[NFBNJ] National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey: At Large Chapter Minutes for Oct 29 and Agenda for Nov 18 Meeting at State Convention--All are welcome to participate
Ellen Sullivan
ems553 at comcast.net
Sun Nov 8 12:18:02 UTC 2020
>From the Desk of Joe Ruffalo, President, National Federation of the Blind of
New Jersey
Submitted by Ellen Sullivan, Affiliate Secretary
Greetings All,
Our next At Large Chapter Meeting will be held on Wednesday,
November 18, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. This meeting and the unusual date
and time reflect the state convention and I am hoping all can participate
during the At Large Chapter Meeting and throughout the convention! Thank you
for helping us to raise expectations!
Warmly, Joe Ruffalo
******
Details:
* Agenda
* Zoom Details
* Minutes from our October 29, 2020 Meeting
*****
Agenda:
The meeting will highlight the past year, plans for 2021 and the importance
to stay involved and raising expectations.
*****
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******
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
At Large Chapter 131st Conference Call Minutes
Meeting Date: Thursday, October 29, 2020
Meeting was held on the Zoom Platform
1. Roll call: 25 members, participants and guests were in attendance. The
meeting started at 7:01 P.M.
Officers:
Linda Melendez, First Vice President
Andrew Rees, Treasurer
Ellen Sullivan, Secretary
Board Members:
Annemarie Cooke
Jane Degenshein
Linda DeBerardinis
Members:
Johanna Baccan, Mario Brusco, Ada Crandle, Roman Dodia, Vincent Elorza,
Chris Franz, Pam Hayes, Elisha Johnson, Geri McGinty, Abby Mesce, Morgan
Neumann, Angela Perone, Sherry Rollins, Jennifer Uchanow, Don Wardlow
Participants: Olga Kronenberg, Carol Thomas
Guests: Les Cameron, Brian Mackey ,Web Master
2. Welcoming Remarks:
Jane Degenshein led the meeting since President Ruffalo was unable to be
here. Jane graciously welcomed all the participants and gave a shout out to
"newbies" on the call and new members and thanked them for joining the
NFBNJ. She said at the end of the meeting newcomers would have the
opportunity to introduce themselves and share why they joined the NFBNJ.
Linda Melendez and Ellen Sullivan were co-hosts.
3. NFB Pledge:
Brian Mackey led us in reciting the NFB Pledge. Jane reminded everyone of
the importance of this pledge and encouraged all to learn it. Even if you
can only learn the first line in time for State Convention "I pledge to
participate actively in the efforts of the National Federation of the
Blind;" it is a good start and it reminds us that we are members of a
national organization that supports the blind. As a member of the NFB we
advocate for ourselves and our organization.
4. Secretary's Report: Ellen Sullivan
Ellen Sullivan reported that the September 24, 2020 minutes were distributed
two times: ten and two days prior to the meeting and no comments were
received. Ellen thanked Brian Mackey for writing the excellent minutes.
Sherry Rollins motioned to approve the minutes as presented, seconded by
Mario Brusco; there was no discussion. The minutes were unanimously
approved.
5. Treasurer's Report: Andrew Rees (Reported by Ellen Sullivan)
Beginning Balance as of September 1:
To be reported.
Jennifer Uchanow motioned to approve the Treasurer's Report, seconded by
Elisha Johnson, and there was no discussion. The Treasurer's report was
unanimously approved.
6. Dues: Jane Degenshein:
Jane said now is the time to send in dues to be a stakeholder in the NFB,
the NFBNJ and the At Large Chapter. The next meeting of the At Large Chapter
will be at our Virtual State Convention on November 18 and all members are
encouraged to send in their dues to:
Andrew Rees
129 Drake Road
Somerset, NJ 08873
(Dues: $5)
You may choose to pay more than one year if convenient. By paying dues you
become a member and a stakeholder in the NFB, the NFBNJ and the At Large
Chapter. There are so many benefits to membership and Jane encouraged anyone
who is not already a member to please consider joining. She thanked the new
members and the existing members for their support and belief that
"blindness is not what limits us".
7. Introduction of new members and first time participants: Jane Degenshein
Jane welcomed the new members and first time participants and said that at
the end of the call we would love for them to share something about
themselves and why they joined the NFBNJ.
8. Presidential Release:
Ellen Sullivan shared that the next Presidential Release will be "LIVE" on
Sunday, November 1 at 8:00 p.m. eastern time. The Presidential Release
presented by NFB President Mark Riccobono connects members together at the
national, state, local, and personal levels. To listen to current or past
presidential releases or to read the text transcripts, please visit
<http://www.nfb.org/presidential-releases>
www.nfb.org/presidential-releases. Ellen reminded the members about the
various ways to listen to the release: phone, Zoom, Alexa, Newsline.
Linda Melendez reminded everyone that there is an opportunity to submit
questions and encouraged those who had questions to do so before the
meeting. Jane Degenshein said the Presidential Release will continue to be
"LIVE" through the end of the year.
9. 44th State Convention: Jane Degenshein and Linda Melendez
a. Dates:
Our state convention will be held virtually from November 18th through 21st,
2020 on the Zoom platform.
b. Registration process:
Linda Melendez stated there is still time to register for the 44th State
Convention and she has been sending out reminder notices to remind everyone
that registration is still open to members and non-members. Registration is
free to all.
c. Donations:
Jane Degenshein stated that the At Large Chapter has already made a $100
donation to the state convention and individual donations may still be made
online at:
<http://www.nfbnj.org/state-convention/donations>
www.nfbnj.org/state-convention/donations.
To donate via check or money order, make payable to NFBNJ (with convention
in the memo section) and mail to:
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
254 Spruce Street
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
d. Affiliate Elections:
Linda Melendez reminded all dues paying members who registered by October 10
that they are eligible to vote and must complete the voting enrollment form
by noon on Saturday, October 31and indicate the telephone number they will
use for voting. She further stated that the state convention serves as our
governing body, democratically electing our leadership and establishing each
year's organizational priorities. It is also where we learn more about the
NFB programs and goals on the state and national level. Linda has sent out
four reminder notices to those eligible to vote so please take advantage of
your membership privileges.
e. Door Prizes:
Three names will be pulled at a time for door prizes and the winners will
need to respond within ten minutes by email or phone with a special code to
claim their door prize. Prizes are gift cards and checks and will be sent
out directly to the winners from chapters/divisions or the individual making
the donation.
f. Agenda:
The agenda will be finalized and distributed, posted on the state website
and available on NEWSLINER in early November. The convention schedule will
follow our national convention format:
* Wednesday division and committee meetings (the next At Large
Chapter Meeting will be on November 18 at 4:00 p.m.)
* Thursday morning meet the Vendors
* Thursday afternoon Technology workshop
* Thursday 7 pm Resolutions Committee Meeting
* Thursday 8 pm Membership workshop
* Friday Opening General Session
* Friday 7 pm Affiliate Business Meeting and Voting
* Saturday 2nd day of General Session
* Saturday 7 pm banquet and convention adjournment
At the end of each day Ellen Sullivan will be sending out an email to the
NFBNJ Listserv reminding members of the next days activities and how to
participate. We are using the same Zoom contact and passcode throughout the
convention.
g. Rookie Round-up
Rookie Roundup is set for November 11, at 7 pm. We will be highlighting the
procedures to attend, provide an overview of the agenda, answer questions,
practice voting, and much more. Our national rep will be invited to this
pre-convention event.
h. Practice Zoom Calls:
Zoom Training Sessions will be held on Monday, November 2; Tuesday, November
3 and Monday, November 9 at 7 pm to address landline, mobile devices, and
computer connections ,respectively, to Zoom. A notice has gone out to the
NFBNJ Listserv.
10. Fund Raising: Ellen Sullivan
Ellen Sullivan thanked everyone for their participation in the Boscov's 2020
Friends Helping Friend Fund Raiser. She shared that contributions from
checks and PayPal totaled $870.50 and for those who supported the NFBNJ by
shopping at the store or on line, Boscov's expects to know the amount of
money raised by mid-November (hopefully in time to be shared at State
Convention) and checks should be mailed out by the end of December. Again,
thanks to all those that participated.
11. Legislative Update: Linda Melendez
Federal:
Linda said there has been a lot of activity recruiting House sponsorship for
the Access Technology Affordability Act (ATAA) and the Accessible
Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act, or AIM HIGH. She said that
John Pare from National and Ryan Stevens, NFBNJ are leading these
legislative initiative so be on the lookout from emails from them and please
act!
State:
Assemblywoman Yvonne Lopez has been invited to be a speaker at our State
Convention and we expect to hear an update on the status of the Parental
Rights Bill in the New Jersey Legislature.
12. Old Business: Discussion:
a. Meet the Blind Month: Ellen Sullivan confirmed that there was no
"organized affiliate program" due to the pandemic and that some chapters did
reach out to the community to see if they could work with them on a virtual
platform. Jane Degenshein said the "White Cane" day was October 15 and
reminded members that we are always representing the blind when we travel
outside our homes and interact with the public. We need to first represent
ourselves as capable individuals and then as members of the National
Federation of the Blind.
b. Afternoon of Comedy and Entertainment: This event has been postponed and
will possibly be held in April 2021.
13. Sounding Board Fall 2020: Jane Degenshein and Annemarie Cooke
Jane Degenshein said a Fall edition was recently sent out and contained
wonderful articles from our members, President Ruffalo and a farewell from
Kathy Gabry who was an extraordinary editor for 15 years and is now
resigning. Annemarie Cooke is an associate editor and works with others in
the affiliate to put out a first rate publication. She encouraged all to
please consider writing an article for the Spring Sounding Board. She said
we would love to hear about peoples experience with our first virtual state
convention.
14. New Business: Discussion: All
Linda Melendez shared about the November 30 Access Link Town Hall Meeting
and our plans to share with Access Link the results of the Steering
Committee Comments from our members. Jane Degenshein thanked Linda for this
excellent venue and the many opportunities that were provided to us in 2020.
Linda said we are hoping to have four to six Town Hall Meetings in 2021 and
to please send her and email ( <mailto:lindamelendez220 at gmail.com>
lindamelendez220 at gmail.com) if you have any suggestions.
Ellen Sullivan talked about registration for "Braille Readers are Leaders"
opening on November 1. Brian Mackey explained that participants keep track
of the number of Braille pages they read during the contest period of
December 1 through January 18, 2021. People of all ages are invited to
participate and will be recognized for their efforts. (Please visit:
<https://www.actionfund.org/programs/braille-readers-are-leaders> Braille
Readers Are Leaders to learn more about the contest).
Ellen Sullivan also mentioned that the NFB National Scholarship Program
opens for applications on November 1 and that the NFB awards $120,000 to
blind college students from across the country. (Learn about the eligibility
and requirements of the
<https://www.nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-p
rogram> 2021 scholarship program). Roman Dodia said he was an international
student attending a U.S. University and asked if he would qualify. Annemarie
Cooke encouraged him to look into the program.
15. Upcoming division meetings: Jane Degenshein
Jane Degenshein reminded us that the next Division and At Large Chapter
Meetings will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at the state
convention. The agenda will include the details.
16. Green Drop/Vehicle Donation/PAC Plan
This topic was not discussed since we were experiencing difficulties
unmuting members and there was a fair amount of background noise.
17. Round the Phone:
Jane Degenshein asked the new members and first time participants to
introduce themselves:
Abby Mesce: Abby has been visually impaired since birth and attends the Edge
Program. Through this program she has met many members of the NFBNJ and was
encouraged to attend a meeting. Abby works in the food service industry and
is very enthusiastic to be a member of the NFBNJ.
Roman Dodia: Roman is a college student visiting from India. He had the
privilege to meet Annemarie Cooke at the Edge Program and was encouraged to
join the NFBNJ. He is very happy he has done so.
Elisha Johnson: Elisha has been dealing with vision impairment for about
four years. In October 2019 she began training at the JKTC to acclimate to
blindness and learn alternate skills to do the things she needs and likes to
do. She graduated from the JKTC in September 2020. It was through her
contacts at the JKTC that she learned about the NFBNJ and is glad to be a
new member.
Sherry Rollins share about watching holiday movies on the Hallmark Channel
and how she is enjoying this during the pandemic.
Jane Degenshein reminded us all that we don't have to look far to find a
reason to smile each day and this will improve our day!
18. Adjournment:
Chris Franz motioned to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Pam Hayes, and
unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned by Jane Degenshein at 7:54
p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Ellen Sullivan, Secretary, At Large
Chapter
Reviewed by Joe Ruffalo, President , Linda Melendez, 1st Vice President and
Jane Degenshein, Board Member and President of the Senior and Technology
Divisions
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
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