[Ohio-Talk] What a new year and Ohio Committee Appointments

Sun Feb 5 17:14:37 UTC 2023

Greetings Ohio, Members and Friends,

What a new year it has been! This year has started out as one for the
records. I sit here after attending the President's Retreat thankful for all
of the leaders across the country. Their support and admiration has filled
me with an abundance of motivation to continue the work of the Ohio
Affiliate by stepping into purpose more than ever before. 

Ohio, we can be proud of those who were able to attend the 2023 Washington
Seminar activities representing our three fact sheets on the hill. Please
take time to thank them all for the work that was done last week meeting
with Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senators. 

Consequently, the work of this affiliate is not done! Please find the 2023
Ohio Committee Appointments attached to this email. This means that we will
start working on a number of items including the state convention, which
will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Columbus/Worthington, located
at 175 Hutchinson Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43235. the hotel has made
improvements and will make more over the next year. The 77th Ohio State
Convention dates are November 17/18/19, 2023. If you would like to take part
in the planning, please reach out to me off list and I will be happy to work
with you. 

One of my greatest joy as an Affiliate President is to work with members who
have stepped up to ensure that Ohio's activities continue efficiently.
Delcenia  Brown has been appointed to facilitate and will assist with
scheduling events for the Ohio Zoom Room. The procedure for requesting the
zoom room is:
1: email the Affiliate President your request and CC Delcenia on the email. 
2: If it is  approved, Delcenia will then let you know if that date is
available.
The email to reach her is (delcenia at prodigy.net).

The National Convention will be held in  Houston at The Hilton
Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar, Houston, TX 77010. Call: (713) 739-8000 to
schedule your room reservation. I remind you to get your room arrangements
in very soon. As you are aware, each year the State Board makes convention
assistance to the National Convention available. I implore all Chapters and
Divisions to assist and for the new members they should apply as a first
timer for the Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship Fund. The application was put on
Ohio-Talk or visit WWW.NFB.ORG.

Ohio Chapters, Committees, Divisions and Members, I am making a plea for all
to start thinking about raising funds dedicating money to the Affiliate.
Everyone  benefits from activities sponsored by the Affiliate in some way.
So, please do your part to give back to this organization. 

Here is an opportunity to give back. Please spread the word.
The National Federation of the Blind of Ohio Offers An opportunity to raise
funds for Ohio and win a cash prize.
Just click on:
https://piggestraffleever.com/.
And choose, National Federation of the Blind of Ohio as your charity.
You could be a winner by going online to purchase tickets !
Where you as? The Piggest Raffle Ever: Brought to you by Stock Yards Bank
How's it Work? Easy! Purchase a Raffle Entry for $5 each on behalf of the
NFBOH from the drop-down menu. For each Pig purchased, you have a chance to
win on Flying Pig Marathon Weekend, and will receive 100% of your donation!
GRAND PRIZE: $10,000 Cash*
($5,000 to the charity and $5,000 to the winning ticket holder)
SECOND PRIZE: $5,000 Cash*
($2,500 to the charity and $2,500 to the winning ticket holder
THIRD PRIZE: Cincinnati Get-Away Experience
($1,500 in Downtown Cincinnati, Inc.
Raffle Details: On MAY 7, 2023 during THE FLYING PIG MARATHON Weekend
("Event") lucky winners will be drawn. Deadline to purchase tickets is May
6th. You do not need to be present.
All winners will be notified via email or phone and a list of winners will
be viewable at http://piggestraffleever.com and www.flyingpigmarathon.com,
Good Luck!

News:
Contacting NFB's Legal Team:
Members are encouraged to use legal at nfb.org when reaching out to the
national headquarters regarding legal matters. Please help to share this
easy-to-remember email address.

Braille Monitor in Spanish Now Available:
The National Federation of the Blind published the January issue of the
Braille Monitor in Spanish. A Spanish version of our flagship publication
will be available moving forward. Please share with Spanish-speakers you
know. 
.	Braille Monitor - Spanish (enero de 2023)
.	Braille Monitor (January 2023)

The NFB DEI Calendar:
To help affiliate leaders plan meetings and events and to increase cultural
awareness throughout the Federation, we will soon be issuing our revised NFB
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Calendar. It lists holidays and
black-out dates (suggested times where it is recommended that affiliate
activities should subside at affiliate leaders' discretion). The goal for
this tool is to bring us all together in the spirit of inclusion and to
celebrate our diversity. It is our hope that the messaging and intent of
this instrument is received well and used effectively to help grow
membership, as well as to allow members to honor their holy days without
interruption.

Additionally, we are producing a training. We expect this training to be
ready soon and will send more information about the delivery as soon as it
is. The training will contain audio links that showcase religious experts
within the NFB network sharing information on how to use the DEI Calendar,
including the suggested black-out dates, the context of holidays, and how to
accommodate worshipers during NFB activities during a holiday.

For more information on NFB DEI efforts, check out the DEI webpage at
www.nfb.org/dei or contact Malcolm Greene at mgreene at nfb.org.

NFB BELLR Academy:
Applications are now open for the 2023 NFB BELLR Academy. We are excited
that so many of your affiliates are planning to go back to in-person BELL
Academies for the 2023 summer, as the time spent around blind role models
and other blind children is invaluable for BELL students. If you are
planning an in-person BELL Academy we encourage you to work with your BELL
coordinator to finalize your dates and location as soon as possible. Your
BELL coordinator will then be able to input them into the NFB BELL Academy
dashboard, which will enable families to start registering for the BELL
Academy in your state. 

This summer we will also be offering one session of the NFB BELL Academy
In-Home Edition from July 24 through August 11. Morning and evening classes
for beginner, intermediate, and advanced Braille students will be offered
via Zoom. More information and the application can be found at nfb.org/bell.

Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement:
Share the following opportunity for non-members to attend the upcoming
Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, formerly known as our Open
House Gathering calls, scheduled for February 8 at 8:00 p.m., eastern, to
learn about what it means to become a member of the National Federation of
the Blind. During the one-hour-long open house, hear from active members and
leaders on the myths and uncertainties of the Federation. We will discuss
membership, philosophy, and purpose. Non-members can contact us at
membership at nfb.org, or call 410-659-9314, extension 2401. If there is a need
for additional support to access the meeting such as Spanish translation or
closed captioning, participants should notify us no later than February 1. 

Dates to Keep in Mind:
(all times eastern)
.	January 30: Great Gathering-In
.	February 8: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
.	March 2 and 5: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Scholarships)
.	March 23: Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
.	May 10: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
.	June 1 and 4: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Member Engagement
and National Convention)
.	July 1-6, 2023: National Convention; Houston, Texas
.	August 9: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
.	September 7 and 10: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Blind
Equality Achievement Month)
.	November 8: Introduction to the Organized Blind Movement, 8:00 p.m.
.	December 7 and 10: Chapter Presidents Call, 8:00 p.m. (Planning the
Year Ahead)

Richard Payne,  President
National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
937/829/3368
Rchpay7 at gmail.com
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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