[Nfbv-historic-fredericksburg] FW: NFB minutes for August

Thu Sep 7 20:43:39 UTC 2017

Outstanding minutes!

From: Jody Silverberg [mailto:Mozbud at aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 7, 2017 3:29 PM
To: Holly Frisch <Holly at volunteersfortheblind.org>
Subject: Re: NFB minutes for August

NFB minutes

August 19, 2017

Members present: Will Werwie, Bernie Werwie. Patty Werwie., Michael Kasey, Jody Silverberg, Holly Frisch, Mark Ross, Brittany Ingram, Isaiah Ingram; guests Bonnie O’Day and Bob Hart.

Treasurers report: 3K + in the treasury

Michael Kasey reported on the State board meeting: a transition program was presented by Tracy Soforenko; Joe Orosko is working with him. This program will provide a service that will be paid by the DBVI. Agencies have been directed to spend money on transition programs for high school grads who are entering college. These students are not properly trained in networking, college skills or job seeking skills.  Tracey put together a plan and will present it at the end of the month. It’s an unsolicited proposal; the program will begin in January for one Saturday a month and run for five months, to be held in northern Virginia. It will accommodate 20 students, using GMU for the campus experience. There will be a few paid positions, but mostly volunteers. The board agreed to pursue this program and is authorized to spend up to $15K. If the DBVI does not accept this proposal, it is vague as to how it will proceed.

The 18 month Leadership Fellowship program, where people get mentored, is in its second year. The Board voted to not establish another class, but instead focus on current and previous classes, which hold about 14 people.

There is approximately ninety thousand dollars in the State treasury.

The next board meting will be in November during the state convention in Tysons Corner.

Our guest speakers presented the Ski for Light program, which is a cross-country ski program for the blind and vision impaired. It is not a competition, but a program that is designed to boost confidence. It is modeled after a group in Norway.  The American version was founded in 1975.  A sighted guide skis next to the blind skier utilizing two sets of parallel tracks. Cross-country is the original skiing method that is used more on rolling hills. The skis themselves are longer than downhill skis, and the boot is flexible; only the toe is clamped down.These skis are not waxed, but the bottoms have grooves that resemble fish scales, which gives the ski more traction. SFL provides training and a guide book.

A participant must apply for SFL. The application requires you to state your goals, and they will match you with an appropriate instructor. People from all over the world participate in this program. There are also program throughout the United States, and more information can be found on the Ski For Light website, SFL.org<http://SFL.org>.

We all learned that snow shoes do not glide, but are designed  for use in deeper snow, and are more suitable for walking.

Dates of the next SFL event: January 21-28, 2018; accommodations have been reserved at the Nugget in Reno, Nevada, with the skiing taking place  in Truckee, California. Fees: hotel, transportation to/from airport, all meals, equipment rental, slope fees: $950 for the week. Airfare is not included. Application on line at SFL.org<http://SFL.org>

Criteria: most participants are vision impaired, or have mobility impairments. Volunteers will tend to guide dogs while participants are skiing; dogs must be contained in your room (tent or tie-down) so cleaning crew can come in.

Age ranges allowed: 18-whatever.

Newsletter: SFL bulletin comes out quarterly and is available on their web site: SFL.org<http://SFL.org>.

How to prepare for skiing: walking is best; walk three miles in one hour to begin; work on balance and aerobic exercise.

Ms. O’Day and Mr. Hart are also involved with a tandem biking group.

Bernie asked if we can bring someone in to speak about rowing, biking and other sports. There is great interest in biking in our community.

Holly is considering putting together a meeting that would present transportation options. Group members shared their experiences.  Michael Kasey spoke about Go Go Grandparent. They are a third party that will make reservations for you through Lift or Uber, whereby you bypass setting up apps directly with Uber or Lift. Bernie spoke about Uzurv, which is a reservation service that interfaces with Uber or Lift in Richmond, all through an app.

Holly spoke about MVP, Most Valuable Players; this is a family run transportation company where drivers and riders pay membership fees. They will match you with a transporter within a five mile radius of where you live. A Vietnam Vet started this.

Future meetings: Sept 16; October 28; no meeting in November. The State Convention will be held the first Saturday of November.

Bernie reached out to Cyber Eyes and will try to get them to come present at a meeting.

Jody will forward an e-mail regarding accessibility for the eclipse expected on Monday afternoon. Holly will forward it to the chapter.

Bernie has made a motion that someone set up a Facebook and Twitter account; Brittany Ingram volunteered for set these up, along with Isaiah Ingram.

Brittany asked for a division relating to supporting blind parents; it was suggested that Jessica or Angie would be most helpful.

Motion to adjourn by Bernie; seconded by Mark Ross

Meeting adjourned 11:30 a.m.

Respectfully submitted by Jody Silverberg

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-historic-fredericksburg_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170907/13f26f88/attachment.html>