[Oabs] Gavel Award Form (Newly Revised)

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

Thanks to Macy and Aleeha for helping to further complete the Gavel
Award tonight.  I know Emily is moving in to her apartment tonight and
intends to send along her answers as well.  Please do send me any
additions, corrections, or suggestions you might have for the form at
your earliest convenience.  Thanks.

Notes about specific questions before reading:
. Question #2 may puzzle some readers. The committee is not interested
in the civic activities of chapter or division members or the group as
a whole if they have nothing to do with educating the public about the
capacities of blind people or furthering the goals of the National
Federation of the Blind of Ohio. For example, prevention-of-blindness
projects are valuable civic activities, but they do not, as a matter
of course, fall into the interests of the NFB; we work to help blind
people function effectively rather than to prevent blindness. On the
other hand, if chapter members took part in a political campaign
because a candidate indicated interest in an NFB-sponsored piece of
legislation, this is noteworthy, not only because we are making
valuable friends through this effort, but because we are educating
other campaign workers about the abilities of blind people.

Question 4 seeks to identify and to promote inter-group activity as
well as chapter or division programs, division support for chapters,
and assistance to other elements of the Federation.

Question 5 is an effort to understand what kind of fundraising each
chapter or division is doing and how much of the work is actually
completed by NFB members. It is also useful to know in what ways other
organizations and individuals are or were brought into the fundraising
process.

Question 6 seeks to measure the proportion of chapter or division
contributions to state and national work.  For example, if the chapter
made a contribution to the state or national organization in order to
assist in important projects, like the Washington Seminar or for
members to attend the national convention, those contributions count
for purposes of this question.

We are now requiring all groups to answer Question 7. We should all be
looking for the ways in which our members are becoming more
sophisticated and experienced Federationists. This question requires
chapter and division members to look at the larger picture. Answering
it will increase your group's score and will help chapter and division
leaders chart a sound course in the coming year.

Please make an effort to answer the questions on this questionnaire,
even if you do not believe your chapter or division is a serious
candidate to win the Gavel Award. We have decided to honor the group
that is most improved, as well as the Gavel Award recipients. All of
us are capable of competing in the most improved category, so please
get a committee together, look over your minutes and treasurer's
reports from the past year, and make an effort to write a report that
can be used in the Gavel Award Contest.



DIVISION GAVEL AWARD QUESTIONNAIRE 2015

Division name: The Ohio Association of Blind Students

Division President's name: Kaiti Shelton

Current dues-paying membership:  (Check with Emily for official roster
of dues-paid members).  Educated estimate: 13 (including Dr. and Mrs.
Maurer).

Membership last year:  11 members.  Last year dues were not collected.
Membership was defined by a person's subscription to the list serve
and their participation in at least one phone meeting.  (from last
year’s form).

Number of new members joining this year: (worth 1 pt. each):  6
members (we’ve had some exchange.  The 6 I have are Brennen, Mike
Welty, Jonathan Thomas, Stephanie Claytor, Dr. Maurer, and Mrs. Maurer.
Double check with Emily for accuracy here as well).

Total number of members and non-members on your mailing list:  Minus 4
from my original count.  (Jonathan, the two Maurers, and Mike Welty do
not appear to be on the list).  There are a total of 44 addresses
subscribed, 6 addresses account for our NABS rep Michael Ausbun, Eric
Duffy, NABS president Sean Whalen, Deborah Kendrick as our student
division liaison, and two addresses from David Andrews).  The
remainder are addresses from past division members or members who
intend to join in the coming convention year.

Before September, 2015, how many division board meetings will your
division have conducted since September, 2014? (worth 1 pt. each):3
(January, May, and July as of now).


Before September, 2015, how many membership meetings or events will
your division have conducted since September, 2014? (worth 1 pt. each)
:  Will double check old minutes for accurate number.
Email Shelbi for clarification on membership.

How many members are registered with NFB-NEWSLINE?  5 (Kaiti, Emily,
Lillie, Macy, and Aleeha).  Please let me know if you are also registered
and are not already accounted for.

How many new users have signed up this year? (worth 1 pt. each):  0 I believe.
How many have signed up this year?

How many members have purchased gift cards through the NFB Ohio Scrip
Program? (worth 1 pt. each): 1.

How many newsletters has your division circulated during this period?
(worth 1 pt. each):  0.
Web site?  Ask for Shelbi’s clarification.
1.      How does your division promote the goals, philosophy, and
activities of the National Federation of the Blind among division
members and the general public? (worth 10 pts.)
Our division promotes the philosophy and objectives of the National
Federation of the Blind and the National Association of Blind Students
in a number of ways: monthly conference calls which alternate between
business conduct and membership featuring speakers of interest on a
variety of topics; fundraisers which contribute to the Ohio BELL
Program; engagement in letterwriting campaigns such as the one for the
TEACH/SMART Act and fair wages; encouragement for members to join
other divisions/local chapters; providing information about the NFB’s
scholarship opportunities at the national and state levels to members
and non-members; and participation in a variety of community events
and other NFB programs which impact public perception of blind people
or the way other blind people perceive their own capabilities.  OABS
has increased its presence with its first fundraiser conducted on a
national scale in Orlando this year, and it has also been an active
and financially contributing division of the Ohio affiliate.  Perhaps
most important is that our students participate actively on their high
school and college campuses in educational programs, clubs,
fraternities, and other aspects of typical student life.  This is
demonstrative of our philosophy and tagline in the truest sense.






 2. Civic Activities: Aside from participating in local, state, and national
Federation activities, in what community programs have your division members
been involved? Examples: social or political causes, religious
institutions, civic organizations, or student activities. (worth 10
pts.)
3 members served as cabin monitors/mentors at a perceptual mobility
camp called The Road Lies Ahead in MI.







 3. In what forms of advocacy are your division members involved?
(worth 10 pts.)
1 member advocates for music therapy.  1 member has worked with
another blind student to establish a student organization for disabled
students and allies on her college campus.  1 member participates on a
youth suicide prevention counsel.  1 member advocates for education as
co-president of her Future Educators of America chapter.  1 advocates
against drunk driving by coordinating rides home for intoxicated
people through a church program.  1 member volunteers for the
information and advocacy hotline to provide assistance for members of
the National Association of Guide Dog Users.  1 member serves on
legislative committees for NABS and OAGDu, as well as the education
committee for OAGDU.  One member advocates for improved integration of
deafblind people into the NFB membership.




4. Please note this question has three parts so that we can determine
how closely our chapters and divisions are working together and how
much we see ourselves as part of the larger organizations at the state
and national levels. Be sure to answer each part of this question. How
has your division interacted with other NFB chapters or divisions
during the past year?


 A. List all activities in which your division has participated with
another division or chapter; how many members took part in each?
(worth 10 pts.)
Emily and Lillie Pennington attended the Cincinnati chapter’s game day.
Kaiti Shelton participated in the Cincinnati chapter’s Braille-a-thon.
Kaiti Shelton spoke at the Human Services Division meeting in Orlando
about Music Therapy.
Kaiti Shelton was elected to the Performing Arts Division board.
Aleeha Dudley was elected vice president of OAGDU at our 2014 convention.
Aleeha went to the Jernigan Institute with the Cleveland chapter.
I don’t know any more so please do fill me in on your personal activity…



B. List all state-affiliate-sponsored activities in which your
division participated; how many members took part in each? (worth 10
pts.)
1 member bought a gift card through the scrip program.
1 member bought an E-gift card from Shwans Cares.
Mallies?  Possibly the Penningtons.
5 attended the Beatles fundraser gala last year (Emily, Lillie,
Aleeha, Macy, myself.  Please do fill me in if you were there and I
failed to count you).
All but one of our current, dues-paid members attended state convention.
Aleeha volunteered at the BELL Program for 2015.
1 member is on the membership committee as a co-chair.
1 member is on fundraising and the vehicle donation committee.
1 member is on the awards committee.
1 member is on the scholarship committee.
1 member holds an elected position on our state affiliate board.




C. List all events sponsored by the national organization in which
division members have participated this year; how many took part in
each? (worth 10 pts.)
Lillie Pennington took part in Stem 2U as an apprentice.
5 division members attended our National Convention (Kaiti, Lillie,
Emily, Aleeha, and Macy).
Kaiti was a national scholarship winner.
Aleeha attended Washington Seminar.
Aleeha spoke on a panel for parents at Stem 2U.

5. What fundraising projects has your division engaged in during the
past year? (worth 10 pts.)
The division held a split-the-pot at our last convention, as well as a
gift card drawing to benefit OABS and the BELL Program in a 50-50
split.

 A. Describe the extent to which division members take responsibility
for such projects.
Responsibility for the projects was improved over last year.  All
brailling of tickets was done by division members manually using
Perkins braillers.  Social media was better in promoting the project
this year through Facebook and email, and PayPal along with electronic
purchase confirmations emails were handled well.  We had difficulty
selling at convention, which the president attributes to it being our
first sale at that scope.

 B. What role did outside organizations or sighted volunteers play in
these activities?
We had no outside or sighted help in preparing for the split-the-pot.
Gift card donations came to us from the Capital and Lorraine County
chapters, as well as from Kaiti’s parents for the drawing.

6. Funding the projects and activities of the National Federation of
the Blind at the local, state, and national levels is vitally
important work for all of us. Answering the following questions will
assist the awards committee to compute the percentages of financial
support for each division. This will enable the committee to make
useful comparisons.



 A. What was your division's bank balance as of September, 2014?
Emily.
         Balance as of September, 2015?
Emily.
 B. After subtracting all expenses associated with fundraising, how
much money has your division raised during the year ending September,
2015? How much money came in from all other sources during this
period?
Emily.

C. How much money has your division contributed to the state affiliate
during this period? How much financial assistance did your chapter
contribute to members to attend the state convention in the form of
grants? (worth 10 pts.).
$25 for National Convention door prize, plus check for next year’s BELL.

D. How much money has your division contributed to the national
organization during this period? How much money did your chapter
contribute for members to attend the national convention in the form
of grants?  (worth 10 pts.).
$0.



7. Take no more than two paragraphs to discuss the ways in which your
division is a stronger part of the National Federation of the Blind
today than it was a year ago. (worth 10 pts.)
Communication is often the key to success, and this year OABS has
significantly improved in this area.  The board has become a more
cohesive unit, and our work on this year’s fundraiser at National
Convention was a test of our teamwork.  Not only was it the biggest
fundraising endeavor the division has ever undertaken, but it was also
a chance to further develop our group dynamics.  Overall, the project
was significantly more organized for our efforts, and a lot less
stressful for us.  We acknowledge that there is still room to grow,
and any organization can always improve on communication, but we have
even more tools to help us now than ever.  Our most recent change in
this regard is the establishment of a group for board member on What’s
App, a messaging program for the IOS platform that allows for the
sending of audio and text messages.  We have been able to have a few
discussions between meetings which can address minor problems or just
provide each other with personal updates.
OABS has also sought to improve itself from last year in several ways.
We were more ambitious in our fundraiseing, and have started to
contribute to the affiliate.  Last year we did not have dues
collection, and now we have taken $5 dues from our membership at last
year’s convention.  We also went from being financially poor and
unable to contribute to Money for the Movement, to a division that
steps up to the plate when a need is presented.  We donated for
National Convention door prizes and will likewise make a contribution
to Money for the Movement at this year’s convention.  We have also
continued our investment in the Ohio BELL Program and intend to
support this initiative for as long as possible.  In the spirit of
continued improvement, we have goals and objectives we would like to
achieve soon.  We are always working on something, and have big
aspirations which are becoming ever closer at hand. These include
retreats for our membership, collaborative efforts with student
divisions in the surrounding states, and the establishment of a
scholarship or convention grant fund for members.  We are thankful for
the support of our affiliate and look forward to helping it build the
Federation in bigger and better ways.





-- 
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton 2016.
Music Therapy, Psychology, Philosophy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students
Secretary, NFB Performing Arts Division
Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma