[NFBNJ] Reminder: Kenneth Jernigan First Timers Scholarship 2020 Texas

Tue Feb 18 18:49:16 UTC 2020

Greetings to all!
Please review this reminder for your consideration to apply for the Kenneth 
Jernigan First Timers Scholarship for Texas, 2020!
If you are considering, please call me to discuss.
Please read through the information provided below.

My contact information is located in my signature block at the conclusion of 
this email.

Warmly,
Joe

**
[PHOTO CAPTION: Tracy Soforenko]

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship

                              by Tracy Soforenko

                From the Editor: Tracy Soforenko is the newly appointed
chairman of the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund and is the
president of the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia. The Kenneth
Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund plays a big role in helping
first-timers attend the national convention, and here is what he has to say:

                Have you always wanted to attend an NFB annual convention
but have not done so because of the lack of funds? The Kenneth Jernigan
Convention Scholarship Fund invites you to make an application for a
scholarship grant. Perhaps this July you too can be in the Hilton Americas
Hotel in Houston, Texas, enjoying the many pleasures and learning
opportunities at the largest and most important yearly convention of blind
people in the world.

                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. Most years the grants were in the range of $400
to $500 per individual. In 2019, ninety grants were offered.

                We recommend that you find an NFB member as your personal
convention mentor, someone who has been to many national conventions and is
able to share money-saving tips with you and tips on navigating the
extensive agenda in the big hotel. Your mentor will help you get the most
out of the amazing experience that is convention week.

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?

                This year, we will be accepting applications online. Since
applications must be completed in a single session online, we strongly
recommend you prepare your responses in a document, then cut and paste your
responses into the application form. The application form does not support
complex formatting, so we recommend avoiding formatting such as bullet
points and fonts/styles.

                Effective, January 1, 2020, the application form can be
found at the following link:

https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/kenneth-jernigan-convention-scholarship

                The application will ask for the following information:

                Contact information: Include your full name and both your
primary phone where you can be contacted by your state president and your
mobile phone you might use at convention, if available.

                Please include your mailing address and, if you have one,
your email address. If you don't have an email address, please consider if
there is a friend or chapter member who might be able to assist with email
correspondence.

                State affiliate/chapter information: Include your state
affiliate, your state president, chapter, and chapter president, if you
attend a chapter.

                Mentor information: Include your personal convention mentor
and provide that person's phone number.

                Funding request: Include your specific request and 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.

                Essay questions to explain why this is a good investment for
the NFB: 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? Provide any special circumstances you hope the committee will take
into consideration.

                If you cannot apply online, you can still apply by writing a
letter to your state affiliate president answering the above questions. This
letter should be emailed to your state affiliate president. Once you have
decided you will apply, please contact your state president in person or by
phone to request his or her help in obtaining funding. Be sure to tell the
state affiliate president when to expect that your application will be
submitted and mention the deadline.

                Once your online application has been submitted, your
application will be provided to your state president via email. It is still
your responsibility to contact your affiliate president. He or she must
email a president's recommendation directly to the Kenneth Jernigan
Convention Scholarship Fund Committee at kjscholarships at nfb.org [HYPERLINK:
mailto:kjscholarships at nfb.org]. Your president must email the recommendation
no later than the deadline of April 15, 2020. If you have applied outside of
the online form, the state affiliate president must email both the
recommendation and the application letter.

Notification of Award

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

                :: 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.)

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

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

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

Receiving the Award

                At the convention you will be given a debit card or credit
card loaded with the amount of your award. The times and locations to pick
up your card will be listed in the letter we send you. The committee is not
able to provide funds before the convention, so work with your chapter and
state affiliate to assist you by obtaining an agreement to advance funds if
you win a scholarship, and to pay your treasury back after you receive your
debit or credit card.

More Information

                For additional information, please contact the chairman of
the Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Fund Committee, Tracy Soforenko,
at kjscholarships at nfb.org [HYPERLINK: mailto:kjscholarships at nfb.org] or
410-659-9314, extension 2415.

                Above all, please use this opportunity to attend your first
convention on the national level and join several thousand active
Federationists in the most important meeting of the blind in the world. We
hope to see you in Houston.

                                  ----------

-----------------------------------
We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org
Raising Expectations To Live The Life You Want!

Your old car keys can be keys to literacy for the blind.
Donate your unwanted vehicle to us by clicking
www.carshelpingtheblind.org
or call 855 659 9314
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