[NFBOH-Cleveland] Cleveland Updates

Mon Mar 16 21:54:50 UTC 2020

Cleveland,

I hope you are well.

I am emailing to provide some updates on activities and important
information in regards to our meetings and outreach efforts.

I will meet with the Cleveland Executive Board this week and decide If we
will have a conference call on Friday. Please check your email and the
Cleveland voice box for instructions.

All Cleveland members must pay dues for 2020. The cost is $15. Although, we
have not been able to collect, you can mail your dues to PO Box 141077,
Cleveland, Ohio 44114. However, I am hopeful that we will meet in April.

As you are aware COVID-19 has been a force that has caused serious actions
that will keep the nation impacted for weeks to come. Please be aware and
continue to keep up-to-date on the latest news coverage in Ohio and the
nation. If you do not have to go out into the community, please remain in
your home. However, if you feel ill and need medical attention; do what is
best for your health and well being. 

Today the Ohio Governor has postponed the voting primary until June 2, 2020.
However, he has extended absentee voting. So, if you were venturing out to
the polls tomorrow, do not!

I sent out last night some reminders of what to do and what not to do in
regards to COVID-19. Please review them and share this information with your
family.

Our fundraisers for the Ohio Affiliate and the Cleveland Chapter are on
hold. We will revisit them all as we get closer to the 30 day mark that
President Mark Riccobono has implemented; where the National Board of
Directors will reevaluate gatherings. Until then, we will hold meetings by
conference call. There will be no face-to-face gatherings prior to April 12,
2020. Social spacing is directed by the CDC. So, if you do go out, please
space your self about an arm length from others. They also highly recommend
washing hands for at least 20 seconds and use the crease of your elbow to
cough or sneeze into. Please take the time to check on our members who might
need someone to talk to. Anxiety is high and we want to reach out to those
who might be having a difficult time with isolation or feeling alone. 

Although we are not gathering as a group. You still can participate with the
Ohio Affiliate Fundraisers individually or as a group independently.
Malley's is open and you can purchase items online. Also, Honey Baked Ham is
also available to purchase items. Here are the links,

Honey Baked Ham:

Easter is just around the corner, are you looking for the perfect Holiday
meal? Look no further, Honey Baked Ham has it all! Stop by your local store,
or shop online for all your Holiday favorites from hams, turkey, delicious
side dishes, and scrumptious desserts! You can purchase gift cards to use
online or at any Honey Baked Ham retail store.

https://honeybakedfundraising.com/fundraisers/NFBOhio

Malley's:

Malley's Chocolates Easter Fundraiser is back! Malley's chocolates and candy
will make an excellent gift for your loved ones (or yourself). Remember that
Easter is April 12th this year. Note! The deadline for online orders is
Monday, April 6.

Please place your online order to help the NFB of Ohio raise money. Visit
this link to check out all of the wonderful goodies that Malley's offers:

https://malleys.com/fundraising/campaign/natl-fed-blind-ohio/

Feel free to share the two fundraisers with family, friends and others. 

xxx

The Cleveland Sight Center has suspended all group and recreational
activities until further notice. Therefore, our March 20, 2020 Chapter
meeting has been canceled. Again, keep a watch for more details. I am not
sure abut our April meeting if it will be a face-to-face meeting. However,
we definitely will hold a teleconference call if we can not gather in
person. 

/////

Cleveland if you are interested in any of the below programs, please send me
an email requesting the application at: SMTurner.234 at gmail.com

Currently, the NFB is still planning to attend the National Convention. So,
make your reservations at The Hilton Americas-Houston hotel as soon as you
can; so that you will not be in the overflow hotel. Please call 800-236-2905
and make your reservations. If you need a roommate, please let me know.

Xxx

The 74th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
(NFBOH) will be held on Friday, November 6th through Sunday, November 8th
2020. The location is at the Crowne Plaza/Dayton Hotel, 33 E. 5th Street,
Dayton, Ohio    45402. The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio State
Convention will be held in the heart of downtown Dayton and adjacent to the
Dayton Convention Center. The hotel is just minutes from the Dayton
International Airport, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, the Schuster &
Victoria Theaters, The University of Dayton, as well as area shopping and
local favorite restaurants in the historic Oregon District.

We encourage you to begin preparing to attend this outstanding event during
the weekend of November 6th, 7th and 8th of 2020. Reservations at the Crown
Plaza/Dayton Hotel can be made at, (937) 224-0800. The Room rate  is $109.00
with 13.50% tax per night, which includes a hot buffet breakfast, free
Wi-Fi, televisions with premium HD cable channels, and comfort to help you
unwind at the end of your busy day.   

So make your reservations as soon as possible. Remember, Cleveland will
charter a bus to the State Convention that will depart on November 5, 2020
at 2:00PM and return on November 8th. If you have questions, please contact
Cheryl Fields at (216) 566-4317.

xxx

Eric Duffy, who is the Coordinator of the Braille Enrichment for Literacy
and Learning Program (BELL) is requesting volunteers. The date of the
program is July 25, 2020 to July 31, 2020. If you are interested, the form
is attached. For more information, please contact Suzanne Turner at (216)
990-6199.

///

SPRING 2020 LEADERSHIP ACADEMY SESSION

Services for Independent Living (SIL) is now accepting applications for its
Spring 2020 Leadership Academy Session.  The Leadership Academy is an
eight-week course designed to help people with disabilities gain skills
needed to participate on nonprofit boards, community coalitions, task
forces, and/or system change committees in a meaningful way.  The goal of
the academy is to increase the number of persons with disabilities prepared
to engage in community leadership roles. 

The Spring 2020 session will begin on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 and end on
Tuesday, June 23, 2020.  Classes will be held weekly on Tuesday afternoons
from 1 pm to 4 pm.  All participants are responsible for transportation to
and from SIL.

All participants will participate in the newly developed mentoring program.
Upon completion of the Leadership Academy, SIL will work with participants
to identify areas of interest and potential leadership opportunities. Please
find attached a flyer highlighting the Fall 2019 session.  

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2020.  Because space is limited,
we encourage interested applicants to apply early.  If you would like an
application and/or if you have any questions, please contact Laura Gold via
email at lgold at sil-oh.org <mailto:lgold at sil-oh.org>  or via telephone at
216-815-0015 (please leave a detailed message).  If you require the
application and/or flyer in an alternative format, please let Laura know.

The Leadership Academy is made possible as part of a renewal grant from the
Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council under the Developmental Disabilities
Assistance and Bill of Rights Act.  Please share the email and flyers (PDF
and Word) with others who may be interested in applying to the Leadership
Academy.   Thank you!

Laura A. Gold, J.D.

Advocacy & Disability Rights Coordinator

Services for Independent Living 

26250 Euclid Avenue, Suite 801

Euclid, OH 44132

Voice Mail 216.815.0015

T. 216.731.1529 

F. 216.731.3083

711 Ohio Relay Service

sil-oh.org

///

Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship 

The Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship provides funding support to
National Federation of the Blind members who want to attend a national
convention <https://www.nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention>  for the
first time.

Eligibility

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 to Apply

Starting January 1, 2020, apply online using the Kenneth Jernigan Convention
Scholarship online application form
<https://www.nfb.org/form/kenneth-jernigan-convention-scho> . 

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: 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 <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.

///

National Federation of the Blind 

Senior Division Annual Retreat

LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT 

When?  October 18-24, 2020

Where?  Rocky Bottom Resort and Conference Center for the Blind, Sunset,
South Carolina.

Rocky Bottom is a camp owned and operated by the South Carolina affiliate of
the NFB. This camp is located on Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in
the state. It is a modern facility with a dining-hall and several lodges for
sleeping and holding classes. Retreaters will share a room with a colleague.
Paved pathways connect buildings in this  rural, mountain setting. Fishing
can be done on the property. Other off-site activities may be planned during
the retreat.  

Eligibility: Must be legally blind and have a strong desire to learn
nonvisual techniques taught by blind instructors. Preferred age over 50 but
some exceptions can be made. 

Candidates must be able to administer their medications and know the dosages
and times they should be taken. We can suggest labeling methods and
organizational skills but cannot administer medications. 

--Classes Offered: Traveling with a rigid, straight white cane, 

--Daily Living Skills,

--Organizational Skills and Tactile Labeling, 

--Beginning Braille, 

--Some Devices and Aids Found Useful, 

--Cooking Techniques and Preparing Food, 

--Discussions Living with Low Vision and Blindness-Our Attitudes and
Perceptions and the Misconceptions of Others about our Disability. 

Process and Cost: 

Please contact Ruth Sager, President, NFB Senior Division, 

rsager78 at gmail.com <mailto:rsager78 at gmail.com>  

7634 Carla Road,

Pikesville, MD

21208

Home Phone: 410.602.9030  to obtain an application or the application can be
downloaded from www.nfbofsc.org <http://www.nfbofsc.org> .  There's  also an
application attached to this message. 

///

The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio is pleased to announce its 2020
scholarship program benefiting blind college students. This year, we will
award three scholarships to outstanding blind students who currently live
in, or are attending college in, the state of Ohio during the 2020-2021
academic school year. 

All scholarship materials are due by June 1, 2020.

Applicants do not have to be a resident of Ohio but attending a college or
university in Ohio for the 20201-2021 academic school year.

Application materials must be submitted electronically to: Cassandra Jones,
at  <mailto:cassandra.jones02 at gmail.com> cassandra.jones02 at gmail.com. Please
use the following links to download the flyer and instructions in Microsoft
Word format: 

*
<http://nfbohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Scholarship-Flyer-2020.docx>
NFB OH 2020 Scholarship Flyer 
*
<http://nfbohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2020-NFB-OF-OHIO-Scholarship.
docx> NFB OH 2020 Scholarship Instructions 

///

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio (NFBO)

Suzanne Turner, Ohio Affiliate Vice President

Cleveland Chapter, President

(216) 990-6199

Please click on the links below to learn more about the organization

The Ohio Affiliate

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGe_1qGbkX8

"Live the life you want" featuring, National President, Mark Riccobono

 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesLNDBpYVE&feature=share>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DesLNDBpYVE&feature=share

Visit and take a moment to like our Facebook Page!

<https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/>
https://m.facebook.com/NationalFederationOfTheBlindOfOhioClevelandChapter/ 

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.

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