NFB Rock County Meeting Minutes October 5, 2024
Amy Snow
Greetings,
Please find the minutes from yesterday’s meeting below. There is also a flier for the Mac’s Pizza Shack fundraiser attached. As always, continue to monitor the Rock County and State listservs for updated information.
Thanks,
Amy
NFB of Rock County Meeting Minutes October 5, 2024
Officers Present:
Present Chelsea Dallin, Vice President Nikki Wolf, Secretary Amy Snow, Treasurer Ben Dallin
Members Present:
Dave Hyde, Kim Alverson
Guests
Icy Hunt
Meeting came to order at 10:07 AM. Minutes were read and approved. The treasurer’s report indicates a balance of $1,899. This includes a $1,108 deposit from candy sales and our chapter’s monthly PAC contribution. Ben shared we are now in a good financial position to start funding some initiatives. The treasurer’s report was approved.
State Affiliate News and Committee Reports
State Affiliate News
The board has approved for the state convention to take place again in Fond du Lac at the Radison Hotel first weekend in April. The contract is currently in the process of being signed.
Next weekend is the Octoberfest family weekend at Wisconsin Lions Camp. Some of our members will be in attendance and assisting with this event.
As a reminder, a Rideshare Rally is being planned for October 15th at both Uber and Lyft headquarters in San Fransisco to protest the treatment of passengers who are blind or visually impaired, particularly those who use guide dogs. Affiliates have been strongly encouraged to send representatives, so the State Affiliate is sending two members from the Dane County Chapter. Patty Zeller and Angie Castro.
Anyone else interested may use the link below to fill out the interest form to receive updates on this event.
The state affiliate has asked that each chapter gather a committee to post content to the website on a regular basis. The idea is to keep it fresh and get statewide content from each local source.
The state affiliate is also working to create a statewide fundraising committee. This would not only assist the state in raising funds but helping chapters build up their fundraising capabilities. Please see “New Business” for some upcoming events.
Ben is working on scheduling a state seminar on Social Security and ABLE accounts. Please monitor the state listserv for details
In summer of 2025, the state affiliate is planning a Possible BELL program at WCBVI. Though the program would potentially take place on the WCBVI campus, anyone who wants to work with students would be doing so on a volunteer basis. Updates will be shared as they become available.
State Advocacy Committee
Nothing new to report
State Legislative
Nothing new to report
News from the National Office
Nothing new to report
Rock County Committee Reports
Rock County Advocacy Committee
Nothing new to report
Rock County Membership Committee
Nothing new to report
Rock County Fundraising Committee
- Candy sales continue to go well and we will continue sell until either we run out or the manufacturer takes a break (generally from October to January for the Holiday season).
- Chelsea has connected with Rod on an in-person Scentsy fundraiser. The hope is to hold one at Bazinga’s on a Monday afternoon/evening. Time and date to be determined.
- A date was chosen for the Mac’s fundraiser. It will be on October 23rd from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Any assistance from members (cleaning up tables etc) would be appreciated. Amy will post the filer on social media and get it sent to WCLO for the Community Calendar. Also, a PDF the flier was provided to members at the in-person meeting and is attached to this message. Please feel free to distribute it.
- The fundraiser at Red Robin is scheduled for November 20th. Proceeds will go to helping members attend the Washington Seminar in January. Amy will distribute the flier closer to the event date. Please note that for proceeds to count towards our organization, diners MUST have a copy of the flier or at least mention our organization to the server.
Old Business
Collaborative Dane and Rock County Fundraiser
The fist in a series of collaborative fundraising events will take place on November 10th at River’s Edge Bowl. The Rock County and Dane County Chapters will host a Bowl-a-thon on that date. Times are not set in stone, but the estimated windows is between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM. As usual, please monitor the listservs and social media for updates.
Newsline Updates
No updates regarding the Gazette or the Daily News at this time.
Movie Theater Audio Description
No updates at this time
Lincoln Tollman House
No more information has become available on the accessibility project of the Lincoln Tollman House at this time.
City of Beloit Update
Kim and the city engineer spoke and he was able to get the corner fixed so Kim could walk through. There are still some questions to resolve, so Kim and Ben will likely plan to attend an upcoming Council meeting.
BioLife
Nothing new
Document Accessibility
The ADRC has been in touch with Chelsea regarding the need for document accessibility and she will connect with Amy on this. Amy shared that she had given some feedback on the Legislative District Maps page and that it was much improved.
Voting
Chelsea is in contact with the county clerk to work on a date for an event at the Senior Center. Also, Ben shared that though the Elections Commission will supply signature guides, each polling place needs to request them ahead of time. The signature guides are not automatically distributed. Dave indicated that perhaps the Court House or other early voting locations should plan accordingly prior to each election. Nikki suggested that, if needed, we could purchase some inexpensive signature guides and possibly put our brand on them. However, this may not be permitted as it may be seen as a form of advertising, which is not permitted in polling places.
New Business
Fundraising Events
As noted in Old Business and alluded to in the State Affiliate News section, our chapter has agreed to support other chapters in Wisconsin looking to start up their fundraising efforts. The first of these efforts is the Bowl-a-thon in November at Rivers Edge planned between the Rock County and Dane County chapters. The following events are in the works. Please monitor the list servs and social media for further information.
· A WAGDU fundraiser at Culvers on November 26th. Exact location will be shared as the date approaches.
- A fundraiser at Portillos in Madison, date and location will be shared as the date approaches.
As the Affiliate President and the Chapter Treasurer, Ben reminds us that it may assist the chapter to plan to dedicate funds raised at each event to a specific program (i.e. Washington Seminar, BELL Academy programing, convention scholarships, etc).
STEAM program
Dave hopes to speak to parents at the gathering in Steven’s Point planned by WIsconsin Parents of Blind Children next weekend. If there is interest, we can move forward to plan a program focused on STEAM. Amy mentioned use of the Monarch with math and science has been something she’s working on at WSBVI and could assist with if needed.
New Member
Icy Hunt was invited to formally join the chapter. A motion was made to formally accept her as a member, which was seconded. The motion passed and Icy is now a member of the NFB of Rock County. Welcome Icy!
Presidential Releases:
The Presidential Release was played for the first in the new shorter fomat. Links will continue to be provided in the minutes as well as links to the Braille Monitor and the NFB Pledge.
If you have missed prior releases or publications, please visit the links below.
Meeting adjourned 11:25 AM
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Snow, Secretary