[VABS] October Vabs events you don’t want to miss!

[Ally Kelso]

Happy September, VABS! We hope you are doing well and settling in to this
school year. We have some exciting events coming up, and  we would love for
you to join us! Read below, for all the things we have coming up this fall!


VABS EVents


October is blindness  equality achievement month! Because of this
awesome month of recognizing the strengths  and capabilities we have
as blind individuals we are hosting two very fun events.  are you
ready to socialize with some of your fellow students as well as
leaders in the Federation? Excited to indulge in some amazing Middle
Eastern flavors? Please join us on Saturday, October 7 for a social
dinner fundraiser and partnership with the Potomac chapter of the
national Federation of the blind of Virginia! The dinner will be
hosted at Balquees: 5827 Airy Rd., Falls Church, VA. Update:  rsvps are
required at this time. Please notify us by the end of the day on Monday
October 2 if you’ll be able to join us so that we can secure a reservation.
To rsvp or address any additional questions, please
contact Naim, our event planner, @+1 (202) 848-8932.


Live too far from the northern Virginia area or just want to get your
sports persona on? Don’t fret!  We are hosting our annual bowling
event on October 7th, 2023 from 1pm to 4pm at Pin Boys At the Beach
1577 Laskin Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. The cost: $10.00 (includes
bowling and shoe rental).*

SIGN-UP to bowl: https://forms.gle/xf3d2q5PodRRMcM28
*If you want to pay in advance to bowl, please do so by October 6th, at 3pm.

Raffle: At the end of the event, there will be a raffle. Tickets are 1
for $2 & 3 for $5. This will be a 50/50 raffle. If someone wants to
donate a gift card, we gladly accept it. You will get a text message
with your raffle tickets numbers.
Click here to purchase tickets:
https://forms.gle/zaKWhxhCNeABbr8G9

If anyone has any questions please reach out to André Hill at
andrehill6188 at gmail.com


National Federation of the Blind of Virginia 2023 Scholarship Program


The NFB of Virginia is pleased to announce the launch of its James F.
Nelson merit scholarship program for the academic year 2023-2024. Up
to three scholarships of $2500.00 will be awarded based on academic
achievement, community engagement, and leadership potential.  One of
these three scholarships will be directly pledged to a qualifying
freshman or sophomore.

The NFB of Virginia believes that all blind and vision-impaired
students who apply for a James F. Nelson scholarship can benefit from
the experience of attending the State Convention.  The NFBV will cover
the reasonable costs associated with attending the convention for all
eligible applicants, including a room at the hotel shared with a
fellow scholarship applicant, most meals, the cost of registration,
and a banquet ticket.  Scholarship applicants should work with their
local chapters to explore transportation options and should notify the
scholarship committee if they encounter any difficulties.  Convention
related expenses will be reimbursed or covered by the affiliate at the
convention.  Please notify the committee if you do not have access to
a credit card or other means of covering pre-convention costs.
Applicants are expected to pre-register for the gathering to signal
their intentions to attend the state convention, and to assist the
scholarship committee in making hotel reservations.

Eligibility - Applicants must:

• Be legally blind or have a visual impairment that qualifies them to
receive services under IDEA or from a state vocational rehabilitation
program

• Be a resident of Virginia, or attending a Virginia accredited
institution of higher education full-time

• Plan to pursue a full-time, postsecondary course of study in the
2023-24 academic year

• Participate in the entire NFB of Virginia in-person state convention
in Williamsburg,  Virginia and participate in all scheduled
scholarship program activities to be held on November 2nd- 5th, 2023.

To submit an online application, please visit
https://www.nfbv.org/scholarship



Deadline:  Applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time on Monday, October 2nd, 2023

For any questions, please contact JimmyMorris.
mail: jimorris0116 at gmail.com Phone: (434) 547-2720

Not in need of a scholarship but still interested, because who
wouldn’t be,  in attending this awesome convention where  you get to
hang out with blind and visually impaired peers old and new? Ready to
get your competitive edge on? Stoked to embrace some spooky scary, and
all around fun activities with your fellow student division?  Just
need a weekend away from school with those who just get it? Join us
November 2-5 in the charming town of Williamsburg for a weekend you
will never forget. All information, including details on how to
register and secure your room, are  available here:
https://nfbv.org/convention

Best,
Ally Kelso