[Ohio-talk] Buckeye Update

[Eric Duffy]

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Buckeye Update

October 16, 2015

We are in mid October, and the weather is getting cooler as the days are getting shorter. I am not particularly happy about either of these things. The playoffs are in full swing in Major League Baseball. I am not as happy about this as I could be, because the Reds are at home and not in the playoffs. But I have enjoying some apple cider and that's another sure sign of fall.

The Convention registration process has been  live on our site for a while now. The competition was hot and heavy for a while. It has slowed down now, so I won't report who is in the lead until the end of the month now. But I will tell Richard that he should start saving his money to buy that steak dinner for William H.

We are doing all that we can to encourage people to complete the registration process online. If you need help,  Gabe Vega says:  If you need support, on filling out the registration form, or making your online payment, Commtech LLC the web developer of the website, is offering free support for anyone who feels they need in to register for the 2015 Convention online.

Please call (623) 565-9357 and a member of our staff would be glad to assist you through this process. Please take this offer seriously if you need help registering. I have had a few people call me for help, and I have referred them to Gabe immediately. 

We will of course still accept registrations by mail and on site. All registrations by mail must be post marked by November 12 in order to qualify for lower rates.

Did you know we are going to have a play Friday night? That's right! the "Not So Royal Shakespeare Company" is going to wow us with a production of "Pyramus and Thisbe".  Come see our Merchants division president, Annette Lutz make her acting debut.

We are going to have a band after the banquet Saturday night. I promise it is not going to be to loud. We want you to plan to join us in a night of music and dancing. 

There is still a lot of work to be done to prepare for this convention, but I am excited about the way things are shaping up. This is going to be a great convention. 

Here are some reminders about the convention: Our room rate is $89 plus tax. Our block of rooms will be released after October 29. Please make your reservations immediately.  The contact information for the hotel is: Doubletree Hotel  6200 Quarry Lane, Independence, Ohio 44131, phone, (216) 447-1300.

Chapter and Division Presidents, please pay close attention to the following information. The time has passed   to submit your reports for the Gavel Award Competition,  or for nominating  someone for an award. So, if you have not  submitted a report for the competition, You must still submit a report by November 12.

Chapter and division reports, membership lists, and dues must all be in by November 12. After that date any one or all of these items are considered late and the offending chapter or division is subject to a fine of $25. 

Shelbi also needs to know who will represent your chapter on the nominating committee. The members of this committee are appointed by chapter presidents. The president of the affiliate selects the chair from among the members. Please let shelbi know who will represent your chapter as soon as possible. shelbiah1 at gmail.com <mailto:shelbiah1 at gmail.com>

There are going to be some great workshops and some exciting agenda topics, but you the members of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio are who make the convention great. Keep those registrations coming in.  Tell people about who we are, what we do, and why they should be a part of our convention based on your experience. Let's get some new people there. We need to build and grow our Federation family.


As of Wednesday, the KNFB Reader is now available on the Android platform. You will soon be able to go to nfbohio.org <http://nfbohio.org/>
and register for a special drawing to win A KNFB Reader Package. You will register by contributing $5 which will get your name in the drawing once. this will be the only way you can enter. We will not be selling tickets. You may not enter after November 18. You must be present for the drawing at the banquet.

I am not making this easy, because we are giving away a valuable software package. We want to do what we can to see that it goes to some one who will really use it, so if you meet all of the above conditions, you must really want the software. Even Richard is eligible to win if he meets all of the conditions.

Next week I will be going to Cincinnati for the Cane Walk. I will be doing some other things there as well which I will report on in the next update.

The convention is getting closer, so keep those registrations coming in. There is plenty of time left to make your plans and to encourage others to come to the convention.

Sherry Ruth says, "Our Malley's  Candy sales starts today and if your chapter or division would like to receive their flyers to distribute, please send me an email with your address and I will pass it on to them.  Lorain and Cuyahoga county chapters have 25 each on the way! 

We will have the link on the website next week. This is a good fund raiser for us. Let's make it even better this year. Let's go build the Federation. I will write again next week.