[Travelandtourism] Officers winning positions and Division Details and President David Stayer helping with some issues for our Chapter

Sat Jul 7 15:34:16 UTC 2012

my apologies Vice President Shackelford, he is from GA, getting over convention and jet lag. Went from Dallas to Birmingham, stayed on the plane until Baltimore, then changed planes and went to Islip. To much travel and convention, but I got that fire in my belly for the year.
That was the unofficial report, as stated is unofficial, I will post official to the talk list and on the teleconference. So I will make the corrections prior to the official one.  Did you mean to Thank me or think me for my leadership. ROFL.

Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
Cheryl Echevarria, Ownerhttp://www.echevarriatravel.com631-456-5394reservations@echevarriatravel.comhttp://www.echevarriatravel.wordpress.com
PresidentTravel and Tourism DivisionNational Federation of the Blind631-236-5138

> From: info at peachtreetravel.net
> To: cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com
> Subject: Re: Officers winning positions and Division Details and President David Stayer helping with some issues for our Chapter
> Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2012 11:17:16 -0400
> 
> Morning Cheryl and travel list:
> 
> Thanks for the excellent travel division report.  I will certainly be 
> commenting on all the issues that you have put forth in a future email.
> 
> I want to first congratulate all of the division officers for being 
> appointed to there positions.  However, I didn't know that your vice 
> president Maurice Shackelford, moved to NJ. lol  Having a little fun with 
> the president here!  Also looking at the calendar, the 4th Monday in August 
> is on the 27th not the 26.
> 
> Here's hoping for well wishes for Carl Jacobson and do send him our best. 
> Other than that, we truly want to think you for your leadership this past 
> year and I look forward in working with everyone in the division to 
> strengthen our presents throughout the blindness community and beyond.
> 
> Reese
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> To: "Amy Baron" <aebaron at comcast.net>; "Margo Downey" 
> <margo.downey at verizon.net>; <davidrstayer6 at gmail.com>; 
> <ascheppe at hotmail.com>; <info at peachtreetravel.net>; <apt at carrtronics.com>; 
> <derek2872 at yahoo.com>; <alabarre at labarretravel.com>; 
> <danlcarr at www.carrtronics.com>; <milt2533 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2012 9:58 AM
> Subject: Officers winning positions and Division Details and President David 
> Stayer helping with some issues for our Chapter
> 
> 
> 
> Good morning:
> Home from Convention and what a convention it was.
> I will be giving a report of convention, on the talk list as well as at our 
> next meeting, it will be the 4th Monday of the month, which this month will 
> be August 26th, 2012 the membership agreed to this time and date, so unless, 
> you cannot make the date, please let us know and it will be recorded as you 
> know with Freeconferencecall.com and also minutes will be taken by our new 
> Secretary.  We had a few more people come this year to the meeting, I am 
> also hoping that we got more members.
> Treasurer Milton, Anahit said she gave you all the contact information from 
> everyone, if you can give me and the new secretary all the information that 
> would be greatly appreciated, that way we know for the next meeting.
> Now for Officers for the 2012-2014 years, since we are starting fresh, since 
> we really weren't sure where we were on things, so we decided to start 
> fresh.
> Officers of the Division are
> This I was put in place and elected at the 2011 convention in Orlando, I am 
> sitting as my full term as President
> President - Cheryl Echevarria of NYVice President - Maurice Shackelford of 
> NJSecretary - Margo Downey of NYTreasurer - Milton Taylor of UT
> Board Members:
> Amy Baron of MNJemal Powell of ILDaniel Carr of TX, who is also our 
> webmaster. Daniel (where were you at convention), please call me starting on 
> Monday Please on the home number 631-236-5138
> You may have noticed that Anahit LaBarr is not listed as a Board Member, she 
> is still with our Division, but she was gracious to give up her seat so that 
> a new member of our Division could be with us. So I want to thank her for 
> all the help given with the division, but she will not be going anywhere, so 
> clapping here from NY.
> One more thing before I move on, we had people come and go as officers this 
> past year, if you cannot continue with you position with the division, 
> please just let us know, we will have an interim person, until the 
> Convention, put please unless we know about it, if you have friends or 
> family that can reach out to one of us, in case you are ill or just cannot 
> contact us, please have them do it for you.
> You also noticed, we are not having a 2nd Vice President, that was agreed by 
> majority, that his position at this time, is not warranted, we will visit 
> this position prior to each convention, should we want to have it in place.
> 
> Please unless it is travel related, please call the home number and not the 
> business line with is 631-456-5394
> Also, if you were at convention or listening on the internet, Carl Jacobsen 
> is going to be fine, he has a kidney infection and flew home last night.  I 
> did a get well video at the banquet, and it will be sent to the NY Office on 
> Monday, all descriptive so Carl can hear it.
> Also, if you were listening, and over the last few months with issues at the 
> convention that the Travel and Tourism Division may have been over looked to 
> discussion with on many things, but we have a great friend with our 
> Division, President of Greater Long Island Chapter, David Stayer, feels that 
> we have been over looked on many issues, and that he will be speaking with 
> Carl Jacobson our State President, and also sitting Board Member of the NFB, 
> to discuss ways of the NFB working with us more on issues. The main reason 
> for this, is that Travelocity came to give a presentation at convention, I 
> in fact was video recording it, and my mouth was dropping on many issues, 
> and listen to the salesman speech about them servicing there clients with 
> the issues of Costa Concordia, well, just and FYI, Carnival Cruise Lines to 
> care of all of those issues, there were just another travel agency that had 
> client on that ship, and that if you fine a rate out there, come to them and 
> they will automatically give you $50.00 off just for going to them, but they 
> don't say where they are getting that extra $50.00 from to give you that 
> discount, oh Maurice and I know exactly where they get that money from 
> stayed tuned.
> But, now we are come to the issue why, David is working with us, not just 
> because I am the Treasurer of our Chapter and good friend, but because it 
> was wrong what travelocity did, even after I spoke to Mark Riccobono on 
> Thursday prior to convention, which I am hoping that they didn't know about 
> this one.  They gave a special code to use that if you go to Travelocity by 
> a certain time that you will get discount from them, my head spun around 
> like the lady in the Exorcist, went to the bathroom and kick the garbage can 
> and came back. I got over it, and I am hoping that powers that be at the 
> home office, will try and understand that is not cool, what Travelocity did, 
> and is doing, we are trying to have jobs and business from Blind people and 
> not have some like travelocity come in and do this, or at least try and 
> maybe work with us, but I don't trust them at all to work with, again, I am 
> not alone in the division, need you officers to give feed back and be 
> informed.
> I will keep you informed.
> Also I spoke with John G. Pare Jr., Director of Public Relations, National 
> Federation of the Blind, we spoke and will be speaking with later in the 
> week, once the National Office opens on Tuesday for Business.
> About 2 Things:
> 1. If you were listening and at the Convention, we had Secretary of 
> Transportation LaHood, giving a presentation, I offered the services of our 
> members of the Travel and Tourism Division, who work in the travel industry, 
> and those that do not to give feed back and help on all things deal with 
> travel, such as inaccessible website, for both the clients, and us the 
> travel professionals, so Maurice and Anahit, if you know of website that we 
> work with that are not accessible, please give your feed back on them.  As 
> well as, our members and officers who do not work in our industry, we need 
> your feedback on anything travel related. I will go more into this at our 
> meeting.
> 2.  Congressman Tim Bishop, who covers a district here in Suffolk County, 
> Long Island, not mine, but the next District next to me, whom I know, 
> through the Chamber of Commerce here, as well as other areas of business 
> that I communicate with, let's just say, we know each other, and since I am 
> the Suffolk County Rep, I was asked to reach out to him in reference to the 
> Fair Wages for Workers with Disabilities Act with Congressman Stearns of FL.
> So that is my little/big report, please let me know if you can make the 
> Division Meeting on August 26th starting at 8PM Eastern.
> Thank you.
> Your sister in the NFB
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Cheryl Echevarria, PresidentTravel and Tourism DivisionNational Federation 
> of the Blind631-236-5138
> 
>  
> 