[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update, Take II.

[Eric Duffy]

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio buckeye Update
October 3, 2014

	It's hard to believe that we're in the Month of October. The Reds are home for the winter, which Means I lost a bet to Kevan Worley. There is always next year. Next year on April 6, The Reds will be in First Place.
	October is Meet The Blind Month. Aleeha Dudley took that very literally. Here is what she wrote yesterday morning: 
Hey All,
    I just thought I would share my wonderful experience with you
guys this morning.
I was at Apple bees with my mother last night, celebrating my birthday.
She leaned over and told me that she thought she saw a blind teen
walking into the restaurant with his mother. I got really excited.
There aren´t a lot of blind people around here and I really wanted to
network with this guy. I asked mom where he was sitting, and she said
that he and his mother had sat down at the table across the aisle from
us. As we ate, I did some inadvertent eavesdropping and noticed that
this teen was indeed blind. I could hear VoiceOver speaking on his
phone. I smiled and stood. Walking over to the table, I said: Hey, I
hear a talking iPhone. He apologized, but I said that it was perfectly
OK, that I was blind and wanted to introduce myself to him. We shook
hands, and his mother invited me to sit down at the table, which I
did. We talked for at least 45 minutes about blindness, living with
it, and how I am currently doing as a student at Miami. His mother
seemed amazed that there are blind people here in Butler County, and I
proceeded to tell her that there is a group of 5 of us here in Oxford.
Of course, I told him about our student division and his mother seemed
very interested. We exchanged contact information and I hope that I
will hear from him. Just thought I would share this with you all. They
do seem a bit skeptical about the NFB, but I am going to work on that.
I left names out on purpose here.
Aleeha

	When Barbara Pierce was writing these updates, I got in the habit of saving them, so that I could refer to them for information that I needed down the road. some times I might need a phone number or a bill number. Whatever the case was, I would have the Buckeye Update to refer back to. Some times it might sit in my inbox for a few days or for a week, but I could find what I needed. I continued that practice while JW was President.
	I do my best to include relevant phone numbers and Hyperlinks in the Update. this is so you will have the information when you need it. More often than not I copy information from the week before that includes a phone number or a link. Please save these Updates and use them as  reference tools. As we continue to build our Website, that will be a reference as well.  But for now, use this Update to find the information you need.
	The Clock is ticking! Please make your room reservation for the convention as soon as possible. Remember our block of rooms goes away after October 4. Also remember that the Board Of Directors will meet on Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 PM., and not on Friday morning as we announced in the newsletter.
When making your hotel reservation please call (614) 436-0700. 
	Please prerigister for the convention as soon as possible. You will save money by doing so. 

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=6tpgtapab&oeidk=a07e9rwrwvt3ae91ce2&oseq=
	Chapter and division presidents please begin to think about auction items for our convention fund raiser. Shelbi Hindel is keeping a list of items donated and their value. Please let her know what you have, its value, and who the donor is. For example, I received a Malley's Chocolate gift basket valued at $85 donated by the Malley's candy company located in Cleveland. 
Chapter presidents, you should also let Shelbi know who will be representing your chapter on the nominating committee. This is the only committee not appointed by the President. However, I will appoint the chair of the committee, and the Chair will be selected from one of the chapter representatives. Please contact Shelbi by Email to let her know who will be representing your chapter as soon as possible. She must receive notice from the chapter President or one acting in that capacity. 
shelbiah1 at gmail.com
	It is also time to start mailing those dues checks to Sherry Ruth. Dues for chapters and divisions are a flat tax of $10 plus a $1 per capita tax. remember that all dues, reports, and membership list must be in by October 24, in order to avoid a $25 fine. If these things are turned in on time we won't have to worry about that.
	I know that we still need reports from At-Large, Cuyhoga, and Parents. I want to thank everyone who took seriously the Gavel Award competition. I think we had had record number of division reports this year, and that's great. The Cleveland Chapter turned in a report early even though it was not to be considered for an award. I appreciate that.
	We have decided not to spend money on after banquet entertainment this year. We will have a room for games, and a room for singing Federation songs and perhaps some other musical entertainment. Please plan to participate in these activities.
	We need convention door prizes. Money is always good of course, but so are gift cards purchased through our Scrip Program.

www.shopwithscrip.com
	The next Scrip order will be released on Sunday, October 5, at 7:00 PM. Richard Payne has once again missed the boat for this month. I guess I should choose another form of conveyance for him to miss. Since he can't swim, he will be happy to have missed the boat. We are approaching the Holiday season, and Scrip is a great way to give gifts to family and friends and give money to the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio at the same time. 
	Monday night we will have our next  call to discuss our progress with our convention fund raiser which includes the auction. There are some exciting updates concerning the fund raiser, so don't miss the call. We will also discuss the progress of the parents division in the effort to find new members and new leaders.
Everyone is welcome.
	Shortly before 7:30 call (605) 475-4875. Use access code 201909 followed by the pound sign. See you on the call.