[Nfbmt] Board Meeting Highlights

Wed Mar 11 23:36:56 UTC 2015

Hi Joy.  Am I understanding this correctly?  Last year 60 people were
awarded funds to attend national?  That many didn't go, did they?  I sat at
the table with people from Mt and I don't think there were that many there.
Is it possible that I just don't know all of them?  I have to confess, when
I think of the NFB of Mt, I can only think of maybe 12 members thatI even
know. If there are that many members, I better get more involved so I can
meet all of them:) 

-----Original Message-----
From: Nfbmt [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bruce&Joy
Breslauer via Nfbmt
Sent: Monday, March 9, 2015 10:18 PM
To: nfbmt 
Subject: [Nfbmt] Board Meeting Highlights

Ok, fellow Federationists, here's the scoop.

The NFB of Montana Board met this evening.  Here are some things that were
decided.

We will send $150.00 to the National Convention to put towards their Grand
Prize, which will be $7,575.75.  Those who register for and attend the
National convention in July will have their names in a hat, as it were, and
the drawing will take place at the banquet.  Wouldn't that be awesome if one
of us won!

We will also send a total of five hundred dollars to the National
Convention, to be split equally between the White Cane Fund and the Jacobus
TenBroek Fund.

The Board chose a delegate and an alternate to go to this year's National
Convention.  The delegate is yours truly, and the alternate is Travis Moses.
Congratulations, Travis.  I particularly am glad of this since you have been
the President before and been to the National convention as President
before, so you will definitely be my resource.  Sure you don't want to
reconsider?

Then, the board decided to designate up to six hundred dollars for up to
three people to help with their National convention expenses.  These would
be three people other than the delegate and the alternate delegate already
chosen.  The delegate's way to the convention will be paid for by the
National; the alternate, by the State.  So if you want to go to the
convention, write a letter saying so and send it to me, your President, and
the Board will make a decision among all applicants and let the lucky ones
know whom we can help.  We don't have many funds, and they are going fast,
so put on your fundraising thinking caps.  Anybody have a car, a rich uncle,
an oil well?  Remember that country song about a guy who met somebody in a
bar and when the person died he left his fortune to the guy he had just met
in the bar, because they had had such a great conversation.  Made his kids
hopping mad, I would suspect.  You never know about such things.  Life takes
funny turns.  So maybe something like that could happen.  But if it doesn't,
what else can we do?  We are discussing selling beef sticks again at the
convention, or maybe tote bags, or who knows.  Any good ideas that won't put
us in the poorhouse?

So then there is the matter of the Jernigan fund, which offers scholarships
to first time attendees to the National Cponvention.  If interested, se the
February Braille Monitor, or see below.

The Kenneth Jernigan Convention
<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm15/bm1502/bm150212.htm>
Scholarship Fund

1.     

2.    https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm11/bm1102/bm110215.htm

1.    https://nfb.org/convention-first-timers

This is excerpted from the February 2015 Braille Monitor article The Kenneth
Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund.

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. Last year most of the sixty grants were in the range of $400
to $500 per individual. 

Who is eligible? 
Active NFB members, blind or sighted, who have not yet attended an NFB
national convention because of lack of funding are eligible to apply.

How do I apply for funding assistance?

1.     You write a letter giving your contact information, and your local
NFB information, your specific amount requested, and then explain why this
is a good investment for the NFB. The points to cover are listed below.

2.     You contact your state president in person or by phone to request his
or her help in obtaining funding. Be sure to tell the president when to
expect your request letter by email, and mention the deadline.

3.     You (or a friend) send your letter by email to your state president.
He or she must add a president's recommendation and then email both letters
directly to the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund Committee. Your
president must forward the two letters no later than April 15, 2015.

Your letter to Chairperson Allen Harris must cover these points:

*	Your full name, and all your telephone numbers and label them - cell
phone, home, office, other person (if any).
*	Your mailing address and, if you have one, your email address.
*	Your state affiliate and state president; your chapter and chapter
president, if you attend a chapter.
*	Your personal convention mentor and provide that person's phone
number.
*	Your specific request: 

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. 
The body of your letter should answer these questions: 
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? 
You can include in your letter to the committee any special circumstances
you hope they will take into consideration.

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

1.     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.)

2.     Register online for the entire convention, including the banquet, by
May 31. 

3.     Find someone in your chapter or affiliate who has been to many
conventions and can answer your questions as a friend and advisor.

4.     If you do not hear from the committee by May 15, then you did not win
a grant this year.

So come on, guys, let's get excited about this summer and the possibilities
it holds.  Besides good weather, we might just be able to make some history
happen, even right here in Montana.      

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

3105 Fourth Avenue South

Great Falls, MT 59405-3331

Phone: (406) 454-3096

www.nfbofmt.org

Live the life you want 

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

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