[NFBV-Historic-Fredericksburg] Convention report

[Brittany Ingram]

 Dear Fredericksburg chapter,

The Virginia affiliate had its annual state convention this past weekend and it was absolutely inspirational! I have no hesitation in saying that everyone who attended had a fabulous experience.

First, please take note of the following dates and events.

Richmond seminar: January 20 and-21 2020
Washington seminar: February 10-14 2020
National convention (Houston Texas): July14-19 2020

Second, If you wish to participate in the Washington  seminar, please reach out to Depa Goraya at depa.goraya at gmail.com by December 1. Although there will be some flexibility, the sooner you reach out and make reservations, the better. There needs to be time to set up non-conflicting meeting times, and Hotel reservations. An email will be sent out in the near future to give detail on the issues we will be addressing this year.

As for the Richmond seminar, we will be staying at the Delta Hotel. Our primary issue we will be addressing this year will be concerning funding for vocational rehabilitation for the department of the blind and visually impaired.

Third, a new resolution has been accepted that states DBVI will provide detailed information to it’s clients through various emails, newsletters, and message boards. To be honest, I am not sure how much of this resolution I truly understood when it was being read. I believe there is more to this resolution that I am unable to eloquently relate in this email. If anyone who attended convention can adequately summarize the resolution better than I can, please do not hesitate to do so.

Fourth, all chapter presidents were handed membership coins at registration for their entire chapters. Those who attended convention have already received their coins from me, but if you were unable to attend and wish to receive your coin, please contact me and we can figure out the easiest way to get them to you. If you are able to attend November’s chapter meeting, I will have them with me and will be more than happy to hand them to you. If you are not, we can discuss an alternative method.

And finally, a brief summary of the convention itself.

The overall theme was empowerment. We heard from many excellent inspirational speakers including Joanne Wilson and Jennifer Kennedy; two well-known and long-term leaders in the organization. We were fortunate to have our national representative second vice president Ron Brown and his wife Jean join us. Jean Brown recently published her first book, the name of which escapes me at the moment, that tells her story. She will announce when the book becomes available in audio format. Sub topics included self responsibility for your own life, Diversity, and inclusivity. 

Tracy announced that the main focus for the affiliate this upcoming year will be strengthening our membership and increasing our out reach efforts. As such, he wishes all chapters To apoint a membership coordinator. The person appointed this position will be in charge of reaching out to all newcomers of the chapter who show interest in joining the organization. They will aid the new member in filling out an online form that will log that members information in the affiliate database and register them officially as active participants within the organization. If you have any interest in filling  this position, please let us know. If no one comes forward, the board will assign the position to whomever it feels will best serve in this role.

Many of our board members attended a leadership University seminar in which we discussed ways to better organize and run chapter meetings. Many interesting ideas were shared, and just as many interesting insights were gained. Further discussion of this will be at the November meeting.

Convention was extremely uplifting and beneficial this year. Not only did our members gain a sense of inner strength and confidence, but we were all reminded that the organization of the national Federation of the blind is for all persons who live with this hardship. Regardless of Racial, cultural, or religious backgrounds; regardless of gender and lifestyle; we are all just humans that happen to be blind. We have strengths and weaknesses, hopes and dreams, successes and failures just like any other human being on the planet. As we move forward into a new year, let us strive to reach out to the Fredericksburg community and its surrounding counties, embrace our fellow citizens, and not only extend warm welcoming hands and hearts to our fellow blind brethren but show our sighted peers that we too belong to the community, care about its success and upkeep, and are capable and willing to participate in fulfilling our civic duties.

The November meeting agenda will be sent out about a week before we meet on November 16. I hope to see all of you there. Please remember that if you are unable to attend but still wish to participate you may do so by calling in over the conference line. The details of the conference line will be included in the forthcoming email. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

Sincerely,

Brittany Ingram
Historic Fredericksburg chapter president
phone number: (540) 940-4833
Email: brittany.e.crone at gmail.com