Hosted by the United Blind of the Tri-Cities & United Blind of Walla Walla
When? Thursday, November 5 - Saturday, November 7, 2009
Where? Red Lion Inn, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, WA 99301
Phone: (509) 547-0701
Rate: $89 per night (1-2 people), $99 (3-4 people), plus applicable taxes.
To get this convention rate, you must register by October 15, 2009 and mention the WCB convention.
First-Timers
If you have been a WCB member since at least May 5, 2009 and have never attended a WCB convention previously, you are eligible to apply for a first-timer scholarship. Recipients receive hotel accommodations for three nights (based on double occupancy) & registration including the five meal package. First-timers are encouraged to take advantage of the travel options available to members as described below. To apply for a first-timers scholarship, send a letter telling about yourself, your involvement in your chapter and why you’d like to attend the WCB Convention and email it to the or phone Meka at (360) 689-1678 if you need assistance with this. Letters must be received by Monday, August 31, 2009.
Free Rooms
If you have been a WCB member since at least May 5, 2009 and need a little extra help to be able to attend convention, you can apply for one of the two free rooms offered by WCB (one room for two men and one room for two women). To do so, please call (206) 686-3048 or (800) 255-1147 & press 0 to speak directly with Marilyn. Calls will be accepted between the hours of 9:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday only, September 14. Please note that each applicant needs to speak individually with Marilyn, as we cannot accept voice mail or group requests. Priority will be given to those who have never utilized our free rooms, and they will be allotted on a first-call first-served basis. If there are not two first-time applicants for either room, then a drawing will be held among prior recipients who apply this year, to fill available space.
Buses
This year WCB will be providing two convention buses, all departing November 5 and returning November 8.
The first bus will leave at 9:00 am from Crossroads Church, 7555 Old Military Road in Bremerton, making stops in Port Orchard, Tacoma and Federal Way. The second bus will leave at 11:00 am from 7th and Stewart in Seattle, making a stop in Yakima.
Sunday morning, the bus to Bremerton will leave at 9:00 am and the Seattle bus at 10:00 am. To reserve a seat on either bus, please contact Shirley Taylor at (206) 362-3118. Please note that there is no membership requirement to ride the buses & reservations will be taken based on space availability.
Travel Stipend
Members not residing in Benton or Franklin counties or who are not utilizing one of the chartered buses, & who meet the six month WCB membership requirement & do not have any WCB loans in default, may request a $40.00 travel stipend by contacting Shirley Taylor personally, no later than October 15, 2009.
Transportation in the Tri-Cities
For those wishing to utilize the local public bus system while at convention, Ben Franklin Transit offers fixed route as well as a Dial-A-Ride service. Information on the fixed routes can be found by going to http://www.bft.org or by calling (509) 735-5100. To use the Dial-A-Ride service, eligibility information must be received at least 3 weeks prior to your visit and may be faxed to (509) 734-5195. Please contact Angela Diaz, Eligibility Specialist at (509) 735-0160 with any questions.
Convention Highlights
We are pleased to announce that Mitch Pomerantz, President, American Council of the Blind, will be our ACB representative this year, and you will be hearing a lot from him during the convention weekend.
Friday will be a very busy day. Exhibits will be open from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Welcoming over 20 vendors who will display their blindness related products & services as well as other items of interest. Friday morning will host a little business, presentations on the Louis Braille School, Tips on protecting yourself from identity theft, how to be your best advocate & living with independence. At the Friday luncheon our WCB Awards Committee will be presenting this year’s awards, internal to WCB. That afternoon will be filled with 6 break-out sessions including topics on: extracurricular activities for your chapter, regulations of Paratransit & filing a complaint, integrating into community exercise programs, diabetic concerns & updates, being proactive in your job search & accessing digital books There will also be the option of going on a tour of the Columbia River exhibition of history, science and technology (costing $6). Then, Friday evening we will present the sixth annual WCB talent show.
On Saturday morning we will hear a report on the activities of ACB, be inspired by those on the ever-popular employment panel & hear from the directors of our three agencies serving the blind. And of course, a most important part of convention takes place Saturday afternoon when we hold our annual WCB business meeting with elections, resolutions, amendments to the constitution & bylaws, our annual budget and other decisions to be considered by the membership assembled. The convention will culminate on Saturday evening with our celebration banquet which will include the awarding of scholarships and WCB external awards, not to mention other surprises.
This is truly a weekend that will offer something for everyone!
Youth Conference
For our seventh consecutive year, WCB is pleased to co-sponsor, along with Dept. of Services for the Blind’s Child and Family Program, the Washington State Conference for Blind Youth. The focus this year for these high schoolers will not only be networking with blind adult members of WCB and socializing with their peers, but will begin a 3-part series on leadership & personal advocacy.
For more information about this conference, please
WCB Families with Blind Children committee Chair, (206) 706-7421.
Committees and Coordinators
Vivian Conger is coordinating exhibits this year, working diligently to bring us vendors with a variety of interesting products and services. If you have suggestions or questions for Vivian, please
or call (509) 526-4967.
The Resolutions Committee, chaired by Marlaina Lieberg, will meet Thursday evening following the pre-convention board meeting. Resolutions need to be submitted in writing, (preferably electronically), in a workable state, prior to that meeting convening. Marlaina can be reached at
or (206) 433-6565 This Meeting is open to anyone who may be interested in attending, and we encourage anyone who submits a resolution to be at the meeting during the time their resolution is being worked on.
Frank Cuta chairs this year's Constitution and Bylaws Committee. If you have amendment suggestions, please contact Frank at (509) 967-2658 or
. The Constitution & Bylaws Committee will meet directly following the pre-convention board meeting on Thursday night & is an open meeting.
Nathan Brannon & Alco Canfield will be coordinating & hosting our talent show. If you would like to show off your talent on Friday evening, please be sure to mark your registration form, as space is limited. If you have any questions about the talent show, contact Nathan at (206) 547-7444 or Alco at or (206) 783-7036
This year, door prizes, always a popular part of convention, will be in the capable hands of Holly & Byron Kaczmarski. They can be reached at &
(509) 382-4150. Please contact either of them to let them know what you or your chapter will be contributing to the door prize pool. Door Prizes will be collected at the Registration desk on Friday morning from 7:00 am to 10:00 am
During our business meeting elections will be held for president, first vice-president, treasurer, and the director positions currently held by Alan Bentson, Vivian Conger and Carl Jarvis. If you are interested in being considered for any of these positions, please contact one of the following Nominating Committee members by October 15: Janice Squires, Chair, (509) 582-4749, Peggy Shoel, (206) 722-8477 or Carl Jarvis, (360).765-4239.
How to Register for the Convention
Complete the official registration form:
1) electronically by going to http://www.wcbinfo.org or by ;
2) in writing by mailing your printed form to: WCB, P.O. Box 1085, Tracyton, WA 98393-1085; or
3) with assistance over the phone by calling (206) 337-2582.
Please be advised that we need each person to register individually; we cannot accept multiple registrants on one form. Registration will not be complete until payment is received in full.
Forms must be postmarked or submitted by October 15, 2009 to receive the following registration rates and to be guaranteed in the meal count: $90 – registration plus meal package (including up to five meals), $45 – registration plus banquet only, and $10 - registration only. For those who miss the registration deadline of October 15, 2009 convention registrations will be accepted at the convention, beginning on November 6.
For up-to-date information about the upcoming WCB convention, call the WCB Info-line at (206) 686-3048 or (800) 255-1147 & press number 6. We look forward to you joining us for this year’s exciting WCB convention!
Cindy Van Winkle
2009 WCB Convention Coordinator
(206) 337-2582
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