KCB Board Meeting – March, 2015
The monthly meeting of the Kentucky Council of the Blind Board of Directors was held via conference call on Monday, March 16, 2015. President Deb Lewis called the meeting to order at 8:09 PM eastern time. Members present were Deb Lewis, Joey Couch, Rick Boggess, Carla Ruschival, Bill Deatherage, Debbie Deatherage, Gerry Slusher, Natalie Beyers, Elaine Weisbard, Adam Ruschival, Bill Wright, Deb Trevino, “Cisco” Slusher and Bill Roberts. Members Patti Cox, Matt Selm, Vurah Berry and Donnie Parrett were absent. Visitor David Trevino was also present.
President Deb Lewis called for reading the February 16 board meeting minutes and summary. Since a copy had been given to board members prior to the meeting, she asked if anyone needed the minutes or summary read. Joey Couch made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and summary and for their approval. The motion was seconded by Deb Trevino and unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Carla Ruschival presented her report for February. Elaine Weisbard made a motion to aprove the treasurer’s report. The motion was seconded by Rick Boggess and unanimously approved.
Chapter Reports
Eastern Kentucky Christian Council – Joey Couch reported the chapter held a short meeting on March 14. They have one new member and one member, Mike Salyer, has become a lifetime KCB member. The chapter hopes to have a meeting at some point in April and is planning its summer picnic at Perry County Park on May 30.
Northern Kentucky Council – Gerry Slusher reported the chapter has submitted its application for the Center for Great Neighborhoods grant which was due March 13. Grant recipients will be notified on April 17. One member, Marie Braun, has been nominated for outstanding woman in northern KY. “Cisco” Slusher will be sharing information at Sight Saving Saturday at the Cincinnati Association for the Blind on April 25. “Cisco” also reported that he does not know if flooding will impact the Green Way Trail Day scheduled for May.
Greater Louisville Council – Bill Wright reported the chapter is having a dine out at Buckhead’s Mountain Grill on March 21. GLCB Friday Nights continue weekly at United Crescent Hill Ministries. Education/technology session is from 3:30 to 6, dinner from 6-7 and games/crafts from 7-10. On April 17 GLCB will be having its quarterly meeting and elections at United Crescent Hill Ministries.
Tri-State Library Users Group – Adam Ruschival reported the chapter had a meeting and dinner at United Crescent Hill Ministries on March 3. The chapter turned in 14 members to ACB as part of the annual certification process. LUA (Library Users of America) held a national board meeting early in March. They expressed the desire to expand the Tri-State Library Users conference call to include nationally recognized speakers. Adam also indicated that annual $12 dues are still being accepted. Those paying the dues are also members of Library Users of America, the ACB national special interest affiliate.
Guide Dog Users of Kentucky – Deb Trevino reported that the chapter’s conference call included discussion about possible future fundraisers. They will not begin another fundraiser until the folding scissors are all sold. The chapter is considering participating in the APH Cave Hill Cemetery trip on April 25. They would also like to walk across the Big Four Bridge in Louisville. Chapter members discussed the importance of advocacy to protect the rights granted to service animals and their owners in public places.
Support Alliance of the Visually Impaired – Bill Roberts reported that about 20 people learned more about diabetes at the chapter’s March 10 meeting which featured two speakers from the Green River District Health Department, Debbie Fillman and Merritt Bates-Thomas. SAVI signed up three new members for SAVI and KCB. Rick Boggess stated that two of the three new members are from Henderson which is about 20 miles away. The next meeting is scheduled for April 14.
KCB Next Generation – Joey Couch reported that the chapter postponed its March 7 travel seminar due to the weather. They hope to reschedule in April. They are also planning a brunch dine out on April 12. More details will be provided shortly.
Committees
PR/Membership – Rick Boggess reported on the committee’s March 4 meeting. The newsletter was distributed in late February and the webpage and calendar continue to be updated. Carla Ruschival informed the committee that Larry Turnbull is about ready to resume work on moving the KCB webpage to the new host site. The committee decided to use Drupal to manage the webpage once it is moved. When asked for additional updates, Carla Ruschival reported that Larry has a tentative theme ready. Hopefully, the site will be moved to the new domain in the next couple of weeks with priority given to the main page, calendar and Sound Prints sections. Additional sections, including space for chapters, will be added over time. Once the site is moved, Mailman will be installed as the list manager and the email lists will be moved. There will be room for email for chapters and committees. The committee hopes to do some additional work with the kit list shortly. The committee has decided to put off compiling a list of contacts at the four-year colleges until fall. The next meeting will be on April 1.
Old Business
Deb Lewis reported that she attended the Midyear Affiliate President’s Meeting and Legislative Seminar which was held February 21-24 in Arlington, Virginia. In addition to lots of informative sessions, she met with staff representing Kentucky’s congressmen and senators (which included Congressman Andy Barr) to encourage support for ACB’s three legislative imperatives. Deb has been designated to be in charge of Kentucky’s team, the Kentucky eRacers, for the walk-a-thon which will be held at the national convention in Dallas. Once again this year, 50% of the money raised by the ACB affiliate will be returned to KCB. Deb thanked the KCB board for providing the additional funding needed to attend the meeting. Rick Boggess pointed out that recordings of the sessions have been posted on the ACB website. Two sessions, dealing with insurance and officer responsibilities, were especially interesting and suggested the board might consider devoting time to these issues in the future.
New Business
Carla Ruschival reported that 316 members (including four life members) were certified with ACB on March 15 using the AMMS system. This number is up from the 301 registered last year thus allowing KCB to have 13 votes rather than 12 votes. Registration was smoother this year despite the fact the system was very sluggish at some points. Checks were mailed to ACB on March 16. Carla also reported that the update to the database used for certification will make it easier to track decertified members and has space for ten user defined fields which may be very helpful to affiliates and possibly chapters.
Carla Ruschival reported that there was a March 16 press conference announcing that Eric Bridges and ACB are suing four cab companies in Washington, DC, for discrimination against guide dogs. This lawsuit was the result of an undercover sting operation by a TV station and several other incidents in which cabs declined to pick up blind people using guide dogs.
Rick Boggess asked Carla Ruschival to update the board on the application for group filing status which has been filed with the IRS. It appears KCB still needs to provide some additional clarification on chapter activities in one section of the application.
Rick Boggess indicated that SAVI has received notice to file its annual report with the KY Secretary of State and asked if there was anything he needed to be aware of before filing the report. Carla indicated that SAVI should file its report and indicated that KCB has not yet received its notice. In response to a question from President Deb Lewis, Carla indicated that GDUKY, Tri-State Library Users and KCB Next Generation have never been incorporated. All three need to work on seeking incorporation in the near future. Carla stated she has talked with Joey Couch about Next Generation doing this. She pointed out that GDUKY initially thought they were covered under GDUI’s articles of incorporation but discovered this was not the case. In addition, Rick Boggess also inquired about what those chapters with inactive status with the Secretary of State need to do. Carla pointed out that GLCB and Eastern KY Christian Council cannot reapply for active status until they have been approved as part of the group filing with the IRS. This does not affect the Northern KY Council since the grant they are seeking does not allow them to have a 501c(3) status. Carla also pointed out that the IRS does not require groups to be incorporated; they only need an EIN (Employment Identification Number). Since the chapters will be included in the group filing, they do not need to file a federal return.
Carla Ruschival inquired about whether or not the board had voted to set the convention weekend and secure the hotel for the KCB 2015 state convention. After some discussion, Rick Boggess made a motion that Patti Cox be authorized to explore fall hotel rates to find the most economical dates for the 2015 KCB fall convention. Adam Ruschival seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. Carla and Adam Ruschival encouraged the board to be thinking about possible speakers from ACB so they can be scheduled.
Announcements and Adjournment
Joey Couch made a motion that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was seconded by Natalie Beyers and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 9:37 PM.
Submitted By Rick Boggess, KCB Secretary
Download Summary: KCBBoardMeetingMarch2015
