One For All, and All For One
Mid-Atlantic ACB Affiliate Convention
November 2-4, 2007
Holiday Inn-Rosslyn at Key Bridge, Arlington, VA
September
17, 2007
This is
an invitation to something special. For
the first time, the American Council of the Blind of Maryland, Old Dominion
Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired, District of Columbia Council of the
Blind, National Capital Citizens with Low Vision, and Maryland Area Guide Dog
Users, Inc. are hosting a convention together at the Holiday
Inn, Rosslyn at Key Bridge, located at 1900 N. Ft. Myer Drive in Arlington,
Virginia. That means
everything will be bigger and better. There
will be more exhibitors, more sessions to attend, a reception Friday night, a
banquet and auction Saturday night, Mitch Pomerantz, the new ACB president as
keynote speaker, and more people to meet and share ideas with, just to name a
few reasons why you should make it a point to be there.
Friday
Night – Exhibits and “Canes, Canines, and Cocktails”
Exhibits
will be open for a while as you arrive so you can get a jump on products and
services before the whirlwind of Saturday.
“Canes, Canines, and Cocktails”, hosted by MAGDUI, is a reception for
you, political figures, and disability advocates in the region – a place to
meet, greet, eat (hors d’oeuvres), and relax with a jazz group and cash bar.
Saturday
– Exhibits, Sessions, Banquet, Keynote Address, and Auction
Something for everyone on this very busy day.
Exhibits will be open most of the day. Saturday morning’s sessions will begin at 8:30 and include:
The Present and Future
of Books: How, Who, And When are
They Going digital?; Cell Phones and Beyond; and Transportation and Pedestrian
Safety - What’s Coming?
The afternoon will be broken into four concurrent
workshop periods with three choices during each time frame. These sessions range from support group resources for people
facing vision loss, to special education programs for blind children, to finding
a job, to technology training and much more. Please see the Registration Form for a complete listing.
Saturday
night at the banquet, you will have the opportunity to continue getting to know
the friends in the region you have been enjoying.
You’ll also get to know ACB’s new president, Mitch Pomerantz through
his keynote address. Several
noteworthy advocates will be recognized for their work.
The auction (new to some of us) is our fund-raising
event that is such fun for all. If
you are willing to donate either door prize or auction items, please call Frank
Pacheco at 301-608-3346 or e-mail him at frankpach@comcast.net
to let him know of which affiliate you are a member and to make
arrangements to get the item to him at the convention.
Thank you very much. It is
through the proceeds of this event that we are able to carry out our advocacy
work each year.
Sunday
We will start Sunday morning with a town hall
meeting led by Mitch Pomerantz; and
a convention wrap-up session. Individual affiliate business meetings will
follow, to which all are invited.
The Early Bird (prior to October 15) Registration Fee
for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Convention is $40. ($45. if after Oct. 15).
This fee includes the “Canes, Canines, & Cocktails” Reception,
the Banquet, and convention registration and information materials.
We are hoping to get sponsors in order to be able to also include some
additional meals, but those have not been confirmed at the time of this writing. However, you will be informed of any updates when you
register. Registration
forms are enclosed, or available online at:
www.acb.org/olddominion
Room rates are $99 (plus tax) per night, single or
double occupancy. To make a
reservation, phone the Holiday Inn Rosslyn at 703-807-2000 or 1-800-368-3408.
Be sure to mention that you are with the ACB convention.
We look
forward to seeing you November 2-4