[NFBV-Potomac-Announce] June 2021 Potomac Chapter Minutes

[John Halverson]

Below  are  the June 2021 Potomac Chapter minutes.

This version fixes a misspelled name.

John Halverson, Corresponding Secretary


National Federation of the Blind Potomac Chapter
Thursday June 10, 2021

The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. and 13 individuals were present.
The minutes from the May meeting were approved without correction.
The treasurer's report was approved. Current balances are $2,297.67 in the general fund and $1,750.00 in the youth fund.
Christine summarized recent developments with the NFB Survivors Task Force. There was a call last Sunday with Tonya Bana, the external investigator who is investigating reports of sexual misconduct within the Federation. Ms. Bana answered questions and described the process for investigating reports. Individuals who report incidents are not obligated to continue engaging in the process after making the report, unless they wish to do so. The Survivor Task Force groups have been meeting regularly. During the upcoming national convention, there will be places where survivors, or anyone feeling overwhelmed, can go to hang out quietly. This space will be available 5:00-6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday starting the day before the convention, and 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Saturday just before the banquet. There will be a Task Force member and facilitator in the room to open breakout rooms if needed. There will also be four voluntary trainings during the week on topics such as consent and boundaries. Tracy mentioned that the RAINN training was offered to the NFBV board of directors and delegates.
Christine shared that last year, she became involved with the Arlington Emergency Response training. Overall they were extremely accommodating. Christine asked chapter members if they would be interested in a training on CPR, first aid or similar topics. Christine will send out a brief survey to gauge level of interest and specific topics that chapter members would like to learn. She also proposed that a training could be offered at the state convention.
We discussed having an in-person summer gathering. The Halverson's offered to host a picnic for the chapter in September, after the weather gets cooler.
The Virginia Walk with the Blind will be on Saturday October 9 starting at 10 a.m. We need to find a park or other public space to use. We also want to try to get a mayoral proclamation.
Diana Oliveira will attend the statewide planning meeting for the Walk with the Blind event which will be held on Monday June 14 at 7 p.m.
St. Georges Church is starting to allow groups to meet again. We can use Room 114 again. All attendees must wear masks in the building, and chairs will be socially distanced. It was proposed to hold hybrid meetings beginning at our August 12 meeting. People could choose whether to meet in person at St. Georges or to join via Zoom. There is a wifi connection at the church.
Christine will be hosting a small in-person banquet gathering on July 10 for about 12-15 people. She will announce it on the chapter listserv. She suggested that a few others could host separate banquet gatherings.
Christine led a discussion of bystander intervention, the process of assisting someone who may be a target of bullying or harm. She described the five "Ds" of bystander intervention: distract, direct response, delegate, delay, and document, as options for responding as a bystander.
The chapter's social committee will meet soon to discuss the September picnic and a location for the October 9 walk with the blind.
Chapter members joined in reciting the NFB pledge.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:26 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Arielle Silverman, Secretary, NFB Potomac Chapter
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