[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update

[Eric Duffy]

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Buckeye Update, December 13, 2013
	It is Friday the 13th. For those of you who are superstitious this
is not a good day. For those who don't believe in such things it is just
another day, unless the thirteenth has significance in your life for another
reason. I thought of this because I just passed a car accident while getting
on the highway to travel back home from Brookville.
	The Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind of
Ohio met Tuesday evening. We had a good but short meeting.  I appointed the
committees that will do much of the work of the organization in 2014. The
committee appointments will be sent out with the minutes of the meeting next
week. Shelbi was very quick in finishing the minutes, and we are now giving
the board the chance to look at them before sending them out.
	I can tell you that it was decided that the 2014 and 2015
conventions will be in the Columbus area. Specifically we will be at the
Holiday Inn at 7007 North High Street in Worthington. The date for the 2014
convention is October 31 through November 2. Room rates are $76 plus tax.
	I have been highly involved with planning conventions for this
organization for about 26 years. I first started traveling to look at hotels
with Barbara Pierce and Pat Eschbach. Once I demonstrated my ability to
select appropriate hotels for the organization and to successfully negotiate
with the hotels, Barbara turned the responsibility for finding suitable
convention sites over to me. Yes Mary Pool chaired the convention committee
for many years, and she assisted me in this process. But the responsibility
was mine, and I didn't take it lightly. If all went well with the hotel,
people were happy, and Mary and I received a lot of praise. If things didn't
go well with the hotel, then our selection of hotels was questioned. That
really never happened.
	Yes, we had a time or two when we said let's not go back to that
hotel, but by and large the membership has been pleased with the hotels we
have had and the rates we have enjoyed.
	It seems to me that in the early part of this decade the board
decided that we should hold the convention in Columbus for several years and
we did that. We have been in the Dayton area for the last three conventions.
	I have come to understand that many who attend convention on a
regular basis prefer Columbus, because it is centrally located. We have
certainly discovered that we save money by holding our in person board
meetings in Columbus.
	It seems to me that when everything else is equal among hotels,
people want a hotel that is easy to get to and good room rates. Richard
Payne once said to me that perhaps people would be willing to pay a little
more for a hotel with some extra amenities. I believe that we must have a
nice hotel that is affordable. Only those who can afford to do so will
attend the convention. Now that we no longer have money to offer convention
assistance affordability is even more important than it was for many years.
	We are in the Columbus area for the next two years, but we should
think about future conventions and whether or not we want to move around the
state each year as we once did.  Is moving around the state important enough
that we want to put time and resources in to finding convention locations as
we once did. This certainly food for thought. 
	We have the money to make three scholarships available in 2014.
Deborah Kendrick chairs the scholarship committee and will get applications
out soon. 
	 The folks at Malley's Chocolate have extended our ordering
opportunity through the end of the business day on Monday. We have passed
our sales goal of $1,000, but the Cleveland chapter is putting together a
nice order that won't be finalized until Monday. So if you want Malley's
chocolate the clock is ticking, but you still have time.
 
	The winter edition of the Buckeye Bulletin is out. It is another
good issue. I want to thank Barbara for her work and also thank everyone who
contributed to the issue. I read many affiliate newsletters, and I am proud
to say that ours is second to none.
	This is a reminder that our friends at Vanda Pharmaceuticals are
running a campaign to raise awareness of Non-24 Hour Disorder and raise
funds for the National Federation of the Blind at the same time. Non-24-Hour
Disorder (Non-24) is a serious circadian rhythm disorder that causes
significant nighttime sleep problems and a wide range of daytime
difficulties, including an overwhelming urge to sleep during the day.
According to Vanda, Non-24 affects nearly 70 percent of people who are
totally blind. Sign up to learn more about Non-24-Hour Disorder by calling
1-855-856-2424, and a portion of $24, divided among several other blindness
organizations, will be donated to the NFB! And even better, every time you
share the program with someone you know and he or she signs up, Vanda will
make another $24 donation. Sign up and spread the word! I have done this. It
is an easy way to get a few dollars in to the treasury of our national
organization.
	Next week Richard and I will to be traveling to Cleveland to meet
with the Director of the Cleveland Sight Center and to attend the chapter
Christmas party. I am looking forward to both things.
	I will write again next week. Here is my last reminder about
Malley's.
	The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio is conducting a
fundraising activity with Malley's Chocolates of Cleveland, Ohio.

A website has been setup specifically for the National Federation of the
Blind of Ohio fundraising campaign. All purchases made on that site will
directly benefit the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio. To connect to
this site, please visit
http://www.malleys.com/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-ohio 

Thank you very much,
Eric Duffy, President National Federation of the Blind of Ohio 

http://www.malleys.com/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-ohio   
Our mailing address is: 
13400 Brookpark Road
Cleveland, Ohio 44135 
Contact us by phone: 1-800-275-6255
Fax: 1-800-211-0567  
All website content C Copyright 2013 Malley's Chocolate. All rights
reserved.