[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update

[Cheryl Fields]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Stay healthy, safe and happy.
Catch up with you in 2013!
Blessings,
Cheryl fields

On 12/21/12, Eric Duffy <eduffy at deltav.org> wrote:
> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
> Buckeye Update, December 21, 2012
>
>
> 	Please keep Barbara Pierce and her family in your thoughts and
> prayers. For some time now her mother has been in poor health. Family
> members have been by her side for the past few weeks, and when I last spoke
> with Barbara she was writing her mother's memorial knowing that the end of
> her life was very near.
> 	Last Friday Shelbi and I went to a meeting of the Ohio Vendors
> Representative Committee. We had the opportunity to meet Matt Mumma, BSVI
> Director and Mindy Duncan, BEP Director. All indications are that the
> Bureau
> and the BE program are in good hands. Both Matt and Mindy seem sincere when
> they say they want to work with operators to develop the best program in
> the
> nation for blind vendors and blind entrepreneurs. To that end the Committee
> voted to partner with the Bureau, the NFB of Ohio, and the National
> Association of Blind Merchants to develop a high quality training
> opportunity for blind operators and agency staff to take place in early
> 2013.
> 	This is the first week since the convention that I have not written
> a single voucher. This means that Sherry has not written a check for the
> organization this week, because she does not write checks without written
> instruction from the president. Although it is important to cut back on
> spending, it is even more critical that we find ways to raise money for the
> affiliate in 2013.
> 	Our next Scrip order will be released on Thursday January 3 at 7:00
> PM. Kim Ruffin is a new member of the Parents Division, and she has now
> signed up for Scrip and Presto Pay. Barbara's daughter Anne is also now
> signed up for Presto Pay. Kim and Anne have ordered gift cards through
> Scrip
> in the past, but now they have made paying for their orders easier for
> themselves and the organization by signing up for Presto Pay. I believe
> Sherry Ruth will be the next one to do this. Sherry has been a faithful
> Scrip user since the beginning, but she is only now signing up for Presto
> Pay.
> 	Deborah Kendrick has drafted an excellent letter for us to use when
> seeking funds for the BELL Program. I am attaching it and including it in
> the body of this message. Thank you Deborah. Now let's make her work pay
> off
> and raise enough money to bring the BELL Program to Ohio
> 	This is the last time I will write until after the beginning of the
> new year. I wish each of year a blessed and joyous Holiday season. I feel
> blessed to be a part of the Federation family and look forward to
> continuing
> to change what it means to be blind in 2013. The National Federation of the
> Blind is the strongest force in the affairs of the blind, and I know that
> in
> the year ahead, we can make the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio a
> stronger part of our national organization.
>
>
> Dear --
>
> Our children are our future, and the National Federation of the Blind of
> Ohio cares passionately about blind children in particular. Literacy is the
> foundation of education, yet, despite an increased availability of books
> and
> learning materials for all American children, genuine literacy for many
> blind children in Ohio and throughout the United States has taken a
> backseat
> in school. For a totally blind child or one with limited enough vision to
> make reading print a slow or painful process, Braille is the only real road
> to learning-and many blind children are not receiving adequate (or any)
> Braille instruction.
>
> .	 In 1960 50 percent of all blind or low-vision children in America
> were taught to read and write Braille. Today that rate is an appalling 7
> percent.
> .	 We know that only a third of blind working-age Americans have jobs,
> but, among that working population, 85 percent are Braille users.
>
> To help bridge the gap for children, the National Federation of the Blind's
> Jernigan Institute has developed a two-week summer immersion program for
> blind children ages 4-12 called Braille Enrichment for Literacy and
> Learning
> (BELL.) For two weeks children who are not receiving enough Braille
> instruction during the school year enjoy two weeks of hands-on learning,
> interesting activities, field trips, and daily living skill-building to
> enhance their understanding of and fluency in Braille. Children learn, eat,
> and play together and have the additional benefit of working and playing
> with blind Braille-using teachers and role models.
>
> Eleven states -Maryland, Georgia, Utah, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina,
> Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Louisiana--conducted BELL
> programs in the summer of 2012, and the results have been life-changing for
> the participants, according to their parents. The NFB of Ohio will be
> conducting the first Ohio BELL program in Columbus, July 15-26, 2013. Plans
> are well underway, but full funding remains the missing piece of the
> puzzle.
>
>
> Estimated cost of a BELL program is $6,000. If you could contribute any
> part
> of this amount, you would help to increase literacy and enhance the future
> for Ohio's blind children.
>
> Thank you in advance for any assistance you can offer.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>


-- 
Peace