[NFBV-Announce] 2023 National Convention: Join us in Houston: Programs to support first timers!

[jackibruce6 at gmail.com]

From: Mary Durbin

NFBV McDonald Fellowship Chair and Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship Liaison

 

The 2023 NFB National Convention is an experience you do not want to miss.
Many of those who have attended our national NFB  conventions are amazed at
how meeting and interacting with over 3000  other blind and low vision
convention attendees has positively changed their  lives. They not only
learn how the problems of vision loss can be overcome, but also experience
the confidence that comes with solutions.

If you have never attended an in-person  convention, we offer two programs
to assist you in attending the convention and getting the most from the
experience.

A) McDonald  Fellowship  organized by the National Federation of the Blind
of Virginia 

B) Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship run by the National Federation of the Blind

You are strongly encouraged to apply for both. This message provides details
on both programs.
A separate message will be distributed from Tracy Soforenko for assistance
requests from individuals who   have attended previous in-person
conventions.

A) McDonald Fellowship

Robert and Marian McDonald selflessly contributed to our Virginia affiliate
to further the progress and better the lives of those who are blind,
visually impaired, and low vision in Virginia. In their honor, we recognize
the personal benefits that come to people who attend a national convention
for the first time. In their memory, the National Federation of the Blind of
Virginia (NFBV) continues their legacy of education and empowerment to
Virginia's blind citizens.

We anticipate awarding fellowships to assist each recipient with costs of
attending our 2023 NFB National Convention to be held in Houston, Texas,
from July 1- July 6. Please note: The banquet ends late in the evening of
Thursday, July 6 and fellowship winners are expected to attend the banquet
so return travel must occur on Friday, July 7 or later. This event will take
place at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston, Texas.

The  McDonald Fellowship program was established in 1998 to assist those who
have never attended an in-person  convention of the National Federation of
the Blind (NFB) and wish to come to a convention this year.

Federationists are welcome and encouraged to apply for both the Virginia
specific McDonald Fellowship and a National Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship.

We will link each of our Fellowship winners with mentors who will assist
them in getting the most out of their national convention experience.
McDonald Fellowship winners are expected to attend the entire NFB convention
and share their experiences by addressing our 2023 NFB of Virginia state
convention.

Deadline for applications for the McDonald Fellowship is Saturday, April 15,
2023.  

Apply online at:

https://www.nfbv.org/mcdonald

Winners will be announced May 15, 2023.

Your application should be submitted online. Our application form does not
allow you to save your responses and come back so we recommend preparing
your answers in advance and pasting the answers to the questions into the
web form. The web form doesn't support complex formatting such as bullet
points and fonts so you should avoid this complex formatting.

Your online application materials should outline reasons why you should be
considered for a Fellowship.  The online application requests the following:

A)      Name, Address, phone and email contact information
B)      Chapter or other connection  With the affiliate
C)      How you will benefit from the experience
D)     How you have participated with your chapter or the
         affiliate in the past year
E)      Any other pertinent details

In addition, you are required to contact your Chapter President or an
affiliate Board Member for a letter of recommendation. Letters of
recommendation are due by Saturday, April 15, 2023. Recommendation letters
should be sent to Mary Durbin.

Recommendation letters or questions about the Fellowship program should be
sent to Mary Durbin, Chairman, McDonald Fellowship Committee, email at Mary
Durbin (mrdurbin at cox.net <mailto:mrdurbin at cox.net> ) and questions can be
asked by phone at 757-472-2495.

Our committee wants to help you make 2020 the year you attend our national
convention.  The convention will be even better because you were there. 

B) Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship 

By Tracy Soforenko

 

Have you always wanted to attend an NFB annual convention but have not done
so because of the lack of funds? The Kenneth Jernigan Fund invites you to
make an application for a scholarship grant. Perhaps this July you too can
be in the Hilton Americas Houston enjoying the many pleasures and learning
opportunities at the largest and most important yearly convention of blind
people in the world.

The three biggest ticket items you need to cover when attending an NFB
national convention are the roundtrip transportation, the hotel room for a
week, and the food (which tends to be higher priced than at home). We
attempt to award additional funds to families, but, whether a family or an
individual is granted a scholarship, this fund can only help; it won't pay
all the costs. In recent years, the grants have been $600 per individual.

We recommend that you find an NFB member as your personal convention mentor,
someone who has been to many national conventions and is able to share
money-saving tips with you and tips on navigating the extensive agenda in
the big hotel. Your mentor will help you get the most out of the amazing
experience that is convention week.

Who is eligible?

Active NFB members blind or sighted who have not yet attended an in-person
NFB national convention because of lack of funding are eligible to apply. If
you have attended a convention virtually  but have never attended an
in-person convention, you are still eligible to apply.

How do I apply for funding assistance?

This year we will be accepting applications online. Since applications must
be completed in a single session online, we strongly recommend you prepare
your responses in a document, and then cut and paste your responses into the
application form. The application form does not support complex formatting,
so we recommend avoiding formatting such as bullet points and fonts/styles.

Effective January 1, 2023, the application form can be found as a link from
the following link:

 

https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention/kenneth-jernigan-convention
-scholarship 

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 to explain why this is a good investment for the
NFB: 
*	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?
*	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 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, 2023. 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.

Receiving the Award

At the convention, you will be given a debit card or credit card loaded with
the amount of your award. The times and locations to pick up your card will
be listed in the letter we send you. The committee is not able to provide
funds before the convention, so work with your chapter and state affiliate
to assist you by obtaining an agreement to advance funds if you win a
scholarship, and to pay your treasury back after you receive your debit or
credit card.

More Information

For additional information, please contact the chairman of the Kenneth
Jernigan Fund Committee, Tracy Soforenko, at kjscholarships at nfb.org
<mailto:kjscholarships at nfb.org>  or 410-659-9314, extension 2020.

 


Mary Durbin
mrdurbin at cox.net <mailto:mrdurbin at cox.net> 
McDonald Fellowship Chair and Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship Liaiso

 

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