[Travelandtourism] Updates on the NFB Travel & Tourism Meeting on July 5, 2015 from 6:00 PM-6:30 PM Registration to meeting 6:30 - 9:30PM maybe longer

Sun Jun 14 15:35:45 UTC 2015

The Pledge of Allegiance and the NFB Pledge don't take a lot of
time--maybe, let's see, 2 or 3 minutes?  I don't see how this can be a
problem.  

Margo 

-----Original Message-----
From: Travelandtourism [mailto:travelandtourism-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Trevor Attenberg via Travelandtourism
Sent: Sunday, June 14, 2015 5:19 AM
To: 'Cheryl Echevarria'
Cc: Trevor Attenberg; 'NFB Travel and Tourism Division List'
Subject: Re: [Travelandtourism] Updates on the NFB Travel & Tourism Meeting
on July 5, 2015 from 6:00 PM-6:30 PM Registration to meeting 6:30 - 9:30PM
maybe longer

Hi guys,

With all due respect, I have a couple of recommendations that might help
out the way we run our convention Travel and Tourism. Firs and most
important is I strongly think we should either move business to the end of
the meeting, or have it at a separate event. If we are soliciting $10 from
people, including new and curious convention goers, it is strange that we
not at least give them first a sample of what the chapter is like, and what
they will be getting into. Instead we ask them to vote on people and
business they may be completely unfamiliar with. Moreover, those opting not
to pay may resent not getting to see anything of worthy substance over the
course of the first hour or so. Thus they may leave either without opting
to pay dues, or with likelihood of returning for future events. Personally
I felt quite frustrated last year after I paid up, and had to sit for
perhaps an hour and a half of approvals, elections, formalities, equipment
set-up, waiting for people, and banter among the elected board. I could
only imagine what those totally new felt. It just doesn't seem prudent. Let
us give them a taste of the action first; and if people are interested they
can stick around for business. I don't just go walking into an unfamiliar
group's business meeting; and I personally would have much rather been with
another chapter I was interested in.

                Second, it seems a good idea to consider forgoing the
pledge of allegiance and NFB pledge. Of course these are very important
formalities for many, including those passionate about loyalty to the
United States, and those with a passion towards devoting oneself to the NFB
causes. In my experience, we do run through the NFB pledge in some chapter
meetings, and that is not a real big deal; though most meetings at the
convention seem to forgo it. Again it might be a bit much to introduce the
group in such a way to new convention goers. After all, the meeting should
be filled to capacity with exemplary dialogue that describes what the NFB
is about. T&T is the only meeting I go to that does the national Pledge of
Allegiance. While it is very meaningful to some; it just seems superfluous
here. After all, we may be hosting non-citizens at our meeting. Hopefully
we got a diverse bunch coming. 

                Please don't take this too harshly. I hope you will see
this as me trying to be constructive, and not me just being a Nelly
Negative.

Best,

Trevor     

From: Cheryl Echevarria [mailto:cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2015 7:57 AM
To: 'Cheryl Echevarria'
Cc: 'NFB Travel and Tourism Division List'
Subject: Updates on the NFB Travel & Tourism Meeting on July 5, 2015 from
6:00 PM-6:30 PM Registration to meeting 6:30 - 9:30PM maybe longer

Good morning all members of the NFB Travel & Tourism Division:

Some of you may get this email twice, only because I do not know who is on
the talk list or not, and we need all members having the same information.
If you are  an existing members, someone not attending the meeting at
convention, and people on the NFB Talk list that are new and want to join
the division.

Anyone at the convention can join any meeting or seminar, but with
membership in any organization has benefits over non-members.

Remember, if you are not a paid member of the division, you cannot vote or
make a motion, but you are welcome to join in discussions and participate.

To make sure that we know who is who at convention, since we will have a
few sighted people with us, and Treasurer, Johanna Taylor, has vision. We
will be doing a roll call at the meeting on July 5th, of those people who
have paid, and ask all paid members sit on one side of the room and
non-members sit on the other side of the room, especially when we are
taking votes and making a motion this is only fair.  

This is a reminder, if you haven't been active, and we are starting to be a
very active monthly division with monthly teleconference calls and more.

Please remember to pay your annual dues at our meeting which is at 6PM
Registration - 6:30PM, meeting will start promptly at 6:30 PM and continue
until 9:30 PM maybe longer, I don't think we have another meeting after us.
It will be in Salon 17 on the 2nd Floor. Please have exact change of $10
especially if you are the first people to pay. If you are paying by check
or money order, have this done before leaving for home and make the checks
out to the NFB Travel & Tourism. We will also have an option of paying via
credit card, but this is only if the WI-FI in the hotel is working
properly, so try to bring money with you.

We will have at least 2 people at the registration table, please make sure
that you spell and give your first name, last name, email, address and
phone number. We had some issues last year, and many people weren't
receiving information.

After the meeting starts and you come in late, we will not be taking
anymore dues. If you would like to pay your dues prior to convention, you
can send a check to our Treasurer, Mrs. Johanna Taylor. Dues are still $10
and no do not send cash through the mail, send checks or money orders made
out to: NFB Travel & Tourism, please mail it to 654 W 1820 N, Orem, UT
84057.

If you would like to pay with credit card, we do have the option of going
to our website and paying through PayPal

http://nfbtravel.org/how-to-join-the-nfb-travel-tourism-division/

If you are not attending convention this year, yoru dues are now do. We
will be taking minutes and it will be posted in the Braille Monitor, on the
travelandtourism at nfbnet.org; on our website www.nfbtrave.org; on our
Facebook page

www.Facebook.com/NFB-Travel-and-Tourism-Division

We will also be having a 50/50 raffle at the end of the meeting the 1st 50
people that attend will get a card with a braille number on it when we pull
this number you will win, bring cash, and let the person who is doing the
raffle at the front door that you are participating.  Please help our your
division!

Agenda for the meeting:

Pledge of Allegiance and the National Federation of the Blind Pledge

Introductions of the Officers

Presidential Report from Cheryl Echevarria

Elections: Only on Treasurer, Secretary and 1 Board Member 

Glenda Farnum, had to step down due to personal issues as our Treasurer,
and we need to vote in interim Treasurer, Johanna Taylor, as Treasurer, she
has been acting Treasurer since February 2015.

Margo Downey, had to step down due to personal issues as our Secretary, and
John TeBockhorst has been our interim Secretary since December 2014,  he
has to be voted in a Secretary.

Which means, we have an opening for another board member. Ms. Denise Brown
has indicated she is interested, and we need to vote her in.   

Should anyone else like to run. You need to be a paid member of the
division, we hope that you are  an active one.

Treasurers Report - Johanna Taylor

Minutes of the Meeting from Convention 2014

Business:

2016 Fundraiser Trip Committee: All paid members, there  will be 2 trip
options available, they are not finalized yet, some tweaking here and
there, but  these trips will take place September 2016.  

Margo Downey will be reading her report from the Air Travel Conference from
Washington, DC that she attended September 2014 with other disability
organizations

Presentation by member Denise Brown on why she likes to travel and where
she likes to travel.

There will be a 5-10 minute Q&A, and it will be monitored.

Board Members: Jemal Powell and Steven Hastalis will be doing a
presentation on transportation boards that they sit on in their state and
give some tips about joining them where you live. 5-10 minute Q&A and it
will be monitored.

Presentation by Lawrence Bock, Chairman of the company, Aira, that uses
smart glasses (like Google Glass) to provide personalized assistance to
blind users from a network of trained and accredited Agents. (Yes, Larry is
Blind)

5-10 minute presentation, 5-10 minute Q&A - this will be monitored

Opened Floor to Q&A, we will take a motion to end the meeting for 2015, but
can  stay in the room for more discussion should anyone like to do so, and
if there is no other meeting behind us.

Anything that is said monitored, means time only, we have a big agenda.

Thank you all

Sincerely,

Cheryl Echevarria, President

National Federation of the Blind's Travel and Tourism Division

A proud division of the 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND - "Live the life you want"

www.nfbtravel.org

To join the talk list

http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/travelandtourism_nfbnet.org

631-236-5138

cherylandmaxx at hotmail.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 have the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

Cheryl Echevarria 

Travel is our specialty and offering the best of meaningful travel for all
ages is our passion!

http://www.echevarriatravel.com

reservations at echevarriatravel.com

631-456-5394

Visit my website to get my FREE report, "Top 5 Good Reasons to Use a Travel
Professional"

I build my business on referrals. Please pass my details on to friends and

family members that deserve the best vacation that they can imagine

P.S. - Families of all sizes is my specialty. Whether you are just starting
out and looking for that romantic destination for your destination wedding
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that bucket list trip that Grandma  & Grandpa are planning for the family,
I would love to help you. 

We have partnered with Braille Smith. www.braillesmith.com for all her
braille needs.  Gail Smith is the Secretary of the NFB of Alabama

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