[Colorado-talk] Washington Seminar Arrangements

[David Andrews]

>From Jim McCarthy:


Fellow Federationists,
 
            The time has come again for Federation members from across
the nation to gather in Washington, DC to advocate for issues to help us
achieve security, opportunity, and equality with our fellow citizens.
The fact sheets for our three issues are completed and have been posted
to our Web site, easily reached under the Upcoming Events heading.
There is an HTML version as well as a Word version for downloading.  You
should be well along in the process of setting appointments with the
members of Congress that represent your affiliates.
 
We have made a modest change in appointment procedures to take advantage
of the technology age.  An email address has been established for you to
email appointments to the Mercury room staff which is 
hillappointments at nfb.org <
mailto:hillappointments at nfb.org
> .  In your
email indicate the affiliate you represent, the date and time for each
appointment you have confirmed, whether you expect to see the member of
Congress, and the staff person who will meet with you.  I strongly
encourage you to send your appointments to this address before you leave
for your trip because it is only available until January 26.
 
            Please understand that you are strongly encouraged to email
appointments, however, you must still visit the Mercury room when you
arrive at the Holiday Inn Capitol.  This is to confirm the information
you provided; to give Mercury any changes that might have occurred after
you provided the information; and to collect fact sheets, literature,
and committee lists, so you are optimally prepared for the days ahead.
 
            This year, I am once again pleased to work with the
Affiliate Action Department of the National Center for the Blind to
conduct another Washington Seminar "How-To Workshop."  We will be
conducting this workshop from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon.
You will have the first opportunity to discuss the issues and will be
able to participate in a critiqued role-play to become familiar with
presenting our issues, which will be critical over the coming days.
 
            Finally, Diane McGeorge, our logistical expert for
Washington Seminar, has asked me to share some items that she has
provided.  Using this information will improve the odds that we have a
trouble-free Washington Seminar.  Here is what she says.  
 
Dear Colleagues:
 
            In the event your state affiliate is covering the room and
taxes for a block of rooms in Washington, please do the following to
expedite payment when you wish to check your group out of the hotel. 
 
Please make a list of the rooms your state is covering and include the
names of the persons sharing each room.  Then fax it to Ed Cruz in
accounting at the Holiday Inn Capitol at  (202) 488-4627.  Please
provide me with a copy of that list either via email or when you arrive
at the hotel.  This way, there should not be too many mix-ups when you
check out.  Be very clear on exactly what your state will cover, i.e.,
only room and tax if that is the case.  If you are covering other
expenses, please, make that very clear as well.  If I have a copy of the
list you give to Ed Cruz, then we will have a backup if there are any
questions about payment.  It would also be a good idea if you leave a
copy of this list with the front desk at the hotel. 
 
            Please remember that even though a room may be covered by
the state affiliate, a credit card must be presented when someone checks
in to guarantee payment of incidentals. We have used this method in
other years and it has worked quite well. 
 
Looking forward to seeing all of you in Washington. 
 
Best wishes, 
Diane
Contact Information:  (303) 778-1130, extension 219 
Email: rmcgeorge at comcast.net <
mailto:rmcgeorge at comcast.net> 
 
            There are less than two weeks before Washington Seminar
begins.  I am getting excited to address these important issues and
anxious to work together with you to make sure we succeed.
 
Yours in the Federation,
 
 
James D. McCarthy
Director of Governmental Affairs
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone:  (410) 659-9314, extension 2240
Email: jmccarthy at nfb.org <
mailto:jmccarthy at nfb.org> 
 
JDM/wmb