[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update

[Eric Duffy]

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
Buckeye Update, February 28, 2014
This coming Sunday, Columbus is expecting about five inches of snow. It is
cold and  getting colder. But there is hope for spring. Tomorrow is March
first, and spring always comes in March. Baseball is here. The Reds are
playing in Arizona. They have split two games with the Indians. I have made
a little wager with Kevan Worley. He is a St. Louis Cardinals fan. They are
in the same division with the Reds. I bet $50 that the Reds will win the
division.

	I am sorry to report that Ruth Boggs's father died yesterday. Please
keep her and Donny in your thoughts and prayers. Ruth was very close to her
dad, and Donny was quite close to his grandpa. I have no information about
services at this point.

	William Turner is expected to get out of the hospital today. He is
still weak, and he has a long recovery ahead of him. We continue to wish him
well.

	Susan Day is still recovering from her broken hip. Please continue
to keep Susan in your prayers as she works her way back to health.

	On January 18, we held a very productive meeting of the board of
directors by conference call. I will include the minutes at the end of this
update.

	I remind you that we must all do what we can to get HR 831 passed in
the House of Representatives. Let your member of Congress know that he or
she should help end the discriminatory practice of paying disabled people
less than the minimum wage. 
	We must also find cosponsors for the TEACH Act HR 3505 and its new
companion bill S. 2060. The senate bill was introduced by Senators Warren
and Hatch respectively. We have received commitments from Representatives
Ryan and Latta respectively to cosponsor the TEACH Act. Don't forget about
the Air Carriers Access Amendment Act S556.
	On Tuesday, Deborah Kendrick and I have a good meeting with BSVI
Director Mindy Duncan. She mentioned some of the steps they have taken to
improve Braille production and otherwise make materials more accessible. 

	We once again discussed our desire to have involvement in BSVI
Counselor training. We represent the blind of Ohio. We have been elected to
do so. Therefore, it is important that counselors hear from us. It is all so
important that they participate in local, state, and national meetings of
the organized blind. 

	OOD will continue to support NFB-NEWSLINE. I again remind everyone
that we will have to find a way to raise money if we want the Toledo Blade
to remain on the service. 

Our next Scrip order will be released on March 3 at 7:00 PM. We must find
ways to get more people participating in this program. I remind you about
this year's contest.  Any chapter or division that gets five new people to
sign up for Scrip and use Presto Pay to make two purchases between now and
September 1 will get convention registration waived for every member of the
chapter or division. So let me be clear about this: Five people who are
members of your chapter or division must sign up for the Scrip Program
between now and September. Those same five people must also make two
purchases using Presto Pay between now and the day we release the September
order. If you or someone comes to me and says I have a first timer or
someone else who wants to come to the convention, could you waive the
registration fee, the answer will be no unless the chapter or division has
met this Scrip challenge in which case I will be able to say registration is
waived for your entire chapter or division.

	On Tuesday February 18, We had a good call for chapter and division
presidents. One of the discussions we had was had we can be of help to
domestic violence and abuse victims. We would like to know whether or not
the domestic violence shelter in your area has policies in place for
assisting blind victims. Is there a social worker or nurse on staff at your
local hospital who is trained to work with victims of domestic violence and
abuse? Chapters should collect this information and get it to Cheryl Fields
in the Cleveland chapter.

.
	
Barbara would like to begin working on the next Buckeye Bulletin in late
March. Please get all materials you have to her by March 28.




	Work for our 2014 BELL program is going on now, and you will be
hearing more about that soon. We are doing a lot of planning right now, but
I don't want anyone to forget about this important program. We need your
support. We need funds. Let's make this a great program for the kids again
this year.

	Here is what Cheryl Fischer has to say about our Malley's fund
raiser. The deadline for orders to be delivered out of State (and probably
best for Ohio orders not in Greater Cleveland) is April 13. 

 

April 16 is the deadline to place orders shipping to the Cleveland, Ohio
area. 

 

They have eggs and bunnies, chicks and ducks, and even crosses made of
chocolates! Lots of inexpensive items to mix and match to fill an Easter
basket or gift box. Of course, there are some big bunnies, too! And the dark
chocolate square Malleys mints that were so popular among our Christmas
buyers are there again.

http://www.malleys.com/national-federation-of-the-blind-of-ohio#main

 

I will write again next week. Do what you can to make our movement stronger.


Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting
Of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
January 18, 2014


	1. President Eric Duffy called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. It
was a teleconference using number 605-475-4875 access code 201909#. 

	2. Board members Richard Payne and Crystal McClain were not able to
attend the call. We had 9 guests. 

	3. Bruce Peters, a board member, died on Christmas day. People were
given an opportunity to speak of their memories of Bruce. This is a list of
remarks that people made - 
Bruce started the Summit County Chapter.
He did what he could to be an active part of our movement, even when his
health was at its worst.
He was a troubleshooter, always looking for the big solution.
Bruce was a soft-spoken, genuine person, a true gentleman.
He worked to make people feel welcomed.
Some adjectives that were used to describe Bruce were--humble, honest,
supportive, thoughtful, kind, helpful, friendly, happy, and cheerful, but a
procrastinator.
Bruce was a member of the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Church,
Christian down to the soles of his feet. He radiated joy and deep respect
for other people. We will miss Bruce. In his honor we should continue to
work and build the organization in every way possible. There will be an
article in the next Newsletter to remember and honor this man. If you have
any remarks you'd like to have included, get them to Barbara Pierce. 

	4. Eric raised the topic of the December 10 teleconference board
meeting minutes. Sherry Ruth moved that they be accepted. Barbara seconded
the motion, and it passed. 

	5. Shelbi Hindel read the financial report. It was from September 1,
2013, through December 31, 2013. Barbara moved the report be accepted as
read. Debbie Baker seconded the motion. People were given an opportunity to
ask questions, which Sherry answered.  The motion passed. Eric stated that
this report will not be posted on the listserv, but individuals can receive
a copy in their personal in box upon request. Shelbi and Eric did a
comparison of reports from this year and 2012. NFB-O continues to be in a
financial crisis. We have got to figure out ways to deal with this. Eric
thinks very carefully before signing any vouchers. Sherry does not write any
checks without a written voucher. It is important that we are all aware of
the financial picture. 
  
	6. Everyone must participate in fundraising because the
responsibility belongs to each of us. Each person needs to think of anything
they can possibly do to help in this area. You do not have to be on the
fundraising committee or the board to communicate ideas. Eric invited us to
set fundraising goals. Barbara suggested setting a goal to raise $1,000 from
the Malley's Chocolate Easter campaign. We need to work to increase
participation in the NFB Scrip Ohio program. It was suggested that we have a
drawing for a cash prize this summer instead of a drawing for an iPad. This
would work out best if the prize money were to be donated. Another goal that
was set was to find a way to raise an additional $5,000. We will still need
to raise funds for programs such as BELL and the Washington Seminar. There
will come a time when the treasury doesn't have any more money if we don't
do the work to put money into it. After adding up all the individual
fundraising goals, Eric announced that the total goal for fundraising this
year is $10,000. 

	7. Barbara and her husband Bob  took a trip to Boston for the birth
of their  grandchild. Their daughter Margy gave birth to a baby boy James
Bowman Coyle on January 3. He weighed 9 pounds 4 ounces, was 21 inches long,
had brown hair and blue eyes. All are doing well. In March Barbara and Bob
will be taking a trip to Malaysia to meet another grandson. This little boy
named Elango was adopted by their son Steven. He turned 4 years old in
December and speaks multiple languages. 

	8. Aleeha Dudley spoke about her lawsuit against Miami University.
This would not have been possible without the support of Dr. Maurer's
commitment to improving access to education for college students. There will
be an article about this situation in the upcoming newsletter. 

	9. Eric commented that the student division has had some very good
conference call meetings. They are experiencing some growth and forward
momentum. 

	10. There will be a BELL program here in Ohio this summer. The first
weekend in January we had 3 people go to Baltimore for training in
leadership of BELL. They were Debbie, Eric and Mary Ann Denning. A lot of
information was given in a short period of time. Debbie and Mary Ann will be
co teaching. It has not yet been decided whether or not this will be a
1-week residential program or a 2-week day program. Whatever the decision
is, we know that the program will be held on the campus of the Ohio State
School for the Blind (OSSB). We will have to work to find the participants,
workers, and funds. Some states host multiple BELL programs in the summer,
but they did not start out that way. They started slowly, built upon the
philosophy, and expanded. We will continue to build upon our experience.
Just because this year the program will be in Columbus doesn't mean that it
won't be expanded to other areas at some point. We must be very careful in
doing this. This work is rewarding but very exhausting. It is difficult to
get good, positive publicity, but negative publicity is easy to come by. We
must be careful that this does not happen. There will be opportunities for
people to volunteer, and these people can and will come from around the
state. Some examples of opportunities for people to volunteer are Braille
materials, crafts, fundraising, publicity. The number of children we would
like to have in the BELL program is ten to twelve. Public  relations
materials will be available to us from the national organization sometime in
March. Rules, guidelines, and programs are handed down to the states from
the national. They want consistency in the programs. There is some room for
modification. The curriculum is aimed at elementary-aged children.


	11. The information and link for the Malley's Chocolate fundraiser,
Easter campaign, is on the NFB Ohio website. This has  slightly different
products from the Christmas campaign. Orders will start shipping in March.
You can print out product lists. 

	12. In December several of our members from around the state toured
the Cleveland Sight Center. We had a good meeting with Dr. Steve Friedman,
the CEO of the Sight Center. He has agreed to help us get in the door of
meetings between Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) and
facility directors. These meetings are held to discuss services provided and
what makes good rehabilitation. Dr. Friedman is interested in our
perspective on what we consider to be excellent training centers. He
expressed an interest in visiting our centers and learning about their
programs. Eric said he would also talk to people from neighboring states to
gain information about their rehabilitation programs, with an emphasis on
what does and does not work. A lot can be said around a conference table,
but what counts is the follow-through. Suzanne Turner was invited to speak
with some new and some transitioning counselors about blindness. Training
materials are being developed to put into a packet for counselors. On
February 3 there will be an agency directors meeting in Columbus. 

 	13. Our state affiliate usually has a table in the exhibit hall.
Mark and Crystal McClain have managed this table for a number of years. This
year they are not attending the convention. This project takes a lot of work
and time. After some discussion we decided that our affiliate will not have
a table in the exhibit hall this year because we do not have the people to
staff it nor the merchandise to sell. 

	14. The Washington Seminar will start with the Great Gathering-In
meeting on Monday, January 27th. Eric and Barbara will be going to Baltimore
on Saturday, January 25, to attend a legislative symposium to prepare them
for this activity. They will go from Baltimore to 
Washington D.C. There will be three issues to deal with; the Fair Wages for
Workers with Disabilities (H.R. 831), the Technology, Accessibility, and
Education in Collage and Higher Education Act (H.R. 3505), and the Air
Carrier Technology Accessibility Act. When the team returns from this trip,
they need to be more diligent in letting us know who they saw, what was
said, and what is needed for us to do to follow through. 

	15. Committees should get together soon by conference call or email
to set goals for what they'd like to accomplish this year. Start working as
soon as possible. The membership committee should be a greater help and
support to chapters and divisions. This committee should be able to help
plan activities in local areas as well as help with growth. Remember that we
still have significant financial constraints. The education and legislative
committees should work together to accomplish significant things for the
education of blind children in Ohio. 

	16. Elyria gave a proclamation to the Lorain County chapter for
Braille Literacy week. 
Springfield had to cancel its planned activity due to bad weather. 

	16. Constant Contact is a cloud-based system to which our data base
will be moved. This process is taking longer than anticipated, but it will
eventually be completed. Changes  to our lists will be easier to make.  

	17. Ohio now has a listserv for NAPUB. Very few people have signed
up for it. You can sign up from the website, <http//www.nfbnet.org>. The
language can also be found in a December Buckeye Brief. The student division
also has a listserv. 

	18. On the third Tuesday of each month, starting in February, there
will be a teleconference call for chapter and division presidents. A variety
of issues will be discussed. Use conference line 605-475-4875, access code
201909#. The calls will start at 8:00 p.m. and should be an hour in length.


	19. The contract that NFB has with OOD for the Toledo Blade to be on
NEWSLINER will be ending in September. OOD says it will not pay for this
newspaper to be available on the service. If we want to keep it there, we
must work to find financing to do so. Attempts will be made to convince OOD
to pay for this paper to be available to NEWSLINE readers. 

	20. The parents division has sponsored a gourmet food basket drawing
in the spring for many years. Due to financial constraints for holding board
meetings in person, this drawing was changed to a gift card drawing a year
ago. The presidents of this division have informed Eric that they do not
wish to conduct the fundraiser this spring. Kaiti Shelton asked if it would
be possible for the student division to conduct the same gift card
fundraiser this spring. Eric said yes they could, and chapters and divisions
would be asked to contribute gift cards to the student division for the
drawing with the idea of student interests in mind (movies, pizza, fast
food, etc.). The drawing will be held during the spring conference call
meeting of the board of directors. Everyone should assist the student
division in selling tickets. Personal contributions of gift cards are
welcomed as well as those from chapters and divisions. Tickets will sell for
$1 each or 6 for $5. Good luck, students, and thanks for stepping up to
fundraise with this established drawing. 

21. Bob Merkel is a member of the Springfield chapter. He has given a lot of
financial support to the organization over the past several years. He owns a
piece of land in Springfield and has the idea that he'd like to have a house
built there that is accessible. Bob wants to have two or three people live
in this house, one being blind, one being in a wheelchair, and the last
could be sighted. Eventually the house would be sold in portions to the
people living in it. A non profit organization needs to take control of the
land until the house can be built and sold. Eric met with Bob and was told
that, if the board did not take this project on , Bob might need to change
his level of contributions because he'd have to find an organization that
would be willing to oversee the project, and Bob needs to see that it does
get done. We definitely appreciate what Bob has done for the NFB. Bob has
told Eric that some churches are willing to help with the physical work and
materials for the project. Eric tried to contact these churches with no
success. Our board decided that this is not a project that we want to take
on. 

	22. The next board meeting will be held on April 26, 2014. Use
conference line 605-475-4875, access code 201909#. The call will start
promptly at 10:00 a.m. 

	23. Barbara posted a message on Ohio Talk  earlier this morning
concerning Parnell Diggs, president of the NFB of South Carolina, who is
running for Attorney General of South Carolina. Please read it and consider
contributing to his campaign. 

	24. The meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m. 



Respectfully submitted,
Shelbi Hindel, Secretary