[NHLakesChapter] February 2026 NFB of NH Meeting Notes

[Fred Fournier]

Hi Melissa,

  Thanks for sending the meeting notes. I think that I only found a few
issues.

1: In the Walk for Sight section: Kealey - should be Kelley.
2: In Jean's Voting section, the date should be March 10, not March 2.
3: In the Secretaries Report, secretarty, should be spelled as: Secretary.
4: In the Fundraising Report, Nasha should be: Nashua

Thanks again for doing a great job!


-- Fred


On Sun, Mar 15, 2026 at 12:38 PM Melissa & Todd Abbott via NHLakesChapter <
nhlakeschapter at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hello NFB friends,
>
> Hoping everyone is doing well today. Attached below are the meeting notes
> from our February meeting. Please review and send along any edits or
> discrepancies you may find. I have also included a revised treasurer's
> report for January 2026, adding the small amount of interest omitted in the
> previous meeting notes, along with spelling corrections to the members'
> names. This corrected information will be at the bottom of the current
> February notes.
>
> As a side note, we had our visit together at the Nash Casino on Friday,
> March 13th, to celebrate the end of our first fundraising event. My
> husband, Todd, took a nice group photo. I will work with Kelley, Fred, and
> Randi to get it posted and sent to the list serve to share with everyone.
> It was inspiring to learn how jam-packed the facility was, and the parking
> lot was full. Good sign for our closing week, I will send along updates as
> they arise.
>
> Wishing you all a restful day, kindly
>
> Melissa Abbott
> Secretary
> NFB of NH Lakes Region Chapter
>
> February 21, 2026 Secretary Notes
>
> Start of meeting: 10:33 am
> End of meeting: 12:13 pm
>
> 1-Deanna, 2nd-ANdrew, 3rd-All in favor
>
> In Attendance, 24 total
>
> President Deanna O’Brien
> Vice President, Sheryl Dutton
> Treasurer Dennis O’Brien
> State Treasurer Fred Fournier
> Secretary Melissa Abbott
>
> NFB members Andrew Harmon, Sheryl Dutton, Deb Moore, Carolyn Corrigan,
> Jackie Gagne, David Brownell, Nancy Downing, Kelley Snyder, Jody Ianuzzi,
> Suzie Hoitt, Randi Wilson, Dan Levesque, Dana Trahan, Richard Chabot,
> Deborah Latamore, Jean Shiner, Christopher Duffley, Scott Joffre, Brian
> Boyle.
>
> We had a special guest, NFB member Marilyn Greene from Chicago, IL.
> Marilyn will be at our state convention in May 2026. Marilyn is an
> eight-year member who serves under President Riccobono and the PACT
> committee.
>
> Belief message presented by Melissa
> NFB pledge presented by David
> Pledge of allegiance read by Suzie
> Prayer offered by Richard
>
> Treasurer's Report as of 2/4/26
>
> Beginning balance $3,604.07
> Interest earned $0.04
> Deposits of $50.00
> Withdrawals $0.00
> Ending Balance $3,654.11
>
> 1st-Deanna, 2nd-Sheryl, 3rd-All in favor
>
> Chapter Elections were held for 2026
>
> Deanna for President serving 2019-2025
> Sheryl for Vice President
> Melissa for Secretary
> Dennis for Treasurer
> 1st-Andrew, 2nd-Deb, 3rd-All in favor
> Deb, Andrew, and Sheryl all in favor by acclamation for President Deanna
>
> Vice President’s Report
> Sheryl wished us all a Happy Valentine’s Day, stay safe & warm!
>
> President Deanna’s Objectives
> 1) Randolph Shepard Program
> Business enterprise for blind individuals
> Government entities want it to be removed
> NFB is in litigation now
> The Army wants it removed from all dining halls
> Viable employment for BVI persons
>
> 2) Walk for Sight May, 2026
> We discussed whether to continue our 50/50 split collaboration with Future
> in Sight
> Can we raise the $ 1,000.00 to remain eligible?
> Do we still have the options for corporate matching to meet our
> requirements and additional fundraising for the chapter?
> 1-Deanna, 2nd-Andrew, 3rd-All in favor to continue to participate.
>
> Kelley and Dennis will inquire if their employers will continue to
> participate in corporate matching for 2026.
> In the meantime, if we are raising money, consider giving it to Dennis or
> Keeley for corporate matching to raise more funds.
>
> 3) Municipal Elections presented by Jean Shiner
> Please vote on Tuesday, March 2, at your town office.
> A new voting device called Omni uses a controller device instead of a
> keyboard.
> The Coalition for Blind Voters (CBV) suggests you contact your town clerk
> for an introduction and to continue supporting the use of the device in our
> elections.
> Future in Sight to hold in-person training.
>
> 4) Washington Seminar Report presented by Randi Wilson
> President Deanna didn’t attend due to the weather.
> This was Randi’s first experience, and even though she was ill, she had an
> amazing experience and had support.
> Randi met with representatives from Senator Shaheen and Chris Pappas’s
> teams.
> The leadership program was valuable to Randi’s opportunity.
> Randi also learned this event was exhaustive, but the networking was
> incredible, and she was grateful for Avah’s support.
>
> 5) State Convention being held in May 2026
> This year doesn’t include a box lunch, was changed to a cold plate option
> for $25.00 per person.
> Hot plate options are also available for $30.00 per person.
> The affiliate will continue to pay for a continental breakfast.
> Deanna will inquire whether we can return to a box lunch, as it's easier
> for our community members. Updates to come in our next month’s meeting.
>
> 1-Suzie, 2nd-Deb, 3rd-All in favor
>
> 6) Secretary’s Report
> Recommendation to list chapter board members only in notes.
> Melissa will send out our 2026 member list to collect emails and contact
> phone numbers.
> Marilyn recommended a vote of secretarty notes and amendments by members.
> Meeting notes will be sent out a week prior to next month's meeting for
> all to review in a timely manner.
> Passing along my files in case of death or illness to the state President.
>
> 1-Deb, 2nd-Andrew, 3rd-All in favor
>
> 7) Fundraising Report
> Hannaford Community Bag fundraising program starts March 1 and runs all
> month long in Nasha.
> President Deanna offered to purchase bags for those who don’t live nearby.
> Jean Shiner moved that the proceeds from the Hannaford Community Bag
> Program be distributed to the chapter, and that the proceeds from the
> casino fundraising event be distributed to the affiliate.
>
> 1-Jean, 2nd-Andrew, 3rd-All in favor
>
> Other Items
> Next meeting Saturday, March 21, 2026
> Revised attendance member correction for Jean Shiner
>
> Revised Treasurer’s Report balances for 1/2/2026
>
> Beginning: $3,524.04
> Interest: 0.03
> Deposits: $80.00
> Withdrawals: 0
> End Balance: $3,604.07
>
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