[PACapitalChapter] NFBP Capital Chapter meeting this Saturday, March 16

Wed Mar 13 14:24:50 UTC 2019

Hello,

I am writing regarding our upcoming meeting this Saturday. There have been
some ideas throw out for making the meeting in-person. I completely agree
that we should meet in person when we can. However, I believe that having a
regular date and time for our meeting and holding our meeting in an
appropriate space are very, very important.
I have spoken to some members, and here is what was decided:
1. Our March chapter meeting will be held this Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
2. Mark Pickens is attempting to secure keys to the building where we met
last year (where Marsha Drenth helped us to get started).
3. If Mark can get the keys, members are welcome to meet there for the
meeting.
4. Regardless, the meeting will be available on our conference call number
also.
5. Our April meeting will be held in the Community Room of the Giant Food
Store located at 3301 Trindle Road, Camp Hill, PA. This is in the Camp Hill
Shopping Center, and there is bus service (regular fare is $1.75 each way)
from Harrisburg to this mall very regularly on Saturdays.
6. We can keep discussing this issue. if necessary. I have put this as an
item on the attached agenda (which is also at the end of this email).

Here are the the reasons for this decision:
1. Strawberry Square is a very open, public space, and it is not
appropriate for a chapter meeting of the NFB of Pennsylvania.
1a. Even if there are not many people there on Saturday morning, the
acoustics of the high ceilings will make it difficult to hear one another,
especially for people attending on tour conference call number.
1b. At earlier meetings, we discussed other places to meet, and Gerry did a
great job of securing a location at the  Giant Food Store Community Room in
Camp Hill for the months of April and from June on. Gerry also looked into
the community area at Barnes and Noble in Camp Hill. Our chapter decided
that we were not interested interested in holding our meeting where the
public would be walking by, so we voted to wait for the Giant Food
Store Community Room  (which has walls and a door to provide us the privacy
we wanted).
1c. As an organization, we want to be seen as professional and organized.
Meeting in an open public place may cause others in the community to
believe that we are not very organized.

2. Elizabeth noted the expense she must pay in order to attend our
meetings.
2a. This was one of the main reasons we changed our meeting place from the
place where Marsha works.
2b. While Marsha's office is a great space (quiet, private, etc.), there is
not good public transportation to it. This is why Elizabeth (and maybe
others) must  pay so much to Uber to get to and from that building.
2c. I researched spaces near the Harrisburg bus line to address the expense
issue. Gerry researched options at the Camp Hill Shopping Center, a place
that is on two different bus lines (Route D and Route M--both operate
regularly on Saturday) that  that has meeting space available for the
public.
2d. Starting next month, we will have a meeting place that Gerry secured
for every month in 2019 except for May.

3. Consistency is important.
3a. We are a new (revitalized) chapter.
3b. Getting ourselves into a consistent routine is important for us and for
potential new members.
3c. While in-person meetings are terrific, consistent meeting times are,
too.
3d. Our conference call meeting line is always available for anyone who
wants to use it, so that provides consistency.
3e. Securing a private location which is accessible to mass transit also
builds on the consistency we are establishing.

Again, I thank everyone for their input on this matter. I love the energy
and creativity shown. These are great topics for a meeting when we can talk
back and forth. I look forward to hearing these and other ideas at our
Chapter meeting on Saturday. The agenda is both attached and in this body
of this email below.

Anna

Capital Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania Board
Meeting Agenda Saturday, March 16, 2019 10:00 a.m. EST

*Conference Call, our conference call-in number is (605) 472-5521. After
dialing in, press the access code, 661198, followed by the pound sign (#)*

*Note: We may also have the option of meeting in person at **MAYBE at 207
House Avenue, Suite 107, Camp Hill, PA, 17011*

·       *If we do, I will send out an email to everyone.*

Attendees:

Welcome/Personal Updates:

Secretary’s Report:

Treasurer’s Report:

Previous Balance:* $ *

Total Income:* $*

Total Expenses: *$*

Current Balance (as of March 16, 2019): *$*

NFB Presidential Report:

https://nfb.org/sites/default/files/audio/presidential-releases/2019-03-english.mp3

·       President Riccobono announces that preregistration for the 2019
National Convention <https://nfb.org/get-involved/national-convention> is
now open. He also discusses the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/dr-jacob-bolotin-awards>
, the Marrakesh Treaty
<https://nfb.org/sites/default/files/publications/bm/bm19/bm1903/bm190308.htm>,
a new series of blind parent podcasts
<https://nfb.org/resources/publications-and-media/nations-blind-podcast>,
our latest policy statements
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/policy-statements>, NFB summer
programs <https://nfb.org/programs-services/summer-programs>, the
national scholarship
program
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/scholarships-and-awards/scholarship-program>,
the Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/legal-program/jacobus-tenbroek-disability-law-symposium>,
and
the Dream Makers Circle
<https://nfb.org/get-involved/ways-give/planned-giving/dream-makers-circle>.

Old Business:

·       Presidential Report—Anna Walker

·       Update on securing locations for BELL

·       Meeting in State College

New Business:

·       Any discussions regarding our Chapter’s meeting place

·       Discussing potential volunteers for BELL

·       Discussion of upcoming Poster Session for NFB BELL Academy at the
AER Conference in April in Harrisburg

·       Other ideas for outreach

·       Fundraising discussion

Motion to Adjourn:

Next Meeting:

Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. EDT at the Giant Food Store
Community Room, 3301 Trindle Rd Camp Hill, PA 17011

Future meeting dates and times:

·       Saturday, April 20, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

·       Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

·       Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

-- 
Anna C. Walker
President, Capital Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of
Pennsylvania
Secretary, Pennsylvania Association of Blind Students
101 Kelly Drive
Carlisle, PA   17015
Cell: (717) 658-9239