[Nfbwv-talk] President Riccobono's Notebook for May 23, 2017

Wed May 24 12:47:06 UTC 2017

May 23, 2017
President's Notebook
National Federation of the Blind
Mark A. Riccobono
officeofthepresident at nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
(410) 659-9314

Dear Fellow Federationists,

The month of May is flying past and there are many pressing matters impacting the members of the Federation. As you know, the convention is around the corner and registration will close next week. With Monday being a holiday, I urge everyone to work hard to make sure all members are aware of the closure of preregistration next week. There are a number of other items below that require your attention.

Please continue to give our legislative work attention. Last week we nearly doubled our cosponsorship for our AIM legislation. Can we do that again this week? I believe we can. Keep pressing the offices and the team at the national office will do its part to help get it done. As you know, it is always the local influence that is meaningful to the members of Congress.

Thank you for your work on behalf of blind people across the nation. I hope you have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Thank you to all of those in our Federation family who have served in the military and who have lost loved ones in military service.

Critical Actions This Week:
Students, Convention Banquet, and New Opportunity:
>From Kathryn Webster - As we all know, members of our Federation family join together during the final moments of national convention for the annual banquet of the National Federation of the Blind. It is our goal for each and every convention attendee to partake in this most memorable event. For students, many are absent due to the cost associated with the event itself. This is a missed opportunity for not only our students but for our organization, as the annual banquet is one of the most significant pieces of our family reunion. This year, we are launching a banquet subsidy program to encourage students to attend our banquet, as well as feel financially comfortable with doing so. The subsidy will offset the cost by $40, which means students are responsible for paying $20 out of pocket if purchased during the preregistration period, or $25 out of pocket if purchased after preregistration closes. President Riccobono has graciously agreed to help support the effort with $20 toward each subsidy from our national treasury, with the national student division putting forth the other half ($20). We are eager to make it more feasible for students to attend the banquet.
Unfortunately, we are unable to subsidize banquet tickets for all students. This is where the affiliate presidents come in. We are requesting your help in determining which student from your state will receive this subsidy. We ask that you, as the affiliate president, select one well-deserving student who (1) needs the financial assistance to attend and may otherwise not be able to; and (2) will fully embody the experience and energy our banquet provides, making this investment worthwhile on all counts.

Please email Kathryn Webster, NABS President, at nabs.president at gmail.com<mailto:nabs.president at gmail.com>, or call (203) 273-8463 by Monday, May 29, with questions or to recommend one of your students for this incredible opportunity.

News:

NFB National Convention Preregistration Deadline:
The deadline for preregistration is in nine days on Wednesday, May 31! Go to nfb.org/convention<http://nfb.org/convention> to preregister online or to download the accessible fillable PDF form for mailing your preregistration.

Also remember to make your hotel reservations by calling the Rosen Shingle Creek at (866) 996-6338.

Reminders:
Convention Fundraising Announcements:
Convention is right around the corner, and with it come many fundraising announcements. In an effort to make the information more readily available to convention attendees and cut down on the number of listserv emails during the busy convention season, we've put together a fundraising announcement form<https://nfb.org/fundraising-announcement-form> for affiliates and national-level divisions. If you will be selling candy, raffle tickets, or other items to benefit the NFB at the convention and would like to let folks know, fill out the form at nfb.org/fundraising-announcement-form<https://nfb.org/fundraising-announcement-form>. All announcements will be posted at nfb.org/national-fundraising-announcements<https://nfb.org/national-fundraising-announcements>. If you have any questions, please contact the communications team at communicationsteam at nfb.org<mailto:communicationsteam at nfb.org>.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

  *   Spring conventions<http://nfb.org/state-conventions>
  *   June 4, 2017: 6K Dot Dash<https://nfb.org/dot-dash>
  *   July 10-15, 2017: National Convention, Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, Orlando, Florida<https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm16/bm1611/bm161101.htm>
  *   July 23-29, 2017: Youth Slam<http://www.blindscience.org/nfb-youth-slam>, Towson University
  *   September 12-17, 2017: BLAST<http://blindmerchants.org/blast-2017/>, Nashville, Tennessee

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.

Mark A. Riccobono
President
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314 | officeofthepresident at nfb.org<mailto:officeofthepresident at nfb.org>

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