RSVA invites you to the 2009 Sagebrush BEP Training Conference. Register early and save money! The dates are Feb. 2-5, 2009.
Room reservations must be made directly with the hotel, the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in downtown Las Vegas, 129 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV 89101. Call 1-800-634-3454, and be sure to tell them you are attending the Sagebrush Conference. Room rates are: South Tower, $89 (plus tax) Sunday-Thursday, $139 (plus tax) Friday and Saturday. The deadline for reservations is Jan. 9, 2009.
The Golden Nugget features two gourmet restaurants, Vick and Anthony's, a steak and seafood house, and the Grotto, an Italian restaurant, both in the North Tower. The buffet is located on the 2nd floor of the North Tower. The South Tower features the Carson Street Cafe and Lillie's Noodle House Chinese Restaurant. They also have two Starbucks, a spa and salon. There are gift shops and bars on the ground level in both the South and North Towers.
The hotel is only minutes from the strip. Its main attraction is a three-story pool with a 200,000-gallon shark aquarium over the swimming pool. This unique spectacle only gets better with a water slide that passes through a glass tube that descends through the center of the sharks and other sea life before you are dropped into the pool. They also have two pool bars. What an exciting and unique place to get together! You can check out the Golden Nugget at www.goldennugget.com.
If you have attended Sagebrush before, you will receive registration forms. If you don't receive the forms, call the RSVA office at 1-800-467- 5299 or go to the RSVA web site, www.rsva.biz, to register.
Programming will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Monday. That evening at 7, there will be a welcome reception with appetizers and a cash bar. Catriona MacDonald will update us on issues related to the Randolph-Sheppard program. Other presenters will cover topics such as postal vending routes, business tax tips, partnership ventures, and more. Yes, there will be break-out sessions again; some will be for state licensing agency staff, while others are for committee chairs. On Thursday, exhibit time will start with a luncheon that includes four hours of random cash and prize drawings. The final event: a reception with a cash bar. See you in February!
It's time for the ACB of Minnesota state convention! Mark your calendars and plan to experience a weekend of fun, fellowship, and learning. The convention will be held Jan. 23-25, 2009, at the Holiday Inn-Minneapolis Metrodome, 1500 Washington Ave., Minneapolis, MN.
The highlight of Friday evening is an audio-described and captioned movie provided by CaptionMax. The movie is titled "D.O.A." starring Edmund O'Brien. Fun, fellowship, snacks, and conversation will be available throughout the evening. On Saturday, we'll enjoy a continental breakfast followed by panel discussions, speakers, educational workshops, vendors, and some laughs along the way. With snacks in the morning and afternoon, you'll still have room for the banquet meal in the evening. Come be inspired and entertained by Leslie Orr performing "Women Who Drink." Sunday will start with a continental breakfast, followed by our January quarterly membership meeting. The convention will close at noon on Sunday.
For more information, contact any member of the convention committee (see list below). ACBM Convention Committee: Janet Dickelman, (651) 698- 5059; Catalina Roisum, (763) 566-4464; Juliette Silvers, (612) 824-2131.
"Visions for a Better Tomorrow" brought together members of the North Carolina Council of the Blind for their 40th annual state convention in Raleigh, Sept. 26-28. Speakers addressed a variety of topics including accessible arts, library services, disability advocacy, state board of elections, radio reading services and the Governor Morehead School for the Blind. Special convention guests were ACB board member Michael Garrett of Texas and Dr. Otis Stephens of Tennessee.
The South Dakota Association of the Blind recently held its annual convention in Pierre. We were hoping for a nice Indian summer weekend; instead we got some rain, a few snowflakes and cool temperatures. This did nothing to stop the convention attendees from following through with the theme "Learning as we go!" Many thanks to Ardis Bazyn, who brought greetings from ACB and helped us learn how to revitalize our group and glow and grow both in membership and fund-raising.