NFB Rock County Meeting Minutes February 1, 2025
Amy Snow
Greetings,
Please find the minutes from Saturday’s meeting below.
Thanks,
Amy
NFB of Rock County Meeting Minutes February 1, 2025
Officers Present:
President Chelsea Dallin, Vice President Nikki Wolf, Secretary Amy Snow, Treasurer Ben Dallin
Members Present:
Lynzie Ashley, Tina Gruchow, Dave Hyde Lekshmi Mendez,
Guests Present:
Jasmine Burche
Meeting came to order at 10:08 AM. Note that this meeting was not conducted in the customary order. This was due to the fact that our treasurer was in Baltimore preparing to attend Washington Seminar and it was necessary to present items that required his presence before he needed to move to another meeting. Minutes for this meeting are written in the customary order for the sake of consistency.
Amy suggested that, since reading of the minutes would lengthen the meeting significantly, she suggested that we waive the reading of the January minutes. Tina moved we pass on reading the minutes for the stated reason and Dave seconded. There was some discussion on the topic, but it was decided that reading of the minutes helps refresh memories of the members and since there have been new attendees in recent weeks, it helps them get a grasp of what’s the organization has been doing. Tina withdrew her motion and the minutes were read.
Dave noted that there was an error. The $1,500 scholarship mentioned will be awarded by the chapter for an individual pursuing higher education and not for National or State Convention attendance. These corrections were made to the minutes.
The treasurer’s report indicates a balance of $1,639.21 and was approved. Ben reports there is still some money from candy sales that needs to be deposited as well as the dues that have been paid. The only withdrawals were the PAC contributions and the approved $200 allocated to supplement travel expense to Washington Seminar for our chapter’s only attendee.
As a reminder, 2025 dues are now payable to the chapter for those who have not yet done so.
State Affiliate News and Committee Reports
State Affiliate News
There is a board meeting in the process of being planned for March 8th at the hotel in Fond du Lac with an option to attend virtually.
There will also be a Midwest student seminar in Chicago that will also be held the weekend of March 8th. The state affiliate is looking to assist in sponsoring some attendees. Chelsea also hopes to attend.
Please be on the lookout for scholarship information from the state affiliate in the coming weeks.
Reminder that the state convention will be held on April 4-6 in Fond du Lac Updates will be shared on our listserv as well as the NFB Wisconsin Website as they become available.
State Advocacy Committee
Ben has indicated he will be checking in again with the individual who has expressed interest in attending the Colorado Center to determine how we can assist them in advocating for their needs to DVR.
State Legislative
Though there is nothing specific to Wisconsin to report, Dave shared that there has been some speculation regarding efforts to eliminate subminimum wage at the National level. The elimination of subminimum wage outlined in Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act may not pass during this session due to the many recent executive orders. Amy noted that the Illinois governor recently passed the Dignity in Pay Act that will phase out subminimum wage, so hopefully while this may be stalled at the Federal level, she hopes this means that more states will take some action. There was also some discussion and explanation of how DEI and accessibility may be affected.
News from the National Office
As a reminder, Washington seminar will be taking place in early February. More information can be found on the Washington Seminar page of the NFB website.
Rock County Committee Reports
Rock County Advocacy Committee
Nothing new to report
Rock County Membership Committee
Those present will be meeting for lunch following the conclusion of the meeting at Citrus Café.
Rock County Fundraising Committee
- Candy sales will continue and Chelsea will be contacting the company to arrange for more product as needed.
- Chelsea has been in contact with Macs regarding proceeds from the fundraiser and hopefully that funding will be available soon.
- The Scentsy sales amounts have come in and the total that will come to the chapter is approximately $125.
Old Business
BioLife
Tina reports that BioLife will now have a specific space for those with guide dogs who are donating. The staff must do some specific cleaning routines before and after donating, so it is helpful for those donating to provide notice of when they plan to arrive.
Audio Description
No updates at this time
Basket Donation for State Convention
There were several suggestions for donations to the game basket for State Convention. Dave suggested a braille Rubik’s cube and some snacks. Amy has an unopened deck of braille Uno cards that was donated she can put in there. Gift cards may also be a possibility to add. The chapter members will continue to explore donation options.
National Convention
For up-to-date information on the convention, please visit the National Convention page of the NFB website.
JTS Updates
JTS is currently working on a GPS system with Beloit Transit and hopes it will be available in April. Chelsea shared she still plans to invite Beca to a future meeting,
New Business
Jury Duty
Dave shared that he has been called for Jury Duty. He mentioned the accessibility of the forms (noting the print was quite small) and that perhaps our chapter could be in contact with Lisa, the County Clerk on the topic. Chelsea also plans to connect with Lisa to invite her to a meeting.
Addition to National Scholarship Committee
Congratulations to Chelsea, who has been appointed to the National Scholarship Committee. She will be traveling to Baltimore on Mother’s Day weekend to begin sorting through applications. She will then need to attend the National Convention so that she can be a mentor to one of the chosen candidates. Dave gave a brief description of how it is done.
Elections
Elections were held early in the meeting so that Ben could be present.
The office for President was open for nominations. Chelsea was nominated by Tina. No other nominations were made. Ben moved she be elected by acclimation and seconded by Tina. The motion passed.
The office for Vice-President was open for nominations. Nikki was nominated by Tina. No other nominations were made. Ben moved she be elected by acclimation and seconded by Chelsea. The motion passed.
The office for Secretary was open for nominations. Amy was nominated by Nikk. Lynzie nominated herself. Votes were cast by voice and Amy was elected to the office of secretary.
The office for Treasurer was open for nominations. Ben was nominated by Tina. No other nominations were made. Chelsea moved he be elected by acclimation and seconded by Nikki. The motion passed.
Presidential Releases:
The Presidential Release was played and is also linked below. In addition, there are also links to past releases and the Braille Monitor.
If you have missed prior releases or publications, please visit the links below.
Meeting adjourned 11:26 AM
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Snow, Secretary
Amy Snow
On Feb 2, 2025, at 7:14 PM, Amy Snow <snowfl...@att.net> wrote: