[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update
Barbara Pierce
bpierce at oberlin.net
Sat Oct 18 16:26:32 UTC 2014
Gabe did not make it clear that he gives tech instruction in Windows, JAWS, Mac, and iPad and iPhones. I have probably forgotten something. This is a great deal.
Barbara
Barbara Pierce
President Emerita
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
bpierce at oberlin.net
440-774-8077
On Oct 17, 2014, at 5:38 PM, Eric Duffy via Ohio-talk <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Buckeye Update October 17, 2014
>
> Convention Registrations are coming in, and hotel reservations are being made. We still have some work to do in both of these areas, so register by the end of the day tomorrow to save a little money. Hotel rooms are available at our convention rate, but you must make your reservation soon.
> This is going to be a great convention, so if for some reason you are not coming, I am sorry. you will miss a good one. The agenda will be out next week. We are still working out last minute details, but it will be done soon.
> Deborah Kendrick has written her column about the Beatles And More From 1964 with the John Schwab Band. It will appear in the Monday edition of the Columbus Dispatch. Thank you Deborah.
> I want to thank Tom and Louise Anderson for their contribution of $75 for our 75 in Orlando campaign. Louise will retire after forty years of work for the same employer at the end of this month, and we all know that will mean a significant change of income for the Andersons. But they understand that participating in a National Federation of the Blind convention is a life changing experience. They believe in what we are doing, and this is one of many ways that they have demonstrated that. This is the kind of spirit that the Federation is made of.
> On Wednesday Shelbi and I traveled to Cincinnati to take part in the White Cane Walk hosted jointly by the Cincinnati Chapter, the Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Clovernook Center for the Blind. It was a cool and rainy day, but the walk was well attended and I think it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed it. I certainly did.
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> Last Friday I was in Baltimore for a meeting with museum partners in our STEM2U Program. It was a very good meeting. I talked with two of the COSI representatives for the entire flight home. There will be an agenda item about this program that will include Lillie Pennington. I am excited about this program, and I'm sure you will be too.
> Please continue working to get sponsors for our convention. Yes we are using the Friday night fund raiser as a promotional tool, but businesses are really helping support our convention. We have a lot of work to do in the fund raising area, but my long term goal is to make it possible to gain enough outside support so that we can cover a significant amount of the expenses for everyone who attends our convention. We have a long way to go to reach that goal, because we must stabilize our treasurery first, but we can get there if we all work together.
> We still need items for our Friday night auction. Please continue to get donations. Also it is important that you send information about auction items to Shelbi as soon as possible. She needs to know what chapter, division, or individual to attribute the donation to. She needs to know the name of the donor, the name of the item donated, a description of the item, and its minimum value. Please send this information to:
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> shelbiah1 at gmail.com
> Chapter presidents, if you haven't already done so please let shelbi know who will be representing your chapter on the nominating committee. Please do not wait until we get to convention to let her know.
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> I remind Presidents and Treasurers to get your $13 to Sherry Ruth for the leadership breakfast on Sunday morning of convention. At the September board meeting two women came up behind Barbara Pierce and handed her money for the breakfast. we did not get the names recorded, so if you are a woman who handed Barbara money for the leadership breakfast, please let Sherry Ruth know. I am almost 100 percent certain that Richard Payne was not involved in one of these transactions.
> I have received the following announcement from Gabe Vega: Hello NFB Ohio Members:
> Commtech is proud to announce a special affiliate rate for NFB Ohio members that we are running a a pilot program.
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> for only 149.99 per month, we are offering our 49.99 plan, for up to fifteen members per month. you can view detailed info on what this plan is at
> http://commtechusa.net
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> but in short, you will be receiving the following
> tech support 18 hours a day from 6:00AM to 12:00AM daily 7 days a week.
> training from 9AM to 9PM by appointment 7 days a week. fair usage policy applies to training time.
> at this rate at 149.99 this is equal to 10 dollars per person for up to fifteen people.
>
>
> Gabe Vega
> CEO
> Commtech LLC
> Web: http://commtechusa.net
> FaceBook: http://facebook.com/commtechllc
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/commtechllc
> Email: info at commtechusa.net
> Phone: (888) 351-5289 ext. 710
>
> there you have the information from Gabe Vega. The way that Sherry and I have decided to handle this is as follows: we are asking those who want tpo participate in this offer to pay for three months of service in advance. Right now I am asking that you send your check directly to Sherry Ruth. Make itpayable to the NFB of Ohio. put computer training in the memo. Pay for three months of service at the rate of $15 per month. So your check should be for $45 to cover the months of November, December, and January. Then send me an Email telling me that you have mailed the check to Sherry. Include your telephone number in the Email. I must give your name and phone number to Gabe so that you can be identified as a subscriber to the service.After January the price might change. I don't know which way it might change. The quarterly price depends on the number of people who pay for the service. But I want everyone to understand that this is a variable price.
> 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.
> I have pasted and attached the minutes from our September 20 board meeting at the end of this message.
>
> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.
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> Board of Directors Meeting
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> National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
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> September 20, 2014
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> 1. President Eric Duffy called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. We met in the John Snow room of the Worthington Holiday Inn, 7007 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio.
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> 2. Nine board members were present with four fines for not being clad with NFB insignia. Absent board members were Sherry Ruth, Sheri Albers, and William Turner. Fifteen non-board members attended the meeting. Their participation is appreciated.
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> 3. Sad news: Cleveland chapter member, Cordelia Leech, passed away. Services are today. She was very active with the Diabetic division, distributing their publication, Voice of the Diabetic. She was passionate about this work.
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> 4. Good news: State board member Sheri Albers, a member of the Cincinnati chapter, is getting married today. J.W. Smith is singing at the wedding.
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> 5. Eric is pleased to report that the rehab for William H. Turner, chair of the membership committee, is going well. There are difficult times ahead, but he is fighting his battles with a positive attitude. For a time after the Washington seminar, we did not think William H. would make it. Thankfully he has, and you can read a letter that he has written in the fall issue of our newsletter. We all wish William H. continued success in his recovery.
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> 6. Eric tried leading us in saying both the NFB pledge and the One-Minute Elevator speech. These were both poorly done; we will be saying them again at the state convention, so we were urged to practice in order to be prepared. They will be printed in the agenda.
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> 7. Eric did a demonstration of the KNFB Reader app for the iPhone. It works quickly and is the best reading system ever done. With practice it becomes easier and more efficient. There are several apps that read currency on the market, but the KNFB Reader does not do this.
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> 8. Kaiti Shelton spoke about the drawing that the students division will be holding later today. People were urged to purchase tickets during the lunch break, $1 each or six for $5. This project was previously hosted by the POBC at the spring board meeting. Students had some problems earlier this year, but those have all been ironed out. You do not need to be present to win. An email will be sent to the Ohio Talk listserv announcing the winners.
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> 9. Barbara Pierce moved that the April 2014 board meeting minutes be accepted as circulated. Richard Payne seconded the motion. It passed.
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> 10. Debbie Baker moved the July 2014 board meeting minutes be accepted as circulated Barbara seconded the motion. It carried.
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> 11. Shelbi Hindel read the financial report provided by Sherry Ruth. There was light discussion. The NEWSLINE® expense is for the Toledo Blade. The money that is in the 75 to Convention Fund was paid by Eric, and he encouraged others to add to the fund. He reminded us that a significant portion of our total assets is designated for specific purposes. We are doing a good job at working to keep expenses down, and this needs to continue. Richard moved that the report be approved as read. Barb Fohl seconded the motion. It passed.
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> 12. Eric commented that he is unhappy with the lack of contributions to the fall issue of our newsletter. He encouraged people to write about growing up blind and activities that they have participated in. The newsletter is sent out by email, is posted on Ohio talk, and is on NEWSLINE®. The phone number to sign up for NEWSLINE® is 888-504-7300.
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> 13. Milena Zavoli has print fliers for Malley’s Chocolate sales. We will be doing a Christmas candy sale fundraiser again this year. The best way to place orders is through the website, which is very accessible. If you need assistance ordering, Milena is willing to help. Her contact information is mzavoli at roadrunner.com. Orders over $60 ship free, and under that amount there is a shipping fee. Shipping starts November 24 and ends December 14. Products offered are the same as last year. If we sell $1,500 or above, the affiliate will receive 33 percent of sales; below that amount we will receive a lesser percentage. Crystal McClain moved that we set a goal of $1,500 or more so that the affiliate receives the 33 percent contribution with a minimum of $150 sales from each chapter. The motion was seconded by Susan Day. It passed.
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> 14. Debbie gave an overview of the BELL activities from this summer’s program. People are very tired at the end of the program, but they do recover. We had six students this year; four of them were returning students from last summer. Two of the students have been accepted into the STEM2U program. Eric thanked everyone who made contributions of any type to BELL, especially financially. BELL was started because of Braille, but a lot more blindness skills are learned. This program truly changes lives. We will modify what we do for and with the children who need more challenges. We want them to continue to return and love the program. Eric hosted a conference call for chapter presidents that wanted to consider hosting a BELL program in their area next year. Cheryl Fields and Richard Payne participated in the call. Cheryl later informed Eric that Cleveland would not be hosting Bell but would support the affiliate effort. Debbie did a reading assessment on one of the BELL students. He does qualify for Braille and will be attending the Ohio State School for the Blind shortly. The paper work just needs to be completed and approved.
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> 15. Carol Akers gave a report from the Parents of Blind Children division. She stated that very few families currently participate or respond to information that is sent out. The goal is to have children move from this division to being active members of other divisions and chapters within the NFB. Currently the people that are active in this division have grown children, so the torch needs to be passed on to parents with young children. Carol is willing to help with this process. We need to get some families to the convention, get them invested in the organization so that they will join us in the work of the Federation. Eric has spoken with Lori Kaplan, the parent mentor at OSSB, about getting some activities for parents started. Kaiti said that the students are having a similar problem, so they would be willing to work with parents to build both divisions. Richard would like to see the POBC added to the 75 days of action campaign. If we can not get this division going strong, it may need to be disbanded for a while. We do not want to keep it limping along just to be able to say it exists in Ohio. Several people volunteered to help contact parents on the mailing list. Contact Carol for more information at purplecakers at yahoo.com.
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> 16. November 16, 1940, was the starting date of this organization. We will be starting our 75 year. September 2 through November 16 is the 75 days of action campaign. The goal is to build and strengthen seventy-five chapters or divisions across the country during this time. Richard represents Ohio on the national committee. There are three calls a week, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Building is difficult, so it is often put on a back burner, but the committee is working to educate, strengthen, and encourage. We must believe that we can do this successfully. Eric said that Ohio needs to build chapters in the Akron Canton area and strengthen the Capital Chapter. On November 15 there will be planned activities in the Akron Canton area. We do need to build up that area or we will lose it. Capital Chapter strengthening will take place after the campaign ends, but that is all right. Our actions do not need to stop, nor should they stop just because the seventy-five days are concluded. Someone who serves on the 75 days of action campaign committee is willing to conference call into chapters that request this. Richard works with several states: Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio.
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> 17. Eric has set a goal of seventy-five people from Ohio attending the national convention in Orlando in 2015. J. W. Smith is leading this fundraising campaign. He will choose the people to serve on the committee with him that he feels he can most effectively work closely with. Expect this effort to start shortly after the conclusion of our state convention. Once the money portion of the project has finished, J. W. will step out of the process and trust the board to make the decisions on its use. Eric is asking our members, Chapters, and Divisions, to contribute to both the general treasury of the affiliate and to the75 to Convention Fund. Eric assured us that he does his best to do that which he is asking others to do. It is important that we support our organization so that those we are also asking to support us see that we do believe in what we are doing. Barbara and Bob Pierce wrote a $75 check today to join Eric’s in that fund.
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> 18. Deborah gave a report from the scholarship committee. There are three winners this year. Deborah gave their names, schools, majors, and a bit of personal information about each. Detailed information appears in the fall issue of the Buckeye Bulletin. Each of the winners will be invited to the state convention as our guest.
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> 19. Wanda Sloan gave a brief report from the Diabetes Action Network, DAN. They have a small treasury from pen sales.
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> 20. Barb gave a brief report from the seniors division. They are selling pins that say “seniors in charge.” These are blue with gold letters and cost $5 each.
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> 21. Springfield chapter will be holding an informational meeting on October 11 starting at 1:00 p.m., at the Clark County Public Library. This chapter would like to produce an NFB of Ohio brochure and are asking other chapters and divisions to consider contributing toward the cost of this project. The promotions and publicity committee, chaired by Deborah, should start working on this after the state convention.
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> 22. Barbara spoke about her life as a blind person to the people at the retirement community of Pat Eschbach. For this effort Barbara was given $50, which she contributed to the affiliate treasury. Barbara took with her information on our vehicle donation program. This reached a ninety-year-old lady who is now donating her car to the program at the end of this month. Richard is the chair of the vehicle donation committee.
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> 23. We need to look for ways to raise money for our treasury that are outside of our own membership. We need to bring in the public to spend their money. Eric has spoken with Fred Schroeder from Virginia. Virginia had Art Schreiber, a retired news reporter from New Mexico, speak at their convention on his experiences traveling with the Beatles on their first American tour, fifty years ago. Fred said their state did not use this as a fundraiser, but a lot of people came to hear Art, so he wishes they had made it a fundraiser. In July a special meeting of the board of directors was held, and they voted to bring Art to our convention to present his experiences on the Beatles tour as a fundraiser. Richard presented the idea of holding a silent auction. In the past we have had an auction after the Saturday evening banquet. This pulled funds from our members, but people were not coming in from outside the organization to bid on items. Now we want to combine these two events. We plan to have Art speak and a band play, and repeat these two segments in approximately fifteen-minute segments. The auction will take place at half time. The success of this fundraiser will depend upon all of us and how well we get sponsors, get quality auction items, and get people to come to the event. Corporations want to receive something for their money, so we are giving them advertising in our program, opportunity to get some free tickets as well as purchase tickets at a discounted price, and the possibility of addressing the convention should they choose. This year is a starting point for our affiliate, and in the future we can and will build upon the contacts that are made. Large corporations may have an advertising department, and we should attempt to make a contact within. Small businesses usually do not have a specific department for advertising. We all need to remember that we have to start where we are and not where we wish we were. Focus on the present and move forward. Shelbi read the first flier that was produced, asking for sponsorships. Bob Pierce read a second flier that has been produced, “Sponsor Now.” These two fliers should be used together. The deadline for advertising in the program is October 24, but we will always accept money into the affiliate treasury. The band will cost $2,200. The decision to contract with the band was not voted on by the board but was an executive decision made by the president. The program needs to be named, so email your suggestions to Eric by Monday, September 22. The evening will start at 7:30 p.m. There will be a cash bar. The auction will be outside the room that has the band and Art in it. There was some discussion of places that people had contacted for sponsorship and places that should be contacted. All of us should push ourselves beyond our personal comfort zone in an effort to make this evening a success.
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> 24. Shelbi will keep a list of donations for the silent auction. Email this information to her at shelbiah1 at gmail.com. Each chapter should contribute at least one item for the auction.
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> 25. The convention agenda schedule needs to be changed from what it has been for the past several years. The only Friday evening activity scheduled will be the fundraiser. The committees and divisions that have met at that time will need to hold their meetings on Friday afternoon. Counsellors from BSVI are going to be required to attend either our convention or the ACB convention. If we believe that the counsellors need to hear from and see blind people in action, some time needs to be devoted to providing interesting materials to them. There has been some interest in finding out about jobs that blind people are doing besides call center work. We will hear from BSVI director Mindy Duncan and OOD director Kevin Miller. There will be an opportunity to ask questions. We need to find a measurable means of holding the agency accountable for its performance. Deborah moved that we hold our convention board meeting on Thursday evening to allow for easier scheduling of the convention session and committee and division meetings on Friday. Shelbi seconded the motion. It passed with one no vote from Barb Fohl.
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> 26. Convention registration online is up and ready for use. Event Spot is being used this year. It will allow you to register more than one person at a time and pay for everything. If registering more than one person, just click on the Guest Button. The options for payment are PayPal, credit card, or check. Costs are preregistration $15, or $25; banquet $30 or $35. The block of rooms will be released October 4.
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> 27. Sunday morning there will be a leadership breakfast. Board members, presidents of chapters and divisions, and treasurers of both are invited to attend. The cost of the breakfast is $13, and the money should be sent to Sherry Ruth.
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> 28. The student division held its drawing. It will be contributing $128.50 to the 2015 BELL program. Winners are –
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> $10 Bob Evans – Kaiti Shelton
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> $10 Panera Bread – Tim Pennington
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> $10 Chipotle – Debbie Baker
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> $10 Donato’s Pizza – Deanna Lewis
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> $10 Starbucks – Sherry Ruth
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> $25 Bath and Body Works – Deborah Kendrick
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> $25 iTunes – Tim Pennington
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> $10 Bob Evans – Crystal McClain
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> $10 Papa John’s Pizza – Emily Pennington
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> $20 Wendy’s – Crystal McClain
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> $25 Macaroni Grill – Susan Day
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> $25 KayMart – Deborah Kendrick
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> $25 Amazon – Sheri Albers
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> $25 Amazon – Barb Fohl
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> $25 Darden Restaurants – Megan Sheath
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> $40 Target – Paul Dressell.
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> 29. The meeting adjourned at 3:18 p.m.
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> Respectfully submitted,
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> Shelbi Hindel
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