State Board Meeting Minutes - November 1, 2020
After the Nominating Committee report was delivered by Fred Schroeder, the following individuals were elected to office:
Tracy Soforenko: President
Sandy Halverson: 1st Vice President
Uricka Harrison: 2nd Vice President
Mark Roane: Treasurer
Jacki Bruce: Corresponding Secretary
Mausam Mehta: Recording Secretary
We heard the exciting chapter and division reports outlining the work over the past year from our Chapters and divisions as election votes were being tallied.
Reprinted from my personal blog.
After the economic bust in 2008 many people went into business for themselves, and while it is always a good idea to be educated on the nuances of planning and launching a new business, you don’t necessarily need a full college degree.
I lost my sight completely over seven years ago due to complications from diabetes type 2. I have had many years, therefore, to adjust to the tremendous changes blindness has brought to my life. With the daily support of my husband and the helpful interventions of my family and friends, I thought I had settled into a safe, well-organized and secure life.
Some of us were nervous. Several had canceled at the last minute because of safety concerns. In any case, we were here in Richmond, Virginia to do a very important job for the blind of Virginia and we were not going to be deterred.
Annually, the National Federation of the Blind of Virginia hosts an event called the ‘Richmond Seminar’. For this two-day event, the vision-impaired and their friends gather in the city of Richmond to advocate for the blind by scheduling meetings with our elected officials.
I was honored to be a part of the South Eastern Division weekend held at our National Center in Baltimore in early August. It was great to catch up with old friends and make lots of new ones.
One of the activities during the weekend I particularly found interesting was the breakout session where the students talked about the challenges they were facing and the ensuing conversations about how to resolve them.
Editor’s Note: Jessica Reed is a member of the Historic Fredericksburg Chapter. She is the coordinator for the Blind Parents Group in Virginia, and in this rare insight into her story, we learn a little bit about what makes her one of our most valuable members in the movement.
It’s true! I did say “hello” to a tree! I have actually done this more than once! And I have said “good morning” to a telephone pole, and “how you doing” to a light post! REALLY!
I recently moved to a retirement center where most of the residents are quite active.
One woman wanted to help me with every little thing, but, as she said, she was doing it because she didn't think a blind person could do this or that.
The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia is seeking an Employment Coordinator for its pre-employment transition Service, Project RISE.
The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia is a powerful force advocating for blind Virginians. For 2021, we will be conducting our legislative advocacy over the Zoom platform and we will need you to commit to attending a few brief Zoom meetings with your legislators. Interestingly, virtual appointments mean you are not required to make as large of a time commitment to participate. However, it also means we need to tell legislators that we have a constituent attending or they won’t meet with us.
Here is the 3 step process: