[NFBNJ] Friends of the Library Newsletter

[joe ruffalo]

    Greetings to all!

As many of us receive services from the library, I have been asked to 
distribute the following Friends of the Library Newsletter from Ken 
Lawrence, a long time member in the Federation and President of the Friends 
of the Library.

Keep well!
Joe

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

From: ken lawrence
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2020 9:11 PM
To: joe ruffalo
Subject: friends of the library newsletter

Hi joe, ken lawrence here.  Please distribute to our distribution lists. 
This is the spring newsletter of the friends of the NJ library for the 
blind.  Message follows.  ****

THE FRIENDS OF THE NEW JERSEY LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND AND HANDICAPPED, INC.



SPRING 2020 NEWSLETTER

The mission of the Friends shall be to support and promote the services and 
programs of the NJ State Library Talking Book and Braille Center.



Message from the President



Greetings Friends of the Library members and prospective members.

2020 has been a year unlike any we have ever known.  We ended 2019 saying 
good-bye to one of our most long-standing members and a very active person 
in the blindness community in NJ Bernie Zuckerman.  A moment of silence will 
of course be observed at our next meeting.  Details below.  Then of course 
the incredible events surrounding the coronavirus and the whole world 
literally being brought to a standstill.  It is truly beyond anything we 
have ever experienced.  Even the national convention plans of the two major 
blindness organizations have changed radically, as no in person face to face 
meetings can be held.  Many of the restrictions will likely still be in 
place by the time we get together for our next meeting.  I had anticipated 
this so I have decided that our next meeting will be via conference call 
only.  Never-the-less, the work of the library does go on and so does the 
work of the Friends of the Library.  I am hopeful that we will have a large 
roster of new members joining us at our June 6, 2020 meeting.  With all that 
is happening certainly reading is an activity that will get people through 
uncertain times. So onward and upward.  I look forward to being with you on 
June 6th.

Ken Lawrence, President



Meeting Information



The next meeting of the Friends will be held on Saturday, June 6, 20 from 
10:00 AM until 12:00 PM.  With respect to our safety and stay at home 
restrictions in place at the time of writing this newsletter, we have 
decided to conduct this meeting via conference call.  We hope you will 
consider joining us for an informative and important meeting.



Please note that this is not a toll-free number.  Please dial 605-468-8005. 
Enter the access code 425 373#.  You will be asked to press 1 after the 
access code is repeated correctly.



Annual Dues are due



Our new fiscal year starts on July 1, 2020.  Annual membership dues are now 
being collected.  Dues should be mailed in. A membership form is attached to 
this newsletter.  Individual member dues are $10.00 and $25.00 for a family. 
For those that normally pay at the meeting please pay by mail.



Election of Officers



As this is our Annual Meeting, we will be holding the election of the 
Executive Board.  Our current executive board are all willing to stay on for 
the new term beginning July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022.

The slate of officers is as follows:

President – Ken Lawrence

Vice President – Jim Dougherty

Secretary – Bea Olivetti

Treasurer – Joyce Sowa



Officers may be nominated from the floor at the time of elections.  We do 
ask that anyone being nominated from the floor be approached in advance of 
the meeting and he/she must agree to run for the office in question. Please 
make every attempt to attend this very important meeting.





In Memory of



Bernard (“Bernie”) Zuckerman (3/16/1936-12/25/2019)

Bernard “Bernie” Zuckerman unexpectedly passed away on Wednesday 12/25/2019 
at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital from cardiac complications.

A tremendously genuine and kind man with a beautiful smile and wonderful 
sense of humor, Bernie will be terribly missed by his caring family and 
friends. Bernie was predeceased by his loving wife Fran and son Bob, and is 
survived by his son, Alan. Bernie was born and raised in the Bronx by his 
parents Max and Eva Zuckerman, since deceased.

Bernie was a proud graduate of James Monroe High School in the Bronx, 
subsequently earning his bachelor’s in business administration Degree in 
1957 from The College of The City of New York (Baruch College), with a 
concentration in Accounting. During his professional career, Bernie held 
various accountancy positions in the public sector.

Always giving of his time and expertise, Bernie was an active volunteer (and 
sometimes Board) member of numerous organizations including: New Jersey 
Council of The Blind, Alliance Center For Independence, Middlesex County Low 
Vision Group, Computer Talk of Central New Jersey, and New Jersey Friends of 
The Library.





TBBC’s Tenth Annual Golf Outing



This year’s Golf Outing that was scheduled for June will be postponed.  New 
dates are being discussed.  More information will be announced in the near 
future.  As this is a very important fund-raising event and a lot of fun, we 
hope all will work out.  The Friends enjoy supporting the event and will 
continue to do so.





CONTACTING TBBC



Because the building is closed, they cannot send out or receive any mail. 
Please hold onto your books and your talking book machines



The building may be closed, but they are still working! If you want to get 
in touch with TBBC, please call the 800 number, 800-792-8322, and dial 
extension 861 to leave a message.



Because returning calls to you are coming from staff working outside the 
library, they will be marked as "private" or "anonymous." If you block 
private or anonymous numbers, we will be unable to call you back.



All returning calls will only be made by staff on weekdays from 9 AM until 3 
PM.



Or, you can email TBBC at tbbc at njstatelib.org



More information is available in TBBC’s weekly newsletter. The newsletter is 
available on TBBC’s website, by email and on Newsline..





Options for Reading The Friends’ Newsletter



The newsletter is available in Large Print, E-Mail, on our website 
http://friendsnjlibraryfortheblind.org and for those who do not have 
computers, by telephone on Newsline. You can access these Newsletters with a 
Newsline subscription and a touch-tone telephone. If you do not have a 
Newsline subscription, contact Reader Services at the New Jersey Talking 
Book and Braille Center at 1-800-792-8322 to get signed up for a Newsline 
subscription.  If you have a Newsline subscription, but do not remember your 
login information, contact Christian Riehl at the above number extension 
821. Once you have secured your login information, dial in to the service by 
calling 1-888-882-1629, or the local dial up number provided to you for 
accessing the service. Follow the prompts for logging in and reading the 
Newsletters. Choose option 2 off the main menu for your state’s information 
channel, followed by option for the blindness groups, then the option for 
the Friends Newsletters. Happy reading.

Please check out our website for information on community services as well 
as present and past copies of our newsletters at 
http://friendsnjlibraryfortheblind.org/











THE FRIENDS OF THE NJ LIBRARY for the BLIND MEMBERSHIP FORM



Name: ___________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ____________________________________________

Telephone (with area code): __________________________________

E-mail address: ____________________________________________

Preferred Media Format:

LP____­ ­­ E-mail_____ or ­None I will read online_____

I am eligible for TBBC Services: Yes ___ No ___

Individual Member $10.00 ___   Family Membership $25.00 ___

Donation $ _________

Donation in Memory or Honor of Name: __________________________

Send acknowledgment for memorial gift to:

Name: ____________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ______________________________________________



I have made a bequest in my will _____



Please return this form together with your check payable to:

The Friends of the NJLBH

PO Box 434, Woodbridge, NJ 07095

LP 4/20





Sent from Mail for Windows 10


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