Minutes from the NFB of Virginia 5/16/2020 Board of Directors Meeting
National Federation of the Blind of Virginia
Meeting of the Board of Directors
Saturday, May 16, 2020
1pm-4pm
Zoom Session
The National Federation of the Blind of Virginia’s Board of Directors meeting was called to order by President Tracy Soforenko
Invocation: Chamiere Roberts from the Richmond Chapter
Heartfelt Words about Dr. Brian Miller by Bonnie O’Day
Roll Call: 58 members were present
The minutes for January 20, 2020 board meeting were read by Evelyn Valdez.
Minutes were approved without correction
Nonprofit Development: Grant Writing 101
In the coming years our affiliate will implement a diverse fundraising strategy to make it possible for us to have more services like Project RISE. One of those funding strategies will likely be grant writing, and while grant writing will make the most sense at the affiliate level, where we can project the greatest impacts, that does not mean chapters and divisions cannot pursue their own grant writing strategies to help fund activities they would like to sponsor. Here's a starting point to thinking about grant writing.
Project RISE: From Low Expectations to High Impacts
By Lizzy Schoen
Resilience, Independence, Self-Advocacy, Employment: that is what the RISE in Project RISE stands for. Going into the program, I had low expectations; everything I had done so far had not prepared me for what I got. The power of Project RISE is not in the curriculum, though it is extremely beneficial, it is in the people who you meet and the lives the mentors are willing to share with you and teach you to attain.
From a young age, a blind person is taught two universal truths that, though probably not said out loud, are said by actions:
Ten Tips for a Resume that Gets You the Interview
By John Bailey
Let’s face it, the whole goal from searching online for a job, creating that perfect resume, talking to your career buddies about unadvertised job opportunities is to get you an interview. Getting face-to-face with your potential employer means that you are almost there in terms of getting the job you want. Once in the interview, you can let your skills, knowledge, and personality take over to dazzle so that you will get the offer. Once in the interview, you have all the power.
True North: Discovering the Strength of Your Inner Compass
By Kathryn Webster
Editor’s Note: During the last weekend in January 2019, Kathryn organized a joint conference for Project RISE participants and leaders from the National Association of Blind Students. On Saturday evening, the two groups came together for a banquet and keynote speech that merged the goals of both tracks in one inspirational presentation. Following is the text of Kathryn’s remarks.