By Judy Sanders
(Editor’s Note: I have known Judy Sanders since I joined the Federation over twenty years ago. In fact, she was one of the primary people who recruited me into the organization. If you know Judy, you know she is always learning something new and always willing to teach what she learns. In this essay, we discover the importance of keeping track of our possessions, and we also learn how to problem-solve when we inevitably lose track of something., as we all do from time to time.)
By Brook Sexton
(Editor’s Note: At our annual convention, the Metro chapter sponsors an essay contest. Here is this year’s winning essay. No doubt many of us will resonate with the experiences Brook had at a national singles retreat.)
By Carol Pankow
Director, State Services for the Blind
(Editor’s Note: I can still remember receiving that first Radio Talking Book machine when I was about five years old. I eagerly looked forward to Saturday mornings when I could listen to “Stories with Auntie Jo," a children’s program created by Joni Jonson Kilde, one of the original volunteer readers. As I grew older, I took a secret pleasure in staying up late at night to listen to some books that were not necessarily intended for ten-year-olds.
By Ryan Strunk
(Editor’s Note: In this thought-provoking piece, our state President shares the importance of realizing the truth about oneself, the freedom found in asking for help, and the power in being a real team member.)
(In reviewing the articles for this issue, a theme of learning seemed to emerge. Our state President shares how he learned an important lesson about himself and about blindness as he considered becoming a high school debater. Carol Pankow, director of MN State Services for the Blind, shares some interesting tidbits about the history of the Radio Talking Book and we learn just how invaluable this service has been for blind Minnesotans.
Volume 86, Number 1
A Publication of the
National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota, Inc.
100 East 22nd Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404
Voice: (612) 872-9363
Website: www.nfbmn.org
Ryan Strunk, president
e-mail president@nfbmn.org
Kathy McGillivray, Editor
Many people are involved in getting this issue to you. The writers can write and the editor can edit, but until the material is printed, brailled, recorded, and distributed, it is just a computer file. Therefore, we owe great thanks to the following people for the work they do in producing this publication.
The purpose of the National Federation of the Blind is two-fold — to help blind persons achieve self-confidence and self-respect and to act as a vehicle for collective self-expression by the blind. By providing public education about blindness, information and referral services, scholarships, literature and publications about blindness, aids and appliances and other adaptive equipment for the blind, advocacy services and protection of civil rights, development and evaluation of technology, and support for blind persons and their families, members of the NFB strive to educate the publi
Metro Chapter — Twin Cities area; meets at 10:00 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month at NFB of MN Headquarters, 100 East 22nd Street in Minneapolis
Riverbend Chapter — New Ulm area; meets at 9:00 a.m. on the third Saturday of every month in New Ulm; contact Monica Buboltz at 507-354-5680 for meeting location
Rochester Chapter — Rochester area; meets at 7:00 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester