[NFBP-Talk] NFB of PA's March 2023 Monthly Digest

[Stacie Leap]

Hello everybody!

Welcome to our March 2023 monthly Digest: a monthly newsletter of the
National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania!

During the first few days of the month, we will start sending out our
calendar of events. These events will be within the National Federation of
the Blind of Pennsylvania as well as any pertinent information from the
National Federation of the Blind and the Pennsylvania blind community.

If you or anyone you know have any upcoming events or information that can
pertain to the blind community in Pennsylvania, please send them to Stacie
Leap at stacie.leap at gmail.com by the 29th of the month so it can be added
to our calendar for the following month.



For those using screen readers, you can use your heading navigations to
skip around the email.


A Message from our Affiliate President

03/01/2023

Hello Everyone,

Happy March, Spring will be here soon and we will all feel better about
getting out and about!



There are several Outreaches and Conferences coming up in the next few
months and I hope to see many of you there.



Please visit our Calendar of Events for more information.

 - Lynn Heitz, NFB of PA State Affiliate President


Membership Dues for 2023

We are still collecting dues for 2023! Please contact your chapter and
divisions for membership dues as each chapter and division has different
amounts.


Google Calendar Links

The National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania also has a Google
Calendar that can be viewed either through the web or subscribed to your
calendar apps.

You can view the calendar without subscribing to it and view it on your web
browser by clicking the following link:

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=7jgal0nrodbmg61a8aar0o3i2g%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York

However, if you wish to subscribe to the calendar and get the events on
your calendar apps, please click the following link and go through the
steps to subscribe:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/7jgal0nrodbmg61a8aar0o3i2g%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics


Member Spotlight” Denice Brown

Each month, we will highlight someone within our affiliate. The goal is to
allow other members to learn about other members within the affiliate. We
hope you enjoy this little spotlight!



Denice Brown serves within the National Federation of the Blind in many
capacities. She serves as the President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter
going on 20 years this year. She also is one of the Board Directors for our
amazing affiliate. She was recently elected to the role of Treasurer of the
National Association of Blind Black Leaders and has been on the Scholarship
Committee for several years. She volunteers her time teaching iPhone skills
at Liberty Resources and is a proud sister of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Incorporated. She does so much more than we might not even be aware of.
While her schedule might be tight, she finds time to attend jazz concerts,
travel across the country, and hang out with her mother. If you ever get a
chance to meet her in person, do not hesitate to say “Hi”.


Calendar of Events

The following events are also on our Google calendar with the Zoom
information. If anyone within a chapter, division, or group see any errors
or misinformation, please contact Stacie Leap at stacie.leap at gmail.com or
text her at 215-776-6741.



 The below information is correct as of the first week of the month. The
information is most up-to-date on the Google Calendar so please check back
periodically to ensure the right information.


Jigsaw Chapter monthly Meeting

  a monthly meeting for those does not have a local chapter in their
geographical area. This is our at-large chapter.

Saturday, March 3, 2023 at 10AM ET


Pennsylvania Association of Blind Merchants (PABM) Monthly Meeting

 a monthly meeting for those who are or wish to be involved with the
Business Enterprise Program, entrepreneurship and their supporters.

  Wednesday, March 8, 2023 at 6PM ET


  Greater Berks Chapter Monthly Meeting

A monthly meeting for those who live in the Greater Bucks County of
Pennsylvania

Friday, March 10, 2023 at 10AM ET


Leadership Seminar 2023

Selected individuals will meet in State College, PA for the annual
Leadership Seminar. For more information, please contact our State
Affiliate President at president at nfbofpa.org

Friday, March 10, 2023 – Sunday, March 12, 2023 in State College, PA


State Board Meeting

This meeting is held quarterly. The PA State Affiliate Board convenes to
discuss matters relating to the National Federation of the Blind of
Pennsylvania. Typically, this meeting is held virtually but for this month,
we will convene in-person at the Leadership Seminar.

Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 1:45PM ET at State College, PA


Keystone Chapter Monthly Meeting

  a monthly meeting for those who live in the Greater Philadelphia area.
This is one of two local chapters in the Greater Philadelphia area. The
other chapter is the Greater Philadelphia Chapter.

There will be no March 2023 meeting due to the Leadership Seminar that is
happening at the same time. The Chapter will reconvene in April 2023.


Deaf Blind Division Monthly Meeting

 a monthly meeting for those who consider themselves to be Deaf Blind and
their supporters.

 Monday, March 13, 2023 at 6PM ET


Pennsylvania Organization of Parents of Blind Children (PAOPBC) Monthly
Meeting

 a monthly meeting for parents of blind children and their supporters

 Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 11AM ET


Pittsburgh Chapter Monthly Meeting

A monthly meeting for those who live in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 6PM ET


Clusive Workshop

We have invited the team at Clusive to come and talk about their program
and services.

Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 11am ET


  Capital Area Chapter Monthly Meeting

  a monthly meeting for those who live in the Greater Harrisburg area.

  Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 10AM ET


  Erie County Chapter Meeting

  a monthly meeting for those who live in Erie County Pennsylvania.

Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 2PM ET


  Blind Parents Group Monthly Meeting

  a monthly meeting for blind parents, grandparents, and their supporters

  Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 7PM ET


  Blind Seniors Group

  a monthly meeting for those who are seniors or almost seniors as well as
their supporters.

  Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 7:30PM ET


  Brandywine Valley Chapter Monthly Meeting

  a monthly meeting for those who live in the Brandywine Valley.

  Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 10AM ET


Greater Philadelphia Chapter Monthly Meeting

a monthly meeting for those who live in the Greater Philadelphia area. This
is one of two local chapters in the Greater Philadelphia area.  The other
chapter is the Keystone Chapter.

Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 10AM ET


  Pennsylvania Association of Guide Dog Users (PAGDU)

  a monthly meeting for those who have or are considering getting a guide
dog as well as their supporters.

  Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 4pm ET


  Pennsylvania Association of Blind Students (PABS) Monthly Meeting

  a monthly meeting for blind students of all ages and their supporters.

  Monday, March 27, 2023 at 7PM ET


 White Canes Connect Podcast

 Did you know that the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania has
a podcast? It is hosted by members David Goldstein and Lisa Bryant. It
features interviews with our PA members as well as interviews and resources
for the blind community. You can listen to it wherever you listen to
podcasts.

Listen on  Apple Podcasts
<https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/white-canes-connect/id1592248709>,
Spotify <https://open.spotify.com/show/1YDQSJqpoteGb1UMPwRSuI>, Amazon Music
<https://www.amazon.com/White-Canes-Connect/dp/B08K5B6683/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=white+canes+connect&qid=1636149501&qsid=139-0343126-3565115&s=audible&sr=1-1&sres=B08K5B6683,B07P88N4RS,B008U2QT28,B00MFS7BT8&srpt=WALKING_STICK>
, IHeartRadio
<https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-white-canes-connect-89603482/>,
and on Twitter
@PABlindPodcast <https://www.twitter.com/pablindpodcast>. Contact White
Canes Connect at whitecanesconnect at gmail.com if you have any show ideas or
wish to be on the podcast.


National Convention 2023

*Registration is now open for the 2023 National Convention. Tickets are $25
and banquet tickets are $70. The convention will take place in Houston,
Texas from July 1-6, 2023. Hotel information and registration links are at
www.nfb.org/convention <http://www.nfb.org/convention> *


Special Shout-Outs! Birthday Wishes

The National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania would like to wish all
those who were born in March a very happy birthday!


Congratulations to Dexter Cooper on his award!

Congratulations to Greater Philadelphia's member Dexter Cooper for his
upcoming award sponsored by the Men of Jericho within his Masonic
organization. He will be presented with his award on Saturday, March 11th
at 12PM During a luncheon. Here is the information, if you are able to
attend. The tickets are $50. It will occur at:

Saint Nicholas Banquet Hall

817 N. 7th Street

Phila., Pa 19123



There are also opportunities to place an ad in the booklet. The prices are
$20 for a half page, and $30 for a full page.

For ads you can contact Kelly R. Myers at 610-714-1103, or
krmpublishing at yahoo.com

Payments can be sent through Cash App at: $ernball

For further information and to congratulate Dexter, you can call him at:
267-584-3714
Congratulations to Stacie Leap on Anvaya Feats’ featured video!

Stacie Leap was featured by Anvaya Feats for her work in accessibility
testing and advocacy for the organization. Please check out the YouTube
video at the following link: https://youtu.be/v0FWX4D27ms


Our Condolences to Emily Gindlesperger and Angelina Angelcyk

We regret to inform our Affiliate family that Emily Gindlesperger lost her
mother earlier this week.  Please keep Emily and her daughter, Angelina
Angelcyk, in your thoughts and prayers. You may contact Emily at
vp2 at nfbp.org


Fundraisers Community Service Division Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser

Members of the Community Service Division has opened up Double Good popcorn
stores throughout the country to raise fund for the division. Previous
funds raised were used to host service projects at the NFB National
Convention, provide financial assistance to first-time national convention
attendees, and many more! Please consider buying this delicious popcorn in
a variety of flavors! It comes in a variety of flavors and shipped directly
to your house! From flavors like: Butter Believe It, Sergeant Salt &
Pepper, Caramel DM, Sweety You Salty, and much more, you definitely cannot
go wrong! It is only for four days so please do not wait but order yours
starting March 3, 2023! It will be over on March 6, 2023 at 12PM ET!  You
can purchase the popcorn with Stacie Leap’s popcorn store link which is
https://popup.doublegood.com/s/qm57o5h1


NFB of PA April Raffle

The NFB of PA is selling $5 tickets for their April 2023 Raffle.
Participants will choose a 3-digit number to play during the entire month
of April 2023. Each day, a winner is chosen to receive a monetary prize. If
your number is selected from Sunday to Friday, you will receive $50. If
your number is selected on a Saturday, you will receive $100. Once a winner
is selected for the day, their number is thrown back into the pot so a
person has 30 chances to win during the entire month of April! Please send
all payments to NFB of PA State Treasurer Brian Mackey by March 27, 2023.
Each chapter treasurer has some raffle tickets in their possession to sell
so please contact your chapter treasurer for more details. If you are not a
part of a chapter, such as a family member, friend, co-worker,
acquaintance, or supporter of any kind and wish to purchase tickets, please
contact Jim Antonacci at jjantonacci at verizon.net


PAOPBC Chocolate Fundraiser

The Pennsylvania Organization of Parents of Blind Children is participating
once again with Sarris Chocolate to do some fundraising! 25% of all sales
goes back into the division. This is to allow for scholarships and
financial assistance that we can give back to the parents who have blind or
visually impaired children.

Please consider buying some chocolate for loved ones during Valentine's Day!

Give someone the gift of chocolate for St. Patrick's Day!

Buy some to show appreciation to family and friends during Easter, all
occasions and holidays in between!

This is the Spring collection and will run from now until April 2, 2023

This is to ensure that your chocolate gets to you by Easter if you wish to
eat it then but you can always buy some now and more later. :)

This is the perfect gift for yourself or someone in your life!

Our Group code is 10-0316.

You can also access the following link to get to the website and support
our division:

https://www.sarriscandiesfundraising.com/Group.aspx?id=10-0316


Blind Parents Group T-Shirts Fundraiser

The Blind Parents Group still have some t-shirts left over from our
fundraising efforts at the state convention. The t-shirts come in either
black with white letterings or white with black letterings. Both shirts say
“I Support #BlindParents” with the NFB of PA Logo and “Blind Parents Group”
at the bottom. Funds raised will start a scholarship funds to assist blind
or visually impaired parents and their family through financial life
hardships. To purchase a t-shirt, please contact Stacie Leap at
stacie.leap at gmail.com


SABE THE DATE: Greater Philadelphia Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser

Pop, pop, pop it up! The Greater Philadelphia Chapter will be having their
Double Good popcorn fundraiser in April 2023. Look out in future emails on
how to support!


Other External Events

These events are not hosted or sponsored by the NFB or the NFB of PA.
However, we think these might be good resources for those living in
Pennsylvania. If you have any events that you wish to be in our monthly
digest, please email Stacie Leap at stacie.leap at gmail.com


OVR State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation Quarterly Meeting

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Start time: 10 a.m.

End time: 3 p.m.

Break: noon – 1 p.m.

This meeting will be hybrid, with the in-person portion held at the Best
Western Premier in Harrisburg (800 E. Park Dr., Harrisburg, Pa), and the
virtual

portion held via Zoom. The public is invited to attend in person or connect
to this meeting using the following information:

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: March 2, 2023, 10 a.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Topic: PA State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation Quarterly Meeting

Please click the following link to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85656724729?pwd=SktvQnZvaEJPcnBBMTZFWE81cy9TZz09#success

Passcode: 210559 Or One tap mobile:

US: +19292056099,,85656724729#,,,,*210559# or
+13017158592,,85656724729#,,,,*210559# Or Telephone:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

US: 1-929-205-6099 or 1-301-715-8592 or 1-305-224-1968 or 1-309-205-3325 or
1-312-626-6799 or 1-646-931-3860 or 1-669-444-9171 or 1-669-900-6833 or
1-689-278-1000

or 1-719-359-4580 or 1-253-205-0468 or 1-253-215-8782 or 1-346-248-7799 or
1-360-209-5623 or 1-386-347-5053 or 1-507-473-4847 or 1-564-217-2000 Webinar

ID: 856 5672 4729 Passcode: 210559

For more information, please visit their website at
https://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Disability-Services/Board-and-Committee-Info/Pages/PA-State-Board-of-Vocational-Rehabilitation.aspx


SEPTA Advisory Council Meeting Postponed

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority typically holds monthly
advisory council meetings to the public; however, meetings are postponed
until further noticed. Please see the letter sent to the Advisory Council
and public:

Good afternoon, SAC members and general public,

I regret to inform you that the February 9, 2023, SAC meeting is
canceled. SEPTA must complete an internal investigation regarding the
conduction of SAC meetings.



SAC meetings will resume upon SAC chairs and SEPTA coming to a resolution
on their internal issues. We apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause.



Sincerely,



The SAC chairs


Liberty Resources’ Blind/Low Vision Support Group

Our members Karen Rose and Simone Cooper partner up with Liberty Resources
to hold weekly virtual support group at Liberty Resources. The aim is to
share resources and provide support to those experiencing blindness or low
vision. Meetings are weekly on Tuesdays from 1pm to 2pm ET via Zoom. You do
not need to live in Philadelphia to attend these meetings, this is open to
all in Pennsylvania! For more information or to sign-up, please email
Latoya Maddox at LatoyaMaddox at libertyresources.org


Vision Thru Art

Vision Thru Art is a weekly sculpture class for blind and visually-impaired
artists that has been running at Allens Lane Art Center for more than 30
years. Our dedicated faculty, staff and volunteers help the students
express their inner vision through a variety of media including clay, wood,
mosaic, stone and other mixed materials. The students are encouraged to
work at their own pace while enjoying the easy-going social atmosphere of
the class. In 2014, Allens Lane Art Center made the class completely free
for all the students including free art supplies each year.

*Location:* The Fluhr Studio - (downstairs back studio accessible by rear
entrance). Many of the students use Para-transit to get to the class.
Service dogs are of course welcome.

*Day/Time:*  Wednesday, 10:30 am – 12:30pm and Friday 10:30 am – 12:30pm.

*Fees:* There are no fees for this class.

*Registration:* Contact by phone (215-248-0546) or by
https://allenslane.org/vision-thru-art/


Eye See You I love U

Eye See You I love U is hosting numerous fundraisers coming up.  You can
view their events and get more information on their website at
https://eyeseeyouiloveu.org/

On February 20th they will be hosting their family fun night at Chuck E
Cheese that is open to parents and children of all abilities.

They will also be holding their first Walk A thon in June. On June 10th
from 9 AM to 4 PM, individuals can come to Hempfield Park and participate
in our Eye Will Walk With You Walk A Thon to raise awareness for Optic
Nerve Hypoplasia and children with no vision and low vision.

The registration link is below. You can use code EYESEEYOU until April 20th
for 15% off of registration.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eye-will-walk-with-you-2023-tickets
499094815027?aff=ebdsoporgprofile


Women Healed For A Purpose 2023 Conference!

Our member Lyvette Byrd is hosting her 2nd Annual Women Healed For a
Purpose Conference under her business, For The Byrds Consulting, LLC. The
mission of the conference  is to equip and restore the community through a
faith-based initiative that we hope will strengthen women holistically;
mind, body, and spirit.

We are women Living Interdependently in support of Family, Friends, and our
Fellow neighbors to Educate and Empower our community. The event will be on
Saturday, October 28, 2023. More details about the event will come at a
later date!


NFB Pledge

I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National Federation
of the Blind; to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for the blind;
to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to abide by its
constitution.


NFB Message

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.



Many thanks to everybody for all they do within the Federation!



Thanks!

the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania team
www.nfbp.org
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