[Ohio-talk] September 21 board meeting minutes

Mon Oct 21 17:54:34 UTC 2013

	September 21, 2013
Minutes, Board Meeting
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

1. President Eric Duffy called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. We met in the fellowship hall of North Community Lutheran Church, 114 Morse Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214.  

2. Roll call of the board was done, asking people to state whether or not they were clad with NFB insignia. Bruce Peters was the only board member absent.  Audience introductions were made with the same insignia request. Those not clad paid $1. 

3. Richard Payne moved that the April board meeting minutes be approved. Sherry Ruth seconded the motion. It passed. 

4. Sherry gave the treasurer's report. Barbara Pierce moved the acceptance of the report. The second was given by Debbie Baker. Several questions were asked which Sherry answered.  The motion passed. 

5. We had a guest speaker, Terry Powers of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. He has been working with Debbie and has taken an interest in NFB, particularly BELL. He gave a $100 contribution to help sponsor this meeting. Terry gave a presentation, after which there was a time for questions, answers, and other discussion. Within Thrivent there are three ways for people to invest. These are 1. Life insurance, 2. Health insurance, and 3. Annuities. There are no minimum investment requirements. There is a process for being on their list of beneficiaries, and Terry will assist in this process should the organization wish. Sherry moved that we move forward with the approval process for getting on the Thrivent list. Debbie seconded the motion. As part of a wide-ranging discussion, Cheryl Fields requested to go on record as opposing the motion because of not wishing to put pressure of friends or family to take part in an overtly Christian fundraising program.  The motion passed with Richard voting against and Susan Day abstaining. 

6. We discussed the setup of a room for board meetings. Richard has stated that he doesn't think there should be a separate table for the board members because this makes members of the audience feel that they are not welcome to speak. Crystal McClain said that maybe at least the officers should be at a head table. Barbara pointed out that it is important to remind people who has a vote and who does not. As long as people with hearing problems can hear the discussion, it is better to keep the distinction.

7. Today we have a fundraiser at Bob Evans in Graceland. It is Dine to Donate. We will receive 15 percent of sales from those turning in a flier with their checks. If the total sales are less than $250, NFB-O will receive gift cards, and over that amount Bob Evans will write a check. October 12th will be another day for this event. This project can be used across the state, but it must be set up with individual restaurants. The manager will either help or direct you to the proper person at the corporate office. The state affiliate is setup within the Bob Evans system with a W9. Interest was expressed in doing a dine to donate on Friday evening of the state convention. The Springfield chapter will look into arranging this.  

8. Malley's Chocolates has a fundraising project that has been brought to the attention of the fundraising committee. This company will help us set up a website from which people can make purchases. When sales are made from this website, buyers will know that the proceeds benefit NFB-O. If a person spends less than $60, there is a charge for shipping. If our sales are over $1,000, we will receive 33 percent. Brochures are available. This fundraiser does not have an advance purchase for the NFB-O to make. This would be a Christmas and Easter seasons project. Malley's has a separate fundraising opportunity option, candy bars. We would need to get more information on this. Richard moved that we sell the seasonal chocolates. Deborah Kendrick seconded the motion, and  it carried. A link for the candy options will be placed on our webpage. 

 9. The scholarship committee was chaired by Barbara. She reports that this was a fantastic class. We have three scholarship winners. The recipients are Sheri Albers, who is an active member of our board of directors, attends the University of Cincinnati Clermont College, and will be graduating with a degree in Addictions Counseling; Emily Pennington, who is an accounting major at Xavier and won a national scholarship in 2012;  and Samantha Stoner, who is going into counseling and attends Otterbein. This year's scholarships have been made possible by members of the Springfield chapter. After these are given, we will need to do significant work for their funding, or we will not be able to have a scholarship class next year. Barbara moved that we give one of the $1,000 scholarships in the name of Robert M. Eschbach to commemorate his love and work for the Federation. Deborah seconded this motion, and it passed. 

10. Saturday morning at the convention there will be a presentation from the membership committee. This will be 45 minutes long. A panel will lead a lively discussion. There may be a cash prize. This will be positive agitation and bribery for the audience. 

11. Three chapters are inactive: Muskingum County, Ohio River Valley, and Southeast. The charters for these chapters should be lifted. If there is significant interest, at a later time a chapter can be reestablished in any of these areas. Richard moved that this action be taken, and we no longer acknowledge these chapters. Barbara seconded this motion, and it passed. 

12. The At-Large Chapter has telephone meetings on the fourth Sunday of each month at 7:30 p.m. Members of the board should participate in these calls as often as possible. This chapter needs our support and encouragement. Contact Colleen Roth, president, for further information. 

13. Barbara gave the report from the legislative committee. Ohio was well represented in the eReader letter-writing campaign. We had seven letters written out of a total of 125 sent. Now we need to have letters written to Portman encouraging him to get on the Space Available bill. Brown is a co sponsor. Barbara is willing to assist with letters anyone who asks. It is a good idea to send an email to the staffer first, wait a few days, and then follow up with a phone call. 

14. Richard is the chair of the Vehicle Donation Committee in Ohio. Tim Janning and Suzanne Turner also serve on this committee. They have been working hard, and the committee would like to have a vehicle donation from Ohio by the end of the year. The national office has a variety of promotional materials available for the vehicle donation program.  Heritage for the Blind is a negative group that is out there asking for vehicle donations. They do not actually help blind people in general. If you hear an advertisement for Heritage, you should call the station and politely inform them of the negative actions of that group. 

15. CONVENTION:  Our state convention will start on Friday, November 1, with a board meeting at 11:00 a.m. It will end on Sunday, November 3, at 12:00 noon. The first general session will start at 1:30 Friday afternoon. There will be a full evening of events. Saturday morning there will be a couple of breakfast meetings, and general session will start at 9:00 a.m. We will have a two-hour lunch break, during which several working meetings will take place. Saturday afternoon another general session will take place. Saturday evening is our banquet, starting at 6:00 p.m. After this is the game room and karaoke for those who love to sing along. Sunday morning will be the last general session. It will start at 9:00 a.m. Eric commented that we need to put together a solid agenda because  this is our opportunity to showcase our organization to elected officials, agency staff, the public, and each other. We need to talk and learn about issues that are important to blind people. This is why some items (like the RSC director  and the Talking Book Library) are repeated year after year. This year the time for discussion with RSC will be extended, and people should be prepared to ask tough questions. 

16. Cheryl Fields gave a presentation on domestic violence. At the convention there will be a table for literature on this topic, a room for interested people to meet in during the Saturday lunch break, and a fifteen-minute presentation during  the general session. Cheryl is to be responsible for arranging this presentation, the literature table, and making sure that  the meeting room is staffed during the lunch break.  

17. The proposed amendments to our constitution will be read Friday afternoon and again Saturday, at which time they will be voted upon.     

18. The block of hotel rooms is being held until October 11th. Make your reservations before that date. Board members make your own reservations this year. The rate is $75 per night plus taxes. If you have a hardship, you must speak with Eric. 

19. Today is the deadline for all reports and award nominations to the committee. These should be sent by email to Shelbi or to the P.O. box. Paul Dressell is the chair of the awards committee. He reported that the committee would give certificates for all awards unless a Gavel Award was presented for the third time, in which case a plaque and gavel would be presented to the recipient. Membership dues must be to Sherry by October 24th. These are $10 flat fee plus $1 per member. A $25 late fee will be levied. If this is not paid by the start of convention, members will not be able to vote. Corrected membership lists are due to Eric by October 24th.  

20. Deborah is the chair of the resolutions committee. The policy states that, if you want to submit a resolution for consideration at the convention, it must be gotten to the chair of the committee or the president one week prior to the convention. We must have time to determine that the stand we are taking is correct and that we have all the information needed. If the resolution is not turned in one week prior to convention, there is still a means by which it can be brought before the convention.  It must be supported by three chapter presidents and reviewed by the committee, and, if it is approved by the committee, it will be presented to the convention. 

21. The Summer-Fall newsletter is out. It is available by email, on the website, and on NEWSLINE(r).  The next newsletter will be edited and circulated shortly after the convention because it is important for people to know in a timely manner what occurs at the convention. 

22. This year you can register for the convention in two ways. The traditional paper method is available. There is also an online option for registration through eventbrite.com. If you choose this online method, you can pay for and print out all your tickets. The company will send us a check when the registration closes. This year there is no fee for our people to use eventbrite. William Turner made a plea for first-time attendees to have their registration cost waived, so Eric decided that the convention registration fee will be waived for first-time convention attendees with a chapter president's verification. 

23. The Toledo Blade is on NEWSLINE again until June 30, 2014. After that date we will need more funding, which we must find. RSC will not pay for this newspaper. 

24. The meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m. 

Respectfully submitted,
Shelbi Hindel  

-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio-talk [mailto:ohio-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Shelb Hindel
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2013 12:33 PM
To: ohio talk
Subject: [Ohio-talk] September 21 board meeting minutes

Attached you will find the final version of the minutes from the NFB Ohio board meeting.  Board members will be voting on these at the state convention.

Shelbi 