KCB Board Meeting – October, 2015
The monthly meeting of the Kentucky Council of the Blind Board of Directors was held via conference call on Monday, October 19, 2015. President Deb Lewis called the meeting to order at 8:06 PM eastern time. Answering the roll call were Deb Lewis, Joey Couch, Deb Trevino, Rick Boggess, Carla Ruschival, Bill Deatherage, Debbie Deatherage, Gerry Slusher, Elaine Weisbard, Adam Ruschival, “Cisco” Slusher, Matt Selm, Bill Wright, Frank Campbell, Bill Roberts and Natalie Beyers. Patti Cox joined the meeting late. Michelle Haycraft was absent. No guests were present.
President Deb Lewis called for reading the September 21 board meeting minutes and summary. Since copies were distributed in advance, Elaine Weisbard made a motion to dispense with reading the minutes and summary and for their approval. The motion was seconded by Bill Deatherage. Rick Boggess discussed changes made after Frank Campbell’s audio copy was mailed. The minutes and summary were unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Carla Ruschival presented her report for September. She reported that KCB continues to receive a monthly dividend from investments and just received last year’s payment from APH for Sound Prints advertising. Bill Wright made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded by Elaine Weisbard and unanimously approved.
Chapter Reports
Eastern Kentucky Christian Council: Frank Campbell reported they hope to meet on November 7 or 14 to plan for their December Christmas party.
Northern Kentucky Council: Gerry Slusher reported that city officials and KY Office for the Blind staff attended the October 15 White Cane Day celebration in Covington where the mayor read a proclamation. Gerry’s Disability Empowerment Conference presentation traced the history of civil rights from the 1600s and highlighted recent ACB accomplishments. The Christmas party will be on December 12 at Rima’s Diner. Several members enjoyed touching the hand carved animals at Carol Ann’s Carousel on October 17. Gerry just referred the mother of a 10-year-old to the Cincinnati Association for the Blind for help.
Greater Louisville Council: Bill Wright reported that Roundabout Friday (held each Friday from 3:30 to 10 PM at United Crescent Hill Ministries) is well attended. There was a good turnout for the dine out at Mark’s Feed Store on October 10. Members participated in White Cane Day on October 15 at Fourth Street Live. Upcoming activities include the McDowell Center open house on October 21 and the Christmas party on December 5.
Tri-State Library Users Group: Adam Ruschival reported that Carla and Patti have organized the chapter’s books and they have begun selling them at Roundabout Friday. This has generated some money for the chapter. Adam hopes the chapter can increase membership before the KCB Convention. The chapter will host Cassandra Culin, a professional storyteller, for a Friday afternoon presentation at the KCB Convention.
Guide Dog Users of Kentucky: Deb Trevino and Bill Deatherage reported that several members ate and walked at Oxmoor Mall on September 27. The October 26 conference call will include a speaker from the Humane Society.
Support Alliance of the Visually Impaired: Bill Roberts reported that, instead of having its regular meeting on October 13, the chapter will hold a White Cane Day celebration at 1 PM on October 20 in downtown Owensboro. City and county officials will present proclamations and members will eat at a nearby restaurant after the program. Chapter members handed out SAVI flyers and business cards at Senior Day Out on September 24 at Town Square Mall. Gay Pannell from the Bowling Green Office of the Kentucky Office for the Blind will speak at the November 10 meeting. Rick reported there was an article in the Owensboro paper about White Cane Day and SAVI on October 12. Since the electronic edition of the paper is subscription based, it will probably not be possible to place a link on our webpage or Facebook page.
KCB Next Generation: Matt Selm reported that Amanda Selm and Joey Couch attended the STEM session at the APH annual meeting. Members attended the White Cane Day celebration on October 15 and will attend the McDowell Center Open House on October 21. The First Timers application deadline is October 20. Chapter members will then begin the selection process. The Halloween Party will be at Matt Selm’s house on October 31 at 7 PM. The chapter will host an Apple seminar at the KCB Convention.
Committees
PR/Membership: Rick Boggess and Deb Lewis were unable to attend the October 7 meeting. Carla Ruschival reported the meeting focused on management of the email lists with emphasis on the limits on the number of email messages which can be posted across the entire domain kentucky-acb.org in an hour. Knowledge of the process is important to insure that we control list traffic and address the GDUKY problem in an effective way. Carla reported she has additional information which should help with these issues.
KCB Convention: Joey Couch reported the committee has finalized many convention plans. The next meeting will be on October 22 at 8 PM. Carla reported that the Louisville Downtown Lions Club has donated $1000 to be a Gold Cup Sponsor; Vanda Pharmaceuticals has contributed $500 as a Gold Crown Sponsor.
Carla indicated she forgot to ask Chris Menzer to talk about insurance. However, she made a motion to explore purchasing Event Insurance for the upcoming KCB Convention at an estimated cost of $450-$500. Joey Couch seconded the motion. After some discussion, the board voted unanimously to support the motion.
Old Business
SRC Update: Deb Lewis reported the SRC had a makeup meeting on September 24. Allison Flanagan announced that categories II and III will be closed which means that only individuals meeting criteria for Category I service will be served. Carla Ruschival outlined concerns about the OFB budget including the impact of the state’s $55 monthly charge per computer for tech support, the mandated minimum wage increase which was not fully funded by the state, the budget request by blind vendors, and the 15% funding requirement for transition services mandated by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Concerns about posting minutes from the vendors meetings seems to have been addressed. Based on a question posed by Matt Selm, Carla Ruschival provided more in depth information about the service categories and related requirements. The next SRC quarterly meeting will be on October 23. Bill Deatherage made a motion that KCB provide doughnuts for the upcoming SRC meeting. The motion was seconded by Elaine Weisbard and unanimously approved. Deb Lewis shared a thank you note from a group of McDowell Center Transitions students expressing appreciation for KCB’s participation in a special activity at the center last summer.
New Business
Deb Lewis discussed the need to appoint a budget committee. Members postponed action until November after new board members are elected.
Since the regular November 16 meeting will be two days after the convention, the board voted to move the November meeting to 8 PM on November 30 and to cancel the December 21 meeting.
Rick Boggess requested clarification for local chapters since KCB’s efforts to include them in the group filing status have been unsuccessful. Carla Ruschival reported that chapters not wishing to pay the $400 to seek 501c(3) status may be able to file the 990N online and get an electronic receipt since small nonprofits enjoy assumed nonprofit status; however, they will not receive a letter. If groups seek nonprofit status within 27 months of incorporation, the nonprofit status goes back to day one; after 27 months, the nonprofit status goes from the date status is granted. Carla recommended that chapters pursuing nonprofit status complete the online 1023EZ which is much simpler. Carla has filed GDUKY’s 990N online and will be talking with KCB Next Generation about their options.
Announcements and Adjournment
Bill Deatherage made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was seconded by Natalie Beyers and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 9:35 PM.
Submitted by Rick Boggess, KCB Secretary
Download Summary: KCBBoardMeetingOctober2015
