The New Jersey Council of the Blind’s mission is to strive for the betterment of the blind and visually impaired community. The purpose of this publication is to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas, opinions and information that concern blind and visually impaired people.
The NJCB Chronicle is also available on Newsline. If you do not have a Newsline subscription, contact Reader Services at the New Jersey Talking Book and Braille Center at (800) 792-8322 to get signed up for a Newsline subscription. Four quarterly newsletters are sent to members free of charge by E-mail. You may obtain the current and back issues of the Chronicle and other information from our web site www.njcounciloftheblind.org. Feel free to write us at njcounciloftheblind@gmail.com.
The New Jersey Council of the Blind (NJCB) is a 501 (c) 3 corporation. Much appreciated tax-deductible donations may be sent to the Treasurer of NJCB.
The NJCB officers are: President Frank Schack (973) 595-0116; Vice President, Joyce Sowa (732) 596-9675; Secretary Joyce Schack (973) 595-0116; Treasurer, Bernie Zuckerman of 32 Judson Street, Unit 7B, Edison, NJ 08837, and (732) 221-5362
The older I get, the faster these quarterly meetings come around. Time sure does fly.
Unfortunately, we are unable to have our yearly picnic at the BCA but will have our quarterly meeting on July 27th at the Joseph Kohn Training Center.
We hope that you can attend in person as it is much easier for discussions and sharing with each other, but if you are unable to attend, the conference call option will be available. (Dial in instructions will be found later in the Chronicle.)
We will be giving out scholarships to two recipients, so please try to attend to show them your support.
Looking forward to seeing you on July 27th.
Frank Schack, acting President
The next quarterly meeting of NJCB will be held at the Joseph Kohn Training Center (JKTC) at 130 Livingston Ave. in New Brunswick, NJ 08901 on Saturday, July 27, 2019. A pizza lunch will be served at 12 Noon for a cost of $5.00; the meeting will begin at 1 PM and will be over at about 4 PM. In order for us to order enough food call (973) 595-0116 by July 21st to let us know that you will be attending and want lunch. One person from each organization can call with a group count. We are looking forward to seeing you there. Can’t make it in person? Call in by our conference number. The call-in number is: 605-468-8005 Access code 425 373#. Please note this is a toll call.
We are excited to welcome Katherine Herson, registered dietician at JKTC. She will speak about nutrition and eye health.
Greetings from NJBCA
Summer is upon us and our thoughts turn to sun, sand, pools and picnics. But on that note, NJBCA is sorry that we cannot host the July meeting this year. We know that many look forward to it, and we do also. However, the office/program will be closed for 2 weeks so that our director is able to accompany her husband to Phoenix on a business trip. This will be her first ‘vacation’ with her hubby since 2000 and she is looking forward to it. Thank you for your understanding.
The 14th annual NJBCA gift auction was held on Friday, June 7th. Although it was not a sellout crowd as it usually is, loads of fun was had by all while raising critical funds for NJBCA.
Please have a safe and pleasant summer and we hope to see you next year.
Stacey Stefanski
Peace and wellbeing to everyone from members of MCAB. Once again Summer is upon us and MCAB wishes all an enjoyable Summer. We invite all to join MCAB’s Members at their annual Picnic on August 3, 2019 at the Elks Lodge, 42 DeCou Ave, Trenton, NJ 08628. From 12-4 PM. Cost only $5.00 per person, MCAB members in good standing may enjoy for free. Call Mustafaa Shabazz at 609 789-8173 to reserve seating last date is 7/24/2019. If you’re looking for a Summer event with good food, good fellowship, and good music make this event your choice.
MCAB is happy to announce that member Wanda Williford will be running for this year NJCB President position. We at MCAB are happy and supportive of Wanda and believe the rest of NJCB Members will be too.
Best regards
Submitted by Mustafaa Shabazz, MCAB President
During our October Quarterly meeting, NJCB will hold elections for our Executive Board. During this election, we seek candidates for President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Our nominating committee chair, Jim Dougherty is seeking nominations for President and Secretary. Any NJCB member in good standing maybe be eligible to run for office as long as they meet our guidelines for any position. Please contact Jim Dougherty at jfd208@optonline.net or call 732-549-5826.
NJCB is proud to award two candidates our annual scholarship. Both will be receiving their awards at our July Quarterly Meeting. Here is a bit about both:
Hello, I am Nimisha Rana. Quite a few years ago, achieving my goals seemed nearly impossible. I graduated from high school in India in 2000 and wished to pursue a career in Business. However, I lost my eyesight in 2001, right after I finished my first year of college in India that brought a halt to fulfilling my goals for some time. When I immigrated to the United States in 2010, I knew I would have to learn all the skills that I require to begin my education again, for example, mobility, braille, JAWS, and independent living skills. To my surprise, it did not take much time for me to become skillful at learning these skills. Resultingly, I attained my Associate of Arts degree in Psychology from Bergen County Community college in 2015. From there I decided to pursue higher education in social work and therefore applied to higher education institutions. I received admission into Rutgers University-Newark where I attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2017. In my undergraduate years, I interned at My Home Adult Day Care Center as a social worker, and among many other responsibilities, I acted as an interpreter for their Gujarati-speaking clients. During this period, I became a product intern at ONEder in Newark. I tested on ONEder’s application on multiple devices with different software. Then, I decided to pursue further goals in education, therefore, I applied for the master’s program in social work at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and received admission. The program is based in New Brunswick, but the classes are also offered in the Newark campus, hence, I am mostly taking course at the Newark campus. My concentration is in clinical social work and I am also in a Health and Aging certification program. In parallel with my intensive courses, I interned as a clinician at Jewish Family Services in Passaic, which is a mental healthcare provider. I also ran a current events group with seniors, informing them about the current events within and outside the country; I enjoyed this part the most. Furthermore, I volunteer in teaching JAWS to a small group of visually impaired Indians whenever they need my help. Currently, I am pursuing my master’s degree and I am looking forward to graduate in 2020.
Our second scholarship winner is Fatima Alejandra Mejano from Long Branch.
I graduated from Long Branch High School on June 18, 2019. I was in the National Honor society during my last two years of High School. My GPA ended up a 3.2. When I was in NHS, I volunteered during parent teacher conferences to translate to parents that don't speak or understand English. I took the AP Spanish exam but have not received my score yet. I also received the seal of biliteracy in English to Spanish. I would like to become a Spanish interpreter when I graduate from Brookdale Community College. Since I was nine years old, I volunteered with other members of my congregation to preach the Bible from door to door and at businesses as part of being a Jehovah's Witness. I currently do this for community service.
Our Current By Laws need an update. Here is what we are proposing:
First Amendment change.
Current:
ARTICLE VIII - DISSOLUTION
If at any time the Corporation shall disband, it shall be decided by a three-fourths (3/4) majority of the total membership of the local chapters and the members-at-large. Upon dissolution of the Corporation the assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to charitable purposes or corresponding to any future federal tax code or shall be distributed to the federal, state or local government for a public purpose.
Recommending change to:
ARTICLE VIII - DISSOLUTION
If at any time the Corporation shall disband, it shall be decided by a three-fourths (3/4) majority of the total membership of the local chapters and the members-at-large. Upon dissolution of the Corporation the assets shall be distributed to the American Council of the Blind and/or an organization with similar mission to the NJCB. Such organizations must be of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code with respect to charitable purposes or corresponding to any future federal tax code.
The wording in Article VIII regarding dissolution should be worded differently than the original proposal. It was not clear if the 3/4 vote was of the total membership or members present at a meeting. Therefore, the proposed dissolution article was changed to read: it shall be decided by three quarters of the members present at a quarterly meeting (including members on a conference call).
Second Amendment change
After much discussion on Article IX regarding amendment changes, a motion was made to not change this amendment. There was a unanimous decision by the members present to not accept the proposed change and leave article IX as is.
Just prior to each quarterly meeting, we send out meeting reminders by email. If you would like to receive your reminders by Text message, we need to hear from you with your approval. Please send an email to njcounciloftheblind@gmail.com with Text approval in the subject line. In the email, please state your name and phone number and that you approve to receive text message reminders for meeting alerts. All current and new members will be required to complete a membership form going forward. The updated form will be on our website.
Please send your annual dues along with the attached membership form to our Treasurer, Bernie Zuckerman. Annual dues for members at large are $10.00.
Directions to the Joseph Kohn Training Center (JKTC)
Address:
JKTC
130 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-2421
Cross Street: Seaman Street
From the North
Proceed south on Route 1 to Route 18 toward New Brunswick.
Get off Route 18 at the New Street ramp.
Turn slight right onto New Street/ NJ 26.
Take the 2nd left onto Livingston Avenue/NJ 26.
Turn left onto Seaman Street and left into the JKTC parking lot.
From the South
Proceed north on Route 1 to the Livingston Avenue/NJ 26 exit toward New Brunswick.
Turn right onto Seaman Street and left into the JKTC parking lot
Saturday October 26th 12 Noon to 4PM Location TBD
NOTE: Disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the New Jersey Council of the Blind officers and/or members. The editor reserves the right to edit articles submitted for both space and content.
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Meeting reminder notification format: Email: ___Text: ___
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Format for Braille Forum (ACB National's Newsletter): LP __ Digital Cartridge __ Braille __ E-mail __ None___
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Annual Dues: $10.00 due in July
Make check payable to NJCB and send to:
Treasurer- Bernie Zuckerman
32 Judson St. Unit 7-B
Edison, NJ 08837
(732) 221-5362