[Nfbmt] Reminder: Board Meeting this evening, 6:00 P.M.

Thu Oct 23 19:33:05 UTC 2014

This is a reminder of the NFB of Montana Board Meeting conference call this
evening, 

6:00 P.m.  

Conference Call Phone Number 605-475-4000 

Access code 948731#

Members are welcome to attend and listen.

Board Meeting Agenda 

Thursday, October 23, 2014, 6:00 P.M.  

1.       Call to order; roll call 

2.       Reading and approval of 10/17/2014 board meeting minutes. 

3.  Reading and approval of 10/11/2014 board meeting minutes. 

4.  How to get our message out:  P.O. box, Phone number, Brochure, Newsline,
Web site, State newsletter or blog.  See my thoughts below.

5. Bid for Equality Auction: Our contribution?

6. Washington Seminar

7.  2015 Legislature: Are there any bills we want to put forward? 

My thoughts for bills: Dog attacks on service dogs, transportation. 

8.  Adjourn

If I've forgotten anything that should be addressed, please let me know.  I
don't want this meeting to last much more than an hour.

How To Get Our Message Out. my thoughts 

It was suggested that we contact newspapers online or put something up on
Newsline, which I plan to do.

First, though, Rik and Karen James came up with a brochure prototype which
they brought black and white copies of to the convention.  Nobody took one.
The text of it is below.  This is a start.  My thanks go out to ?Rik and
Karen, and I appoint them and Jeff Haworth to a brochure designing and
distributing committee.  We can add more people later if there is a need.

I would like to invite Rik and Karen to the beginning of the board meeting
so we can discuss their brochure ideas.  I hope this won't take more than
ten or fifteen minutes and then they are free to leave.  

>From an email to me from Rik:

Please give me your thoughts and maybe poll others on what they for sure
want to have the brochure to say exactly.  I can pretty much handle it, I
think. But I am not wanting to be the only one, and I know I will likely
forget something.

I believe this should be a document that can be used for a long while, so it
should not have data on it that will become outdated.  So when we have a
post office box, and yes, a phone number.  But which one? 

And what I was thinking is the brochure would have one or more blank text
box areas, where information can be inserted. Like for a local chapter and
the current President or whatever.

The simple definition of our philosophy on blindness, that we use, and then
a listing of what we do.

Maybe no one understood me exactly. But I had announced about the one page
document I had produced for us to have and distribute about our NFB of
Montana. Sort of a pre-cursor to a brochure. 

I had asked people to see me for a copy. No one asked for it. 

At my request, Karen gave a  copy each to Anna Robbins, and to Jeff Haworth.

I paste below what it says on that document. 

I think it kind of a good general overview sheet.  It has the big new NFB of
Montana logo at the top. And it contains an About the NFB statement, using
that new 2 paragraphs that is widely being used by affiliates and the
national. Below that is just the affiliate and national mailing addresses.
Of course, this needs modified soon as to our official mailing address. I
will also attach that Word document, just so you can have it, edit it, and
print it out, too. The copy I printed was in black and white. We just bought
a monochrome printer so the color graphic is not printed on that sheet you
got. And you or whoever wishes to use it, could modify it and it can be
printed in color.

Brochure Text Snip snip 

ABOUT THE NFB

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back. 

The National Federation of the Blind is the largest organization of blind
and low-vision people in the United States. Founded in 1940, the Federation
has grown to over fifty-thousand members. The organization consists of
affiliates and local chapters in every state, the District of Columbia, and
Puerto Rico. 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF MONTANA

. Supports the programs of the National Federation of the Blind;

. Advocates for the rights of the blind of all ages;

. Advances legislation important to the blind in the U.S. Congress and MT
Legislature;

. Provides scholarships for blind college students; and

. Distributes information and literature about the capacity of the blind.

CONTACT   

104 Riverview 5 E, Great Falls, MT 59404

online:    <http://www.nfbofmt.org> www.nfbofmt.org    e-mail:
<mailto:nfbofmt at gmail.com> nfbofmt at gmail.com

              Like us on Facebook  - Follow us on  Twitter    @NFBMT

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230

Office: (410) 659-9314   online:    <http://www.nfb.org> www.nfb.org

End of brochure text Snip snip 

My thoughts:  It was decided at the convention board meeting that the
affiliate should get a post office box in Great Falls, and that Ted Robbins
should monitor it .  We also need to think about a phone number, something
that will remain the same even if the officers change.  Rik had the
brilliant idea of forwarding the phone number to whoever is designated to
field the calls for the NFB of Montana at the time.  I could do it for now,
unless someone else who doesn't have a full time job wants to volunteer.
Although in thinking about it, I should be the one to do it since I'm El
Presidente.

I e-mailed the President of the Jewish Congregation in Great Falls, which
has a monitored phone.  It costs sixty dollars a year, and the messages are
sent by email to one of the congregation members who has agreed to monitor
the phone messages.  I don't know if that is what we want or not, or if we
would rather have someone answer the phone.  I am a big proponent of face to
face conversation rather than answering machines, but that may not always be
possible.  We don't want someone's life to consist of sitting by the phone
waiting for someone to call.  That would be ridiculous. 

Ted has let me know that the cost of a post office box is $92.00 per year.
If we decide we want a post office box and a monitored phone, those expenses
will have to be paid by the affiliate, and the money will have to come from
fundraising.

This brochure is almost verbatim the information on the web site.  The web
site needs to be updated, and I am working with David Andrews on that, and I
may also ask Travis Moses to help.  

Respectfully,

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back  