[NFBV-PWC] Information about McDonald and Jernigan Scholarships

Sat Jan 29 14:29:59 UTC 2022

From: Mary Durbin [mailto:mrdurbin at cox.net] Chair, McDonald Fellowship and
Virginia Liaison,  Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship

The 2022 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 has come out 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 2022 NFB National Convention to be held in New Orleans, LA ,
from July 5- July 10. Please note: The banquet ends late in the evening of
Sunday, July 10 and fellowship winners are expected to attend the banquet
so return travel must occur on Monday, July 11 or later. This event will
take place at the Marriott New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.

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 2022 NFB of
Virginia state convention.

Deadline for applications for the McDonald Fellowship is Friday, April 15,
2022.  Winners will be announced May 15, 2022.

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 Wednesday, April 15, 2022. 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) 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 Convention
Scholarship Fund invites you to make an application for a scholarship
grant. Perhaps this July you too can be in the Marriott New Orleans
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. Most years, the grants have been in the range of $400 to
$500 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 the 2020 or 2021 virtual conventions 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, 2022, the application form can be found at the
following link:

https://nfb.org/form/kenneth-jernigan-convention-scho?q=form%2Fkenneth-jernigan-convention-scho

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. Your president must email the
recommendation no later than the deadline of April 15, 2022. 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 Convention Scholarship Fund Committee, Tracy Soforenko, at
kjscholarships at nfb.org or 410-659-9314, extension 2020.

Mary Durbin

McDonald Fellowship Chair and Kenneth Jernigan Convention Scholarship
Liaison

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