[nfb-talk] chapter meetings

[T. Joseph Carter]

Ed and list,

I learned in college that college students are always attracted to free
food.  Really cheap food where you know the money is going somewhere
important is almost as good.  Coffee and donuts are cheap.  A dollar's
contribution should cover the per-person cost unless the chapter has a
large population of students with bottomless stomachs.  *grin*

In fact, in the average chapter I've seen in the places I've seen them, a
recommended dollar contribution should work out relatively nicely for
coffee and donuts.  That's probably just about the right amount for people
to occasionally not have a dollar this month and not lose money on the
prospect.

The nice thing about this is that anyone in the chapter can get it started
because the cost isn't that great (unless you're trying to feed the Denver
chapter, but they've already got breakfast taken care of.)  You should
know after only a couple of meetings whether or not idea is going to be
successful in your chapter.  It might not be--a chapter full of diabetic
people isn't likely to jump for chocolate frosted cake donuts.  *grin*

Let the feedback tell you how to proceed and, if it becomes popular, have
the chapter take over the funding and collection since probably the
treasurer is better able to keep track of how much money is coming in
versus going out to pay for these meeting expenses.  If the amount spent
starts to become larger than the amount contributed on a regular basis,
steps may need to be taken.

The point of the exercise is to encourage our most valuable resource--the
local membership of the Federation--to play an active role in the
organization.  If this has the desired effect, maybe it's worth doing even
if the costs are a little more than the contributions.


Now, meeting someplace that you can manage a potluck would be a very nice
thing, but most of the chapters I've seen wind up meeting someplace that a
potluck will not work.  It sure sounds like a good idea though.  It would
taste like one too, I'd imagine.


On Sat, Oct 13, 2007 at 07:19:16PM -0400, Ed Meskys wrote:
> Most of the members of my chapter are elderly who recently lost vision. John
> Parker and I are the only two blind people, and we are not that young
> either. I am 71, have been blind for 36 years, and in the nfb for 30 years.
> We try to have a speaker, from some agency or service, about every second
> meeting. At other times John and I try to show some new device, talk about a
> phenomenon like "facial vision," or various techniques of cooking, personal
> management (using sock rings or safety pins to keep things sorted and
> together, or for labeling. (for instance, a safety pin on the left pin
> identifies NFB T-shirts, one at the rear high quality picture Ts, one on the
> right hip scruffy Ts, one in the front plain ones for under dress shirts,
> and one on the tag on the back of the collar which advertises the science
> fiction magazine I edit and publish.) We used to end our late Saturday
> morning meetings with coffee and dessert, but slowly more and more other
> members began bringing food, so we have a full pot luck luncheon after the
> meeting, with chatter and networking.
> Best, Ed Meskys
> 
> 
> Edmund R. Meskys
> NIEKAS Publications
> National Federation of the Blind of N.H.
> Moultonboro Lions Club
> edmeskys at localnet.com
> 322 Whittier Hwy
> Moultonboro NH 03254-3627
> my credo:
> Clinton lied, nothing happened
> Bush lied, thousands died
> and over 3,000 permanently brain injured
> 
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