[NFBV-Announce] Financial Assistance to attend the 2026 National Convention

Fri Mar 6 20:06:26 UTC 2026

From: Tracy Soforenko, Affiliate President

Our national convention is a highlight for the year and the 2026 convention.

will be no exception. We expect the 2026 National Federation of the Blind

convention in Austin to be a fantastic Federation family reunion. The

convention dates are July 3-8. The convention will begin Friday, July 3 and
end late after the banquet on Wednesday evening, July 8. Most people will

be departing on Thursday, July 9.

We want everyone to plan this into your calendar and your budget so you can.

be there to join us.

If you have never attended an in-person national convention, we are
strongly.

encourage people to apply to both the Virginia specific McDonald Fellowship

and national Kenneth Jernigan convention Scholarship programs. Attending a
prior virtual convention does not limit application for these two programs.

Every year, the affiliate president will receive a few requests for

Convention assistance from affiliate members. I am putting some ground
rules.

in place to help clarify expectations.

If you are planning to request assistance, please send your request to me in

email. Your request should factor in the following:

1.    What are my total expected costs:

What should I expect to pay for convention factoring in expected costs for?

travel, lodging, meals, and convention registration. I have no idea how
much.

It costs to get from your home to JW Marriot Austin. You need to do it.

the research. In addition, the banquet is a highlight of the convention and

You do not want to miss it. You need to factor this into your calculation.

Many people choose to share rooms, and you will start seeing roommate
requests posted to our announce list starting soon.

2.    What can I afford myself

No one will be going to convention for free. The Jernigan Scholarships and

McDonald Fellowships do not provide all the funding for convention for
first.

timers. Individuals requesting financial assistance should expect to make a

significant contribution to your convention expenses. You should be.

factoring in this expense into your budget.

3.    What is my chapter contributing?

Your chapter is a resource for financial assistance. Do not come to the

Virginia Affiliate requesting financial assistance if you have not asked.

your local chapter. I will be following up with chapter presidents to

understand how you are contributing at the chapter level to programming and

fundraising.

4.    How much are you requesting from the affiliate

After considering other sources, how much are you requesting from the

Virginia affiliate. Please note that we do not provide funding in advance.

Our NFBV Treasurer Mark Roane or I will provide funding at convention but

You need to work locally to get your travel and room expenses addressed. You
should definitely expect to attend the Virginia Caucus to receive the

financial assistance. I do not know the date and time for the caucus at this
time. You will want to make certain you are there. It is not Mark or my

job to hunt you down at convention and it is not Mark or my job to provide
money as you walk into the hotel.

Fundraising is the means through which we have the resources to provide
financial assistance. When I talk to your chapter president, I am checking
to determine if you are engaged in the chapter and affiliate fundraising. We
will likely be selling items at the Virginia table at the convention and you
will be expected to help with that activity if you receive financial
assistance. You should be hustling throughout convention and afterward back
in Virginia to sell our products to fund our movement.

We are asking that requests are submitted no later than June 1, 2026. You
should be planning in advance, booking your hotel room, and securing early
registration pricing.

We want everyone to join us in Austin, and we hope this guidance clarifies.

the process. However, if you have questions, I am glad to address them.

Tracy Soforenko

President, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia

202 285-4595

 <mailto:Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com> Tracy.soforenko at gmail.com

 <http://www.nfb.org/> www.nfb.org

 <http://www.nfbv.org/> www.nfbv.org

National Federation of the Blind. Live the Life You Want

The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends
who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation's blind. Every day we work
together to help blind people live the lives they want.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbv-announce_nfbnet.org/attachments/20260306/3a44c88b/attachment.htm>