<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body dir="auto"><br><br><div id="AppleMailSignature" dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br></div><div dir="ltr"><b>From:</b> Richard Payne via Ohio-Talk <<a href="mailto:ohio-talk@nfbnet.org">ohio-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Date:</b> March 5, 2019 at 4:09:07 PM EST<br><b>To:</b> "'NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List'" <<a href="mailto:ohio-talk@nfbnet.org">ohio-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> Richard Payne <<a href="mailto:rchpay7@gmail.com">rchpay7@gmail.com</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> <b>[Ohio-talk] This is another reminder.</b><br><b>Reply-To:</b> NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List <<a href="mailto:ohio-talk@nfbnet.org">ohio-talk@nfbnet.org</a>><br><br></div><div dir="ltr"><span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span>Dear Members of the Ohio Affiliate,</span><br><span>During our January board of directors meeting, the board began planning for</span><br><span>a once-in-a-lifetime training and fellowship weekend for the members of the</span><br><span>Ohio Affiliate. I do not exaggerate when I say once-in-a-lifetime training.</span><br><span>We have never done this before, and we may never be able to do it the same</span><br><span>way again. As a member of a chapter or division of the National Federation</span><br><span>of the Blind of Ohio, you are an integral part of who we are as an</span><br><span>organization, and we are relying on you to help us make this opportunity a</span><br><span>success. This is a chance to build your chapter and therefore to build the</span><br><span>affiliate. </span><br><span>Please read carefully the outline for the weekend as presented below. Talk</span><br><span>with your chapter president and let them know if you want to be a part of</span><br><span>this training and how much of the event you can commit to. The Board of</span><br><span>Directors is committed to making the training all inclusive. This means that</span><br><span>we will do what we can to assist with transportation, meals, and lodging,</span><br><span>though we will be deeply grateful for personal support for the event. We</span><br><span>expect anyone who agrees to participate in any part of the event to do so in</span><br><span>a way that is engaging, respectful, consistent with the brand and values of</span><br><span>the National Federation of the Blind, and that will help participants grow</span><br><span>as members of this organization. This is true regardless of whether we are</span><br><span>providing you with financial assistance. </span><br><span>The weekend will begin on Friday afternoon with a training for volunteers</span><br><span>who are helping with the 2019 Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning</span><br><span>academy (BELL). This part of the training is by invitation only. It will</span><br><span>begin at 3:00 PM on Friday April 5 and most likely run until 7:00 PM. It</span><br><span>will resume at 8:00 Saturday morning and end at 4:00. Lunch is included.</span><br><span>Again, this is by invitation only, but, if a chapter or division member</span><br><span>wants to be a part of the 2019 BELL academy from July 21-26, he or she</span><br><span>should contact Eric Duffy immediately. Please note that not all volunteers</span><br><span>will be chosen, and know that, if he or she is not selected to participate</span><br><span>in BELL this year, the decision should not be taken personally.</span><br><span>The Board of Directors will meet at 10:00 AM on Sunday, April 7. This of</span><br><span>course is an open meeting, and we urge as many members who can do so to</span><br><span>attend. Lunch will be served, and the meeting will continue after the lunch</span><br><span>break. This meeting is the beginning of the leadership training that will</span><br><span>occur throughout the day on Sunday. There will be a short break following</span><br><span>the conclusion of the Board of Directors meeting, and then leadership</span><br><span>training will resume. Dinner will be in the hotel restaurant, and more</span><br><span>leadership activities will most likely end the evening. </span><br><span>We expect that anyone who wants to be a part of the leadership training will</span><br><span>be at the Board of Directors meeting. We would like anyone who is not</span><br><span>already at the hotel for BELL training to arrive before 10:00 AM if</span><br><span>possible. If for travel scheduling or other logistical reasons members need</span><br><span>to stay at the hotel Saturday night, we will work out the details if we know</span><br><span>of the situation in advance.</span><br><span> Wow! Let me catch my breath. No wait! There's no time for that.</span><br><span>Monday begins our legislative work. Again we expect that as many people as</span><br><span>possible will be in the hotel Sunday night and ready for a busy day starting</span><br><span>Monday morning. The entire day of Monday, April 8, is devoted to legislative</span><br><span>training. We will start the morning with a tour of the Ohio State House,</span><br><span>followed by lunch downtown. We will then be back for an afternoon at the</span><br><span>hotel, where you can be sure that we will have inspirational and</span><br><span>motivational speakers. You will get training on how to work in the Ohio</span><br><span>General Assembly all year long. Monday evening will be our great Gathering</span><br><span>In. This will include a meal appropriate for the occasion. If your members</span><br><span>are not already at the hotel because they have been participating in the</span><br><span>leadership activities on Sunday and the earlier legislative activities on</span><br><span>Monday, we want them there in time for the evening activities. Again we will</span><br><span>do what we can to break down financial barriers to participation. Those of</span><br><span>you who have been a part of the Washington Seminar understand the importance</span><br><span>of participating in the Great Gathering In if you cannot be there earlier in</span><br><span>the day. Although we want to be as inclusive as possible, you should also</span><br><span>understand that by the time Tuesday morning is here, we have to be organized</span><br><span>and ready to hit Capitol Square running. This means that all the training</span><br><span>has to take place the night before.</span><br><span>Your chapter presidents have been given this information, and they have been</span><br><span>asked to assist you wherever possible. The affiliate will also work with you</span><br><span>to be sure that you can participate in as much of the training as possible.</span><br><span>To the degree that it is needed, we will help with the cost of</span><br><span>transportation and lodging. We will do so in compliance with current</span><br><span>affiliate policies. This means that anyone who is requesting assistance with</span><br><span>lodging should be prepared to share a hotel room with one to three other</span><br><span>people. Transportation expenses will be reimbursed if discussed with</span><br><span>President Payne in advance and provided that the appropriate receipts are</span><br><span>included with a signed expense reimbursement form. On the next page you</span><br><span>will find the information we need from all members who wish to participate</span><br><span>in any part of or all of this exciting training opportunity. Please do not</span><br><span>wait until your next meeting to begin discussing this with your Chapter or</span><br><span>Division President,</span><br><span> Thank you in advance for your dedication and continued service to</span><br><span>the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio! I hope to see each and every</span><br><span>one of you in Columbus. Let's go build the Federation!</span><br><span>Member Participant form</span><br><span>1. Name First and Last:</span><br><span>2. Mobile Phone or other (please indicate which type):</span><br><span>3. Email Address:</span><br><span>4. Name and phone number of emergency contact:</span><br><span>5. Arrival date:</span><br><span>6. Departure date:</span><br><span>7. Do you need transportation assistance? If so, please describe:</span><br><span>8. Do you need financial assistance with lodging? </span><br><span>9. Do you have a roommate(s)? If so, please provide names: </span><br><span>10. Are you prepared to share a room with one to three others? </span><br><span>11. Please let us know of any special needs that you have related to</span><br><span>sharing a room. For example, are you allergic to dogs, do you need an</span><br><span>accessible room? </span><br><span>12. Please let us know your meal preferences. For example, vegetarian,</span><br><span>kosher, no seafood: </span><br><span>13. Do you have allergies or other medical conditions that we should be</span><br><span>aware of? If so, please list: </span><br><span>14. If you are planning on participating in the legislative activities,</span><br><span>who is your state senator? </span><br><span>15. Who is your state representative?</span><br><span>16. Are you able to walk long distances?</span><br><span>Please email your request directly to me.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Richard Payne, President</span><br><span>National Federation of the Blind of Ohio</span><br><span>937-396-5573or 937/829/3368</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com">Rchpay7@gmail.com</a> <<a href="mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com">mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com</a>> </span><br><span>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the</span><br><span>characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the</span><br><span>expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles</span><br><span>between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;</span><br><span>blindness is not what holds you back</span><br><span></span><br><span>Richard Payne, President</span><br><span>National Federation of the Blind of Ohio</span><br><span>937-396-5573or 937/829/3368</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com">Rchpay7@gmail.com</a> <<a href="mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com">mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com</a>> </span><br><span>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the</span><br><span>characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the</span><br><span>expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles</span><br><span>between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;</span><br><span>blindness is not what holds you back</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>Richard Payne, President</span><br><span>National Federation of the Blind of Ohio</span><br><span>937-396-5573or 937/829/3368</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Rchpay7@gmail.com">Rchpay7@gmail.com</a></span><br><span>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the</span><br><span>characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the</span><br><span>expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles</span><br><span>between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;</span><br><span>blindness is not what holds you back</span><br><span></span><br><span></span><br></div><div dir="ltr"></div></body></html>