest  to Kansas
City Chapter members, I think this could be informative to others who were
not able to attend state convention this year.

Regards

Daniel Garcia, Corresponding Secretary
National Federation of the Blind of Missouri dangarcia3 at hotmail.com
(816) 621-0902
www.nfb.org
www.nfbmo.org
Live the life you want

From: dangarcia3 at hotmail.com
Sent: Monday, March 25, 2019 7:16 PM
To: Kansas City Chapter
Subject: 57th NFB of Missouri Convention Highlights

Dear Kansas City Chapter Members & Friends:

Our 57th NFB of Missouri Convention was just fabulous. If you were not able
to attend, don't worry, I will provide you with brief highlights.

At the beginning of the March 16 chapter meeting, we had $945.05 in our King
& Queen Fund. The annual chapter auction yielded $869 and there were $200 in
additional donations. This means that we went to convention with $2014.05 in
the King & Queen Fund. We sold popcorn from Popcorn Heaven at convention and
we ended up with $2144.05. This amount was enough this year for Kansas City
to win the King & Queen Trophy. Since our King & Queen Candidates John &
Vivian Bliss could not attend convention, Jeff Giffen and Laurice Cason
agreed to replace them. We could not have won though without the Bliss's
hard work throughout the year and on behalf of the chapter I want to thank
them and acknowledged their contributions to the NFB.

The Roy Zuvers traveling Trophy again went to the Jefferson City Chapter
this year. From the beginning of convention last year through March 6, our
chapter donated $3805.35 to the NFB of Missouri. The Jefferson City Chapter
donated $3869.

The NFB of Missouri Blind Merchants Division was dissolved and is now a
special interest group headed by Gene Fleeman. Whereas divisions have to
have officers, special interest groups are more like committees requiring
only a chair. Their funds are held in trust by the state affiliate as
restricted funds. The NFB of Missouri's Parents of Blind Children Division
was also dissolved into a special interest group. It will be headed by Linda
Coccovizzo of the Kansas City Chapter.

With regards to elections, I started convention as a board member of the
state affiliate and I was then elected to the position of Corresponding
Secretary. Our Chapter Treasurer, Jeff Giffen, was elected to the state
affiliate board to fill a 1 year term as a result of a vacancy created when
Melissa Kane of the Jefferson City Chapter was elected to the position of
affiliate first vice president. It goes without saying that Shelia Wright of
the Kansas City Chapter still continues to be our affiliate president. The
new state board is as follows: Shelia Wright, President; Melissa Kane, First
Vice President; Jenny Carmack, Second Vice President; Daniel Garcia,
Corresponding Secretary; Becky Boyer, Recording Secretary; Carol Coulter,
Treasurer; Amy Wilson, Board Member; Eugene Coulter, Board Member; Jeff
Giffen, Board Member; Robin House, Board Member; Dacia Cole, Board Member;
Christopher Tisdal, Board Member; Roger Crome, Board Member.

Julie McGinnity had served as affiliate first vice president from 2017 and
now works at the National Center for the Blind in Baltimore. She was
presented with the NFB of Missouri's Kenneth Jernigan Award. This award is
given to a Federationist who has performed outstanding service to his fellow
blind over a prolonged period of time. The National Representative was Norma
Crosby, a member of the National Board of the NFB and President of the NFB
of Texas. She gave a banquet speech in which she explained that during her
childhood she struggled to understand whether she was blind or not. The
sighted kept telling her she "could not see well." Her counselor, whom she
referred to as the "rehab guy" added to the confusion by giving her a
Braille watch and then telling her she did not need to learn Braille since
she was not blind. Eventually Norma found her way to the NFB and she also
found the clarity that allowed her to live the life she wanted as a blind
person. The NFB of Missouri awarded 1 student scholarship this year in the
amount of $1000 to Mitchell Thomas.

During the Saturday General Session we heard various speeches. One of them
was by Charles "Chaz" Davis, a blind Paralympian who ran in the California
International Marathon, the Boston Marathon, and competed in the 2016 Summer
Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He talked about how he initially became
depressed as a result of his blindness. He thought his life as a runner was
over, but then he started to run again and found he could still live the
life he wanted as a blind runner.

The convention passed a resolution commending Bob Watson, a reporter for the
Jefferson City Tribune, for his work in helping bring public awareness of
the NFB. We also passed 2 constitutional amendments. The first amendment
requires chapters to vote in new members. The second amendment provides for
special interest groups to become a Division of the NFB of Missouri and also
gives the affiliate the right to dissolve a division that fails to hold a
regular meeting at state convention.  A small change in the bylaws now
clarifies that the deadline for the Jernigan Award nominations, tenBroek
Award Nominations, and Rittger's applications is February 1.

There was a first time convention welcome seminar on Friday afternoon. All
of our first timers certainly had a good time at convention.

If you were not able to attend this year's convention, start planning for
the 58th Convention of the NFB of Missouri to be held in St Louis from March
26 through March 29, 2020.

Best Regards

Daniel Garcia, President, Kansas City Chapter National Federation of the
Blind of Missouri dangarcia3 at hotmail.com
(816) 621-0902
www.nfb.org
www.nfbmo.org
Live the life you want.

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