[nfbmi-talk] Washington Seminar 2017 Info

[J.J. Meddaugh]

Hello.
     It's already November, and that means that Washington Seminar is 
less than 3 months away. Washington Seminar is one of the major ways we 
let our voices be heard through advocacy, as we speak directly with 
members of Congress about issues of importance to us and our 
organization. If you would like to atend, please send an Email to 
jj at bestmidi.com. Whether you've attended many times before or this would 
be your first, we'd love to talk to you.

Here's some information to help you in your decision.

The Great Gathering In Meeting, barring a blizzard, is on Monday, 
January 30 at 5 PM. This is a lively meeting where we talk about this 
year's legislative priorities and how we are going to achieve them. 
Often, members of Congress drop in and speak to us.

Meetings in our affiliate will be scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, 
January 31 and February 1.

Some other events at the seminar may be of interest, including student 
and merchants meetings on Monday morning, a parents seminar often on 
Sunday, and other division meetings.

Here's a page with more information from the national website
https://nfb.org/washington-seminar

The Michigan affiliate has allocated money to pay for one male and one 
female room for Washington Seminar (up to 3 nights each). A financial 
assistance pool of $1,000 is also available to be used by disgression of 
the president.

We expect that those attending and receiving assistance will attend the 
Great Gathering IN meeting and all appointments assigned to them on 
Tuesday and Wednesday. Ideally, your flight will leave after 6 PM on 
Wednesday. There will also be a short meeting to discuss our plans, 
typically after the Great Gathering In.

I'm happy to help anyone in finding affordable flights or other travel 
arrangements, or to answer any questions you may have. If you are a 
student and worried about missing classes, I'm happy to help you work 
with your professors or teachers. Many are very understanding and would 
be excited for you to harness this opportunity.

Please let me know if you're interested in coming by December 15, the 
sooner the better.

So many of the rights we have today as blind Americans came about 
because of the work at Washington Seminar. I hope to join you in 
changing the future.










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