January 2015 Minute Message from the Movement

Fellow Federationists,

Happy New Year! January is turning out to be a jammed packed month of activities for the NFBMD. First, I want to congratulate our Sligo Creek chapter for promoting Braille awareness and commemorating the birthday of Lewis Braille on January 4th at the Rockville Public library. Congratulations are also in order to Tom Bickford. Check out the January Braille Monitor to read Tom’s speech given at the 2013 NFBMD convention. Congratulations to Desmond Jackson who appeared in the Baltimore city paper describing the BISM Rehabilitation Program. Chris Nusbaum was featured in an article in the December 15th edition of Wired magazine. You will be able to read these articles in the Braille Spectator when it comes out next month. 

You are in for a real treat when you go to www.nfbmd.org. To commemorate the 75th anniversary of our parent organization, the National Federation of the Blind, we have the audio of the panel presentation by Dr. Maurer, Mary Ellen Jernigan, and President Riccobono at our 2014 convention. We also have the audio of Tom Bickford’s recollections of his journey in the Federation.  

The spring raffle is coming! January is reserve your special three digit number from 000-999. If you have a favorite number and want to reserve it for the drawing in May, contact Melissa Riccobono at melissa@riccobono.us. Reserved numbers are not final until you pay the $5 per number. In February, March, and April, we hope you will sell or purchase random numbers. When you purchase one number, you have 31 chances to win. The drawings take place in May. Let’s sell all 1,000 tickets!  

We need a large turnout for Annapolis Day on Thursday, January 22nd. Tell your chapter president if you can attend and he/she will work out transportation. If you are not yet in a chapter and want to attend, send an email to me at nfbmd@earthlink.net. Look for the issue discussion documents, late in the week of January 19th, atwww.nfbmd.org. Go to “Current Advocacy Issues.”

I look forward to seeing many of you at the 5th Anniversary celebration of the founding of the National Harbor chapter on January 24th.  President Riccobono will be the keynote speaker. There will be food, music, and dancing. For more information, contact Michelle Clark at mcikeyc@aol.com.

Plan to be in Washington DC on January 26th and January 27th. There will be many NFB activities including the 5pm meeting on January 26th at the Holiday Inn at the Capitol, 550 C Street, Southwest.  On Tuesday, January 27th, we will be meeting the Maryland Congressional Delegation on Capitol Hill. Remember, there will be a reception from 3 to 5pm to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NFB in Rayburn B339.

Other Important Dates:

Jan 24 – 24-hour Polar Bear Plunge. Mike Gerlach, a member of the Greater Baltimore Chapter, will be raising money for Special Olympics. If you can help him, go to http://insightondisability.com/

Feb 7 – Braille Challenge for students K-12; there will also be parent activities. This event takes place at Maryland School for the Blind. The snow date, if needed, is February 21st 

Feb. 28 – Goalball Clinic in Baltimore (for more information, email mdgoalball@gmail.com)

Mar. 13 – Basket Bingo (for tickets and further information call 410-715-9596) Over $3,500 in prizes! All baskets filled!

Mar. 22 – an afternoon of musical inspiration to be held at Pikesville International Seventh-Day Adventist Church (4619 Old Court Road Pikesville, Maryland 21208). This event will benefit NFBMD Youth Programs. For further questions or information send an email to AAOMI2015@gmail.com

Mar. 26-27 – Jacobus tenBroek Disability Law Symposium

Mar. 31 – Deadline for National Scholarship applications. For applications go to: https://nfb.org/scholarships

Apr. 11 – UEB Workshop, sponsored by NFBMD and ACBMD, to be held at LBPH. 

Apr. 15 – Deadline for NFBMD Scholarship applications. For applications go to:http://nfbmd.org/drupal/scholarship 

April 18 – Bowl-a-thon to benefit Maryland Parents of Blind Children. Get your team ready to bowl from 2-4pm. For more information, contact Teresa Graham at teresagraham3@gmail.com 

June 7 – Third annual Dot Dash 6k. Run or walk for Braille literacy. Race begins at 200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD 21230

Jul. 5-10 – 75th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind

Aug. 7 – Crab Feast to be held at Columbus Gardens (4301 Klosterman Ave Baltimore, MD 21236). For the benefit of the John T. McGraw Scholarship.

Nov. 13-15 – NFBMD Annual State Convention, to be held in Ocean City, MD