NFB Rock County Meeting Minutes March 1, 2025
Amy Snow
Greetings,
Please find the minutes from Saturday’s meeting below.
Important: There will NOT be a meeting in April since that is the weekend of the State Convention. We hope you will all be able to join us in May!
Thanks!
Amy
NFB of Rock County Meeting Minutes March 1, 2025
Officers Present:
President Chelsea Dallin, Vice President Nikki Wolf, Secretary Amy Snow, Treasurer Ben Dallin
Members Present:
Icy Hunt, Kim Alveson
The meeting came to order at 10:20 AM. The minutes were read. A clarification was made that the State Affiliate will be providing the scholarship money in addition to assistance with attending national convention. Also, Ben noted that the candy money was deposited last month and the minutes incorrectly noted that candy money was outstanding. The minutes were approved as amended.
The treasurer’s report indicates a balance of $1,629.21 and was approved. Ben notes that the Scentsy fundraiser and Mac’s fundraiser are both pending deposit.
State Affiliate News and Committee Reports
State Affiliate News
Washington Seminar: Ben was able to give a report on Washington Seminar, including some status updates. The Accessible Technology Affordability Act and Blind Return to Work Legislation were both introduced and are in front of Congress. Please contact legislators to convey support.
On a local note, an article in the Janesville Gazette on Kandu and subminimum wage and Bryan Steil’s support of such, Ben hopes to have our side noted in an article in the future. For reference, the article is below:
'They are with their peers.' In visit to KANDU, Steil urges continuation of special wage rule
There will be a board meeting on March 8th at the Radison Hotel in Fond du Lac with an option to attend virtually.
Reminder that the state convention will be held on April 4-6 in Fond du Lac Updates and the registration form will be shared on our listserv as well as the NFB Wisconsin Website as they become available.
Also related to the State Convention, please consider gathering items for donations as door prizes. See the Old Business section of the minutes for further details.
State Advocacy Committee
Ben and Dave had an opportunity to meet with the individual interested in attending the Colorado Center as well as their DVR counselor. Options are being explored and hopefully things will proceed in a timely manner
State Legislative
Nothing new to report at this time.
News from the National Office
Registration for national convention is now available on the NFB 2025 National Convention page of the website.
Rock County Committee Reports
Rock County Advocacy Committee
Nothing new to report
Rock County Membership Committee
Those present are invited to meet for lunch following the meeting
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 will be deposited when they become available. Chelsea indicates that she’d like to hold another fundraising event later this year at a date to be determined.
- Chelsea asked about a future Red Robin fundraiser. Amy believes it might be once a year, but will confirm.
- Ben suggested we explore the option of a Chili’s fundraiser and members agreed this was worth exploring. Ben and Chelsea will share paperwork with Amy, who will see what needs to be done in order to proceed.
Old Business
Audio Description
No updates at this time
Basket Donation for State Convention
Go Low and Skibo card games have been donated from Nikki. Amy has the Uno cards as well. Please consider donating additional items to the basket as you are able. Chelsea will be writing up a description of our basket, so please get items to her as soon as possible. Also Ben made a motion that, if needed, the chapter can spend up to $50 towards the basket for convention or towards door prizes. Amy seconded and the motion carried.
National Convention
As noted above, registration is now open for National Convention. Please visit the National Convention page of the NFB website to register or for more information.
Meeting Guests
Chelsea is still working on getting Beca from JTS in for a meeting and possibly Lisa (Rock County Treasurer).
New Business
There is no new business at this time.
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 at 11:10 AM
Respectfully Submitted,
Amy Snow, Secretary
Amy Snow
Greetings,
Please find the minutes from Saturday’s meeting below.
Important: June’s meeting will be held on the 14th of that month due to commitments by many board members. In the meantime, please monitor the list for any relevant information as usual.
Thanks!
Amy
NFB of Rock County Meeting Minutes May 3, 2025
Officers Present:
President Chelsea Dallin, Vice President Nikki Wolf, Secretary Amy Snow, Treasurer Ben Dallin
Members Present:
Dave Hyde Lekshmi Mendez
The meeting came to order at 10:10 AM. The minutes were read with the correction that Lisa is from “elections” not “treasury”. Minutes were approved as amended. outstanding. The minutes were approved as amended.
The treasurer’s report indicates a balance of $1,742.32 and was approved. Since the March meeting, the $350 check from the Mac’s fundraiser was deposited. Also, our chapter was able to assist with transportation of members to state convention with a contribution of $250. Lastly, our chapter pledged $500 to the State Affiliate at the convention.
State Affiliate News and Committee Reports
State Affiliate News
State convention took place in April and went fairly smoothly. Plans are in progress to plan for next spring. It is possible that convention will take place in Madison depending on rates. Nikki shared that she thinks the baskets went over quite well and it earned about $800 and there was some discussion on the fundraiser as a whole. Dave asked about the banquet speech since it was not captured by the mic and therefore not recorded in the Zoom meeting. We do not believe there is a hard copy, which is unfortunate those present commented it was a good speech.
State Advocacy Committee
Nothing new to report
State Legislative
Nothing new to report at this time, but members were reminded that sending support to Bryan Steil for the Access Technology Affordability Act.
News from the National Office
Registration for national convention is still available on the NFB 2025 National Convention page of the website.
Rock County Committee Reports
Rock County Advocacy Committee
Nothing new to report
Rock County Membership Committee
Those present are invited to meet for lunch following the meeting
Rock County Fundraising Committee
- Candy sales will continue and Chelsea will be contacting the company to arrange for more product as needed.
- Chelsea indicates that she’d like to hold another fundraising event later this year at a date to be determined. The membership agreed that since she was the most familiar with timing of releases and specials, she should choose a day and time that is convenient and we would work with that.
- Chelsea and Ben sent on some paperwork to Amy, who will check out the fundraising options for Red Robin and Chili’s. She will plan for one in August and a second possibly near the end of September or early October.
Old Business
Audio Description
No updates at this time other than a possible need for more headphones.
National Convention
As noted above, registration is now open for National Convention. Please visit the National Convention page of the NFB website to register or for more information.
Meeting Guests
Chelsea is still working on potential guest speakers. Lisa from Elections is coming to the WSBVI Resource Fair and may be available to come to the June meeting to go over voting from the last few elections and discuss possible community outreach on use of the specialized voting system available at the polling places.
New Business
June meeting
Due to commitments of our board members, the June meeting will be moved to Saturday June 14th. As is our custom, we will forgo a meeting in July due to National Convention. Unless otherwise indicated, the August meeting will take place at the customary time and location.
New affiliate newsletter
Check your email for the new NFBW Connect Newsletter. This newsletter will share news from the various chapters in our affiliate. At this time, we are unsure whether it will be monthly or quarterly. Our chapter will begin contributing content based on our activities.
Farmers Market
Question was raised about doing the Farmers Market. Amy will investigate this option and come up with some dates.
Proposed Resolutions
In the Presidential release, Mark touched on the importance of resolutions and there was some discussion on this among our members. Dave questions whether we can gather data on whether some of the issues with BioLife presented by Tina are a corporate issue or if it is only a local concern. Dave resolves that if issues are found to be far-reaching a resolution be drafted to address then. Nikki seconds the motion and it carried. Ben has agree to send out some emails that will hopefully addres this question.
A second idea for a resolution was the accessibility of the Coach USA website, challenges in using it to purchase a ticket, and the inequity of needing to pay extra for a ticket if not purchased in advance. Obviously, if the purchaser is utilizing assistive technology and cannot purchase passage in advance due to this fact, it is not acceptable to upcharge them.
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 11:10 AM
Respectfully submitted,
Amy Snow, Secretary