[NFBMT] NFB of Montana Committees

[BRESLAUERS]

Hello again, everyone.

 

I would like to form or reform some committees to help with the work we will
be doing in Montana.  Here are some ideas that immediately come to mind.

 

Legislative:  Currently sheila Leigland and Travis Moses have offered to help
with our legislative agenda.  They might also be interested in going to
Washington Seminar.  Are there any others interested in being on a
legislative committee?  My idea is that they would keep us informed and
involved about legislation, both nationally and statewide, that we should
know about or be involved in promoting or protesting.

 

Fundraising:  My favorite.  (not.)  We need someone interested in or
knowledgeable about fundraising, who might have some ideas of what we can do
to finance our programs.  We should set up a way to ask for and handle
bequests.  I would like Jeff to be on this committee, because he has done a
lot of fundraising.  I'd like to ask him how he decides on a good fundraiser,
what some of the more successful fundraisers have been, what is involved in
putting on a fundraiser.  I know it is a lot of work, but many hands make
light work.  What is that saying . if we all do a little, we can do a lot.
At one time Rik James was the committee chair. 

 

Bell Committee:  At the 2017 state convention, the Board authorized us to
start a BELL Program here in Montana.  This committee would help in that
effort.

 

Scholarship Committee:  The Board authorized us to offer a $1500 scholarship
to a college student for the 2018-19 school year.  This committee would work
out the details.  

 

Communications and Social Media:  Is anyone interested in getting our
presence out there more consistently on Facebook and/or Twitter?  I have not
been successful in doing this.  I would sure like to turn it over to someone
more knowledgeable than I am.

 

I also think we should start a newsletter or blog or some way for us to be
informed about what is going on with us.  One of the ideas that I have is
that chapter meeting minutes could be put on something like Dropbox or some
other similar system where everybody could read them to see what other
chapters are doing.  That's one of the reasons I would like to have the
chapter minutes from each meeting.  I would also like to send them to our
National office so that they have a record of what we are doing, in case any
of it becomes historic.  Not hysteric, although I suppose that is possible,
too.

 

I have, when I remember to, put notices of chapter meetings in the paper.  I
have not put them on the community calendar or a psa on radio or tv yet.
Perhaps we should.  Also, maybe we could arrange to be on tv or radio to be
interviewed about who we are and what we do.  Jeff has a pretty good handle
on a lot of this in Billings.  Perhaps he can share his expertise.  I think
there is a program called aging Horrizons.  Maybe we could go on there and do
a joint presentation with Vocational Rehabilitation and blind Services,
provided they have something to offer. 

 

Membership Committee:  Perhaps one of the most important committees of all,
because without members, we can't do much else.  Anna Robbins at one time was
the committee chair.  Some of the things the committee might be responsible
for are these:

 

In the past, by the time our state convention dates were decided, it was too
late to get them into the Bits Of Gold newsletter, but getting our name in
there is nevertheless always a good idea.

Contacting VRBS offices.  I know we have had brochures in their offices in
the past.

Contacting College disability Services.  

Getting together a membership packet to be made available in accessible
formats, and to be given to new members.

There is a new members form on the NFB web site. 

 

Maybe the membership committee and the communications committee could work
together on some of this outreach stuff.

 

I also think it would be cool to do some targeted recruiting of members in
cities that don't have a chapter yet, to see if we can start a chapter.  I
would like to start chapters in Helena and Missoula for sure, and maybe even
Kalispell if we can.

 

These are just a few ideas to get started.  Think about what you want to do
in order to live the life you want, what drives your passion, what makes you
get up in the morning and want to be a Federationist.  Let's do what we can
to make it happen.

 

Joy Breslauer, President

National Federation of the Blind of Montana 

Web Site: http://www.nfbofmt.org <http://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.