Georgia Convention Goes Virtual
The Georgia Council of the Blind board met on Aug. 1 and voted to cancel our 2020 in-person conference due to the coronavirus. We will still be holding our conference, but it will be virtual! The dates are Nov. 6-7, 2020. You will be able to take part in the conference by computer, mobile phone, landline phone, or listen on ACB Radio. We are excited and hope you will join us for this history-making event.
ACB Families: Information, Fun, and Chances to Win
ACB Families presented five exciting programs at the ACB virtual convention in July. We visited Hawaii before it became a part of the United States; traveled on the ill-fated Sultana steamboat as Union soldiers returned home from the Civil War; met Helen Keller and the collection of her papers and artifacts now housed at American Printing House for the Blind; learned how braille or audio instructions for LEGO sets came to be; and sat around a virtual campfire and listened to stories told by well-known Talking Book narrator Jack Fox. After the convention, door prizes were awarded to 25 lucky people who registered for ACB Families at the convention.
Now fall is here and winter’s on its way. We’re beginning to think about gift-giving during the holiday season. It’s time for our annual ACB Families membership drive; we’re ready to hand out more prizes.
Join ACB Families for 2021 by Nov. 30 and have a chance to win a $75 ACB Mini Mall gift card, one of two $50 Visa cards, or a $25 Visa card — just in time to help with holiday shopping. Winners will be drawn at our ACB Families community support group call on Sunday, Dec. 6.
No matter who you are or where you live, you can participate in ACB Families. We hold two conference calls each month. On the first Sunday we invite a speaker or discuss a timely topic; past subjects include stretching the family dollar, making wise investments, dealing with the new normal, holiday gift ideas, and fun and educational Amazon Alexa skills.
ACB Families holds a membership meeting on the third Sunday of the month. Help plan upcoming virtual activities and Families events at the ACB national convention. Both calls are at 9 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. Pacific), and they are as close as your telephone.
We share information through our Families email list; join by sending a blank message to [email protected].
Join ACB Families now. Dues are just $8 a year. Pay by credit card by calling (502) 897-1472. Or make check payable to ACB Families and mail by Nov. 10 to 148 Vernon Ave., Louisville, KY 40206. You can also send $8 by PayPal to [email protected].
Welcome to our ACB family.
Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America® Virtual Convention
Since this year’s conference was virtual, RSVA® decided to have a drawing. Each person registering for RSVA was entered into a drawing. We ran an ad in the daily newspaper so anyone attending the ACB convention could participate, too. For every donation of $20, another drawing ticket was added to the pot. The drawing winner was Jennifer Wright from Kentucky.
On Saturday, July 4, RSVA held four different sessions on Zoom. All sessions were streamed and recorded. The first session topic was “Building business and personal relationships in a changing world.” Mark Richert, ACB’s first vice president, shared his experiences in several nonprofit organizations and some positive outcomes. Visit http://acbradio.org/content/rsva-Session-1 to listen to the session.
Chris Prentice of the American Association of Visually Impaired Attorneys and RSVA’s own Jeff Thom led the second session, “A Legal Update on RS Vendor Cases.” Check it out at http://acbradio.org/content/rsva-Session-2.
Karen Blachowicz of New York and Linda Allison of Tennessee spearheaded the third session, “The impact of COVID-19 on Randolph-Sheppard Vendors.” Listen in at http://acbradio.org/content/rsva-Session-3.
The fourth session had two sections. Part 1 focused on “Tips and tricks on vending.” The moderator was Karen Blachowicz. Part 2 answered the question “Randolph-Sheppard Program- what is it?” To listen to this session, visit http://acbradio.org/content/rsva-Session-4.
You might also enjoy listening to the IVIE session on keeping your business open when you are told to close. To listen to that session, visit http://acbradio.org/content/ivie-keeping-your-business-open.
I hope you were able to listen to many of the virtual convention sessions as well. If you haven’t paid your RSVA dues, please go to www.randolph-sheppard.org. Then go to the “join” link, fill out the application and submit your dues. If you have problems with the form or payment process, email [email protected]. To sign up for either the rsva-announce list or the rsva-l email discussion list, send an email to [email protected]. The announce list sends the latest information on RSVA and business-related updates, while the other list can be used to ask questions and share information.