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 

Exciting times are coming in NFB conventions.  Keep these in mind as you plan your activities throughout the coming year.

The Annual NFB of Minnesota Convention is October 25-27 in Bloomington.  Members received a letter with details, and the letter is on our website at www.nfbmn.org.

By Gail Rosenblum

(Editor’s Note:  This article appeared in the July 15, 2013 issue of the Star Tribune.  As well as being an instructor at Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND), Inc., Emily is a member of the NFB of Minnesota Metro Chapter.)

Emily Wharton’s epiphany came in college, as she faced a roomful of listeners at a coffeehouse poetry reading.

By Judy Sanders, Secretary

A unique opportunity awaited recipients of the braille agenda for the 2013 semiannual convention of the NFB of Minnesota on May 18.  The agenda was in the Unified English Braille code recently adopted by the Braille Authority of North America.  Some people have dreaded this change thinking that we will have to learn a completely new system of reading.  We discovered that it was very easy to read and most of the changes were obvious.

By Chris Kuell

One of the better aspects of losing my job along with my sight is that I get to spend more time with my kids.  Every morning, I walk them the half-mile to school, and I return in the afternoon to accompany them home.  During our walks, they tell me about their days, who got in trouble, who likes whom, and how a kid named Brian always cheats at kick-ball.

By Shawn Mayo

(Editor’s Note:  Shawn is executive director of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND) and an active member of the NFB of Minnesota Metro Chapter.)

By Helen Stevens

By Lori Peglow

Message from the CMC President

“DRY BONES”

I would like to share with you an analogy/illustration that may be very apropos for many of us.  First, however, let me share a portion of Old Testament history with you.  The Children of Israel were in Babylon.  They thought their nation of Israel was gone.  They saw themselves as merely existing, and felt little hope.

The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota is an organization focused on consumer advocacy for blind people and promoting a positive philosophy of blindness.  We are also a family.  Here is a column that we print from time to time, containing items that would not normally be sent out on our membership listserv but which are noteworthy and of interest to members.  Did you or a Federationist you know get a new job?  Go on a major trip?  Win an award?  Have a child?  Something else important to you?  If you have news you would like shared in this

By Jennifer Dunnam

Another very busy summer seemed to go by in a flash this year and saw much accomplishment.

The summer residential programs at Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions (BLIND) Inc. helped bring new skills and new perspectives to the blind youth who attended, and now the adult students have moved into a new apartment complex.