[Ohio-talk] Fw: BUCKEYE UPDATE - June 3, 2009

[Dr. Smith]

Dr. J. Webster Smith
President National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
P.O.BOX 458 Athens, Ohio, 45701-0458
Phone Number - 740-592-6326
"Changing What it Means to be Blind"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "J. W. Smith" <jsmith1 at ohio.edu>
To: <Dr. John W Smith :>
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 9:46 AM
Subject: BUCKEYE UPDATE - June 3, 2009


> Are you familiar with the song "Stormy Weather"? That's what we had here 
> last night, and will probably have most of the day, but it's all good!
>
> May 31st Fundraiser
>
> I think my fundraiser on Sunday was pretty good for the first one.  Money 
> is still coming in, and to this point we've raised about $3000.  This is a 
> wonderful community for such events and it is my hope to build on this 
> initial success in the future.  Although this is my personal way of giving 
> back to our affiliate, I will give you more opportunities next year to 
> participate if you choose to do so.  For example, it would be nice to have 
> some musical selections next year from Macy McClain and Donny Boggs, just 
> to name a few.  In fact, there might be ways to replicate this event in 
> different parts of the state because it is very similar to our Sing For 
> Braille production, but I'll keep thinking about this though.
>
>  Convention Matters
>
> 1. Convention Assistance letters will be mailed this week and it looks 
> like we will have a nice delegation from Ohio this year and several first 
> timers.
>
> 2. Because we will have several new people this year, I'd like to find a 
> way to especially make them feel welcome and connected.  Certainly we can 
> do something at the caucus on Sunday, July 5th, but I'd like to have 
> another ice-breaking-type gathering and perhaps something in conjunction 
> with the banquet on Wednesday, July 8th.  I am presently putting together 
> a list of first timers so that the convention committee can know who they 
> are and perhaps devise other ways of making them feel welcome and 
> connected. If you know of first timers, please email them to me or Bruce 
> Peters and we will try to make sure that they are on the list.  I'm sure, 
> since the convention is so close this year, that we will miss someone, but 
> we will do all that we can to identify as many first timers as possible.
>
> 3. I have spoken with chapter presidents but I would like to reiterate the 
> importance of selling your Jernigan Fund raffle tickets and making your 
> checks out to the NFB of Ohio and stipulate in the memo line, "Jernigan 
> Fund raffle tickets". Send your check to Sherry and remember that we will 
> take one check from the affiliate to cover the chapter's checks for this 
> purpose.  You may send me your stubs or take them to the convention 
> yourself, but make sure that they get in the drawing.  Remember also that 
> if you want to make contributions to funds like White Cane, SUN, 
> Imagination, or door prizes, you should make those checks out to the NFB 
> of Ohio and let me know that you want them to be given in conjunction with 
> the affiliate contributions, or you could just give them to me 
> individually or by chapters and I will make sure they get turned in. Let 
> me reiterate here that any check made to the TenBroek fund should be made 
> out specifically to that fund and not to the NFB of Ohio or the NFB in 
> general.  I am encouraging chapters to help with our $300 contribution to 
> door prizes this year, please.
>
> 4. I also want to remind you that to my knowledge, there are no 
> refrigerators in the hotel rooms and you need to be very careful about 
> trying to bring large items with you when you check in, i.e. large coolers 
> or other such things.  This is a heavily secured facility and especially 
> for those of us riding on the bus it will be very important that we adhere 
> to these guidelines and not bring any undue attention to ourselves.  One 
> advantage we will have this year is that there is a great food court 
> connected with this facility which should give all of us a variety of 
> choices, both in terms of meals and our economic situations.
>
> 5. I'm sorry to have to tell you that Eric Duffy will not be going to the 
> convention with us this year, and for many of us that will be a great 
> loss. You know how it is when you start a new job.  It's often very 
> difficult to get time off until you have built up enough seniority. I am 
> pleased to tell you that our Second Vice President Barbara Fohl has agreed 
> to serve as our ultimate delegate this year, and of course we are blessed 
> to have our President Emerita Barbara Pierce in our delegation as a 
> valuable resource for any of these kinds of matters.
>
> Bus Schedule and Pick-Up
>
> The bus will leave from Cincinnati on July 2nd at 2pm, and the pick-up 
> spot will be the Hyde Park Community Methodist Church, located at 1345 
> Grace Avenue, 45208.  The next stop will be in Dayton Ohio at about 4pm 
> and the location will be the Denny's restaurant located at 1136 Main 
> Street downtown. The next stop will be in Toledo Ohio at about 6pm, and 
> the location will be the Holiday Inn located on route 20 right off of 
> I-75. Arrival into Detroit at 8:15 on the 2nd. The return trip will begin 
> at 8am on July 9th and make the return route at the same locations.  I 
> will give you the more specific times in my next update because the bus 
> company is finalizing those, but they will only change by a few minutes 
> here or there.
>