[Nfbv-announce] Virginia Association of Blind Students (VABS) Announcements

[Tracy Soforenko]

From: Robert Parsons [mailto:rob.parso3389 at gmail.com] 



Greetings Virginia Federationists

 

I hope all is well. I am writing to inform you of some very important
announcements from the student division that can serve as a testament to the
budding leaders that the affiliate has and the work they are putting in to
increase student participation. 

 

1.	Successful Students Summer Blowout: Last weekend was the student
seminar at the Jernigan Institute. In total, there were 48 students that
attended a weekend filled with networking, encouragement, and paradigm
shifts. There were 10 students from Virginia in this group, some of them new
to the Federation, that got a firsthand introduction to our philosophy and
bond by some of the most effective leaders in the Federation. The students
pulled from each other, shared in situations that affect them, and most of
all look to the future with a bit more clarity. Alongside VABS, the student
divisions of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina,
and Massachusetts were all present and able to make this seminar a success. 
2.	VABS List Serve is Live: After along hiatus, the board could work
with Dave Andrews and Jernigan Institute staff to resurge the Virginia
association of Blind Students email list serve. We have added over 30 new
students and parents of blind students to this email list and have already
began actively using it. If there are any students that need to register,
please sign up by visiting www.nfbnet.org <http://www.nfbnet.org>  and
looking for the VABS link. If you were already a VABS list serve user,
please resume using the service. To post, simply send the email to
vabs at nfbnet.org <mailto:vabs at nfbnet.org> . 
3.	VABS Inclusion Program: On the heels of a successful seminar and
being reinvigorated with the excitement that the Federation family brings to
the table, VABS will be following a growing movement that its contemporaries
are taking part in. The National Association of Blind Students has promoted
the student divisions of all 52 affiliates to begin grooming the leaders of
our affiliates early. In the age of high school and college students serving
of chapter and affiliate boards in the present, it would be only right to
prepare the youth for this leadership experience. Therefore, the Virginia
Association of Blind Students will be opening membership and events up to
middle school students in the seventh and eighth grade. We hope that access
to a network of fellow students will make the transition from middle to high
school a smooth one while concurrently shaping our future Federation leaders
in the process. 
4.	VABS "Win for aa Week" Sweepstakes: The Virginia Association of
Blind Students will be fundraising at National Convention. In this "Win for
a Week" sweepstakes, the board members and student attendees of VABS will be
running a 50/50 raffle each day of convention. There will be a winner pulled
at 11pm every night of convention. If you are interested in winning anytime
convention week, simply located a VABS member and purchase your ticket(s).
Tickets are $5 a piece or 3 tickets for $10. There is no cap for the
sweepstakes and we will sell tickets up until 11pm. If your name is pulled,
a VABS member will contact you, find you, and shower you with monetary
bliss. For more information, speak to Robert Parsons, Andrea Perry, or
Kinston Walker either at the Caucus or in the hotel.

 

 

I hope you share this information with all students and parents you come
into contact with and look forward to connecting with you in the future.

 

Blessings

Robert E. Parsons Jr.

President, Richmond Chapter

President, Virginia Association of Blind Students

National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

Randolph Macon College '18 

Phone: 804 200 3275

"Without struggle, there is no progress." -Frederick Douglass