[NFBMT] defining and clarifying mission, who we are, what we aspire to do, observing the Community Services Division of the NFB

[Rik James]

Hello Montana members.

I joined a few other NFB listserve discussion groups awhile back.

They are really a good way to expand and learn, is how I feel about it.

My Inbox of my email has posts from them as well as posts from our NFB of
Montana discussion group.

 

Recently the Community Services Division President Darian Smith, posted to
its members on their list.

They are exploring and discussing and revising, and clarifying their
division's mission or statement of purpose.

 

I feel like we often all need to visit and re-visit our own chapters and
membership divisions, to see how we are doing and discuss it, as it relates
to the purposes and mission statements.

In this way and in that way, we are part of an organic and ever growing and
effective organization.

 

I hope by me pasting this below, it may be useful to everyone, or at least
to some of us.

Please discuss further, okay?

Thanks.

Rik James

Secretary of the state board of NFB of Montana

President of the Treasure State  At-Large chapter of NFB of Montana.

To discuss off list with me you can email me directly at this email address:

Rixmix2009 at gmail.com <mailto:Rixmix2009 at gmail.com>  

 

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Post from Darian Smith of Community Services Division of the National
Federation of the Blind:

 

Good Morning,

a few days ago we discussed the definition of community service in general
and specifically it's definition as it relates to our Community Service
Division. 

  As it stands today, the purpose of the division is to encourage blind
people to serve in their community, either by themselves, with their family,
friends, chapter members, neighbors, etc. 

 If people don't know where to start, the division helps them find out where
they can. If people are hesitant to start, the division encourages them.  If
a person faces difficulty serving in their community, the division does what
it  can to help the person through it. 

 We are a division of the National Federation of the Blind, which means we
support the programs and policies of the NFB,  and consequently everything
we do is based upon the foundational positive philosophy of blindness that
all of us in the NFB believe in.  Another words we believe that as blindness
is not the characteristic that defines us or our future, that blindness does
not define or limit us in the way we can use our talents and passions to
give to the world we were born into and live in. We have long held the
belief  that the  real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight, but
that the real problem of blindness is people's attitudes and misconceptions
about blindness and blind people. We believe that blind people are as normal
as anyone else, having the same interests, likes, dislikes, hobbies, desires
and fears as anyone else.   Our division believes that  serving in our
communities is just the most logical  step down the path to true
independence and equality in society, making this not just a nice thing to
do,  but as essential to everything we do.

We believe that just as it is important  for us to be out in the public to
protest discriminative practices, or out in force in the halls  of our
legislature to let people know what we want and need, that it is just as
important to be out in our community, showing just what we can do and be.

 While service has the benefit of helping others first and foremost, it also
allows us  the opportunity to teach and learn at the same time. When we
serve our community, we learn about issues we didn't know existed or of
stories people share that might cause  us to view the world differently.
There an also be tangible benefits.  Through national service programs such
as AmeriCorps or teach for america, we  gain professional level skills that
make us more attractive to employers, life long connections and friendships
and assistance to help us through school.  As a division we can bring these
opportunities with programs and organizations closer to our reach by letting
them know about our mission and those who share in the call to service.

So  at the end of the day, we want to not only encourage service , but to
expand opportunities for blind people (individually and collectively) to
serve   wherever the need to serve may be and where their desires and
interests lead them regardless of what society tells us they can or can't
do.