Welcome to the California connection for February 10.
CCB Board Of Directors Elections
At the 2017 Convention in April CCB will be electing a 2nd vice president, secretary, and five members to its board of directors.
We would like to provide perspective candidates an opportunity to give you some information on their qualifications for, and ideas about serving on, the CCB board. To accomplish this, we will again have a candidates page on our website.
For those who cannot access information through our website or are not comfortable doing so, statements will be placed in the special announcements box.
It is our goal to have this webpage up by March 10.
If you are a potential candidate, we would invite you to answer the four questions indicated below, with the answer to each question to be not more than 300 words, with the count to be determined by the word-count feature in MS Word on a PC. Entries for each answer will terminate at the end of the sentence containing the 300th word and there will be no editing, spell checks or grammar checks done.
The deadline for submission of your statements is March 1, 2017.
Submit them to the office in electronic format as a .txt, .rtf, or MS Word file.
Email them to jennifer.caldeira@ccbnet.org
There is no requirement that a candidate submit answers to these questions.
The four questions are as follows:
- What office are you seeking, and what are your qualifications?
- What contributions have you made to CCB in the last year?
- How do you propose to support CCB during your term of office as we move ahead with our CEO Paul Shane?
- Because the primary mission of CCB is to advocate for persons who are blind or have low vision, discuss three issue areas you believe require our advocacy efforts.
Conference Announcement
Join us at the 2017 CCB Conference and Convention as we begin a new era for the California Council of the Blind. Our 2017 conference and convention theme, "New Challenges, New Opportunities" says it all and we hope to see you there on April 6-9 2017.
Hotel registration is now open for the 2017 Conference and Convention at the Hilton Woodland Hills/Los Angeles Hotel, located at: 6360 Canoga Ave, Woodland Hills, CA 91367.
The hotel is accepting reservations at this time by phone (866-288-3310) or via
the hotel website.
When calling, please mention the California Council of the Blind (CCB) SRP CODE: "CBL" in order to get the $105 all-inclusive room rate of guest room tax.
The room rate of $105 all-inclusive of guest room tax will be honored starting Wednesday April 5th and concluding on Monday April 10th, 2017 for a total of 5 nights.
For those considering coming to the convention on Wednesday, CCB will be holding a fundraiser at a nearby BJ's Restaurant and Brew house from 4 to 10 PM.
In order to assign specific room types to attendees, the hotel has requested that all room requests be received no later than March 22nd, 2017. After that date, We cannot guarantee that rooms will remain available.
Please share this information with chapters, statewide affiliates, and other interested parties.
We look forward to seeing you and making the 2017 CCB Conference and Convention the best ever!
Awards Awards
The deadline of February 15 is fast approaching.
Submit your letters about projects for Chapter of the Year to the CCB office.
Awards for Individuals can be submitted to Awards Committee Chair Joe Smith by phone at (916) 429-8002 or by email at joesmith55@att.net.
Even if you're not sure just which award the person you're nominating might qualify for, submit a letter to Joe describing what you think qualifies that person for CCB recognition.
From CEO Paul Shane
I am excited to announce the first monthly "Brown Bagging For Knowledge" conference call on Saturday, February 18, 2017 from 11 AM-1 PM.
The call in number is (712) 432-3066 and the access code is 497700.
Please mark your calendars.
The purpose of the "Brown Bagging For Knowledge" monthly call is to provide a two way open communication loop between the CEO and the membership directly.
The topic of our first call will be "what's on your mind". I want to know what is important to you and to be able to respond to your questions and concerns. Future meetings will include a one hour educational session followed by a one hour question and answer period.
Meetings will occur on a monthly basis and will rotate to different days and times in order to allow everyone a chance to attend.
If you have a complex question that requires research, please submit it in writing to me at least one week in advance of the meeting.
I am looking forward to hearing from you on Saturday, February 18th.
Seize The Moment: Apply to be a 2017 Leadership Fellow
Why wait? Begin expanding your horizons this year.
In partnership with JP Morgan Chase, ACB has created a path to leadership which provides an opportunity for 5 ACB members with recognized leadership potential to participate in the 56th annual conference and convention in Reno. Join the previous Leadership Fellows on a quest to meet with other leaders around the nation.
In its second year, the Leadership Fellows Award will introduce additional leadership development modules that are sure to prepare you to serve well in future leadership roles within ACB, your local chapter, as well as, your state or special interest affiliate.
All recipients receive round-trip transportation; hotel accommodation (double occupancy), per diem stipend for meals and incidentals, convention registration fee and reception and banquet tickets.
Recipients are expected to attend the convention from the opening meeting, Saturday evening, July 1, through the Thursday evening banquet, July 6, and to participate actively in all convention activities including the daily general sessions, special-interest presentations, seminars and workshops.
For more information including requirements and how to apply contact CCB president Judy Wilkinson by phone at (510) 357-1844 or by email at jwilkins@panix.com
San Gabriel Valley Chapter Fund Raiser
The San Gabriel Valley Chapter invites you to come join us for our 32nd annual Pizza and Spaghetti Fundraiser: Saturday, February 18, 3:00 p.m, to 7:00 p.m,
only $10.00 per ticket, from SGV Chapter members or at the door.
Menu includes: pizza, spaghetti, salad, garlic-bread, regular and diet soda, iced tea, coffee, bottled water and dessert. Alcoholic beverages may be purchased at the Bar.
Address: VFW Hall, 825 South Magnolia Avenue, Monrovia (Northwest corner of Magnolia and Chestnut).
Two Grand Prizes: an Amazon Echo Dot and a first generation Chromebook; winner need not be present. There will be door prizes; winners must be present, along with a 50/50 raffle.
Everyone is welcome!
If you need more information: please contact President Pam Polagi at (626) 445-7297.
Thank you very much.
Student Education Access Grant
Applications are now available for THE 2017 STUDENT EDUCATION ACCESS GRANT, which is awarded annually to A legally blind student ages 8-18 who lives in the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma.
The San Francisco Chapter of CCB will give a grant in the form of technology products worth up to $2,500 to an applicant who meets the criteria listed above and can best demonstrate the need for accessible equipment to enhance their educational opportunities.
A Completed application and essay must be submitted to Charlie Dorris tyreedorris@comcast.net by March 31, 2017.
To request an application and instruction form or for further details contact:
Charlie Dorris: 415-775-0487 tyreedorris@comcast.net (or)
Linda Porelle: 415-586-2622, lmporelle@gmail.com
Thank you for reading, have a nice day
