Official Publication of the North Dakota Association of the Blind
Available in four formats:
large print, email, braille and cartridge
Editor: Emily Stenberg Brown promoter@ndab.org
Not they who lack sight,
but they who lack vision are blind.
Persons with vision loss will live
a successful, productive life.
“We strive to enhance the way of life for people
Who are blind or visually impaired,
To encourage employment opportunities,
And to educate the public about sight loss.”
Table of Contents
From the President
Calendar for 2025
NDAB Monthly Book Club
Welcome to Our New Members!
NDAB 2025 Convention Legislator Lunch Report
Save the Date for the 2026 NDAB Convention
Preliminary Report from the 2025 ACB Conference/Convention
Life Enrichment Program Changes
Looking Ahead to the Fall Sports & Rec Retreat
Audio Material at the Vision Resource Center
Fargo Member News
Bismarck & Other News from Robert Westermeyer
Spotlight on NDAB Member: Sue Dahl
Spotlight on NDAB Member: Paul Olson
Spotlight on NDAB Member: David McCloud
2025 NDAB Award Winners
Development Director’s Report, Summer 2025
Legislative & Advocacy Report, Summer 2025
Donations April – June 2025
North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. 2025 Convention Minutes
North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. Post-Convention Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Leadership Roster
Committee Chairpersons
Local News Reporters
Communication Connections
From the President
Dear NDAB Members,
As I sit down to write this, I have been taking part in the ACB virtual convention and will be flying to Dallas on July 4th for the in-person convention. I hope to acquire some new information and see some new technology that I can bring back to share with you.
Thank you to everyone who attended our state convention in Bismarck June 6-8! Thank you to the convention committee for hosting it! There is a lot of planning and work that goes into the weekend, and it was a great success. We conducted the business of NDAB in a timely manner. Thanks to Gerald Byran for his contribution as a board member for the last three years! Congratulations to Mary Lou Stip who replaces him on the board. Also congratulations to Helen Baumgartner, Rebecca Anderson, Allan Peterson and Emily Stenberg Brown for agreeing to serve another term in their respective positions and to Vince Ulstad who will serve as the ACB delegate in 2026.
I will close with a poem that Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her beauty tips. If we all followed them, this would be a better world.
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.
See you at camp!
Loris Van Berkom
NDAB President
Calendar for 2025
August 10 – 17, 2025 – NDAB Summer Camp at Elks Camp Grassick
September 19 – 21, 2025 – Sports & Rec Retreat, Triangle Y Camp, Garrison, ND
October 2, 2025 – Dining in the Dark, Bismarck
Coffee Chat is held every Wednesday at 10 a.m. on Zoom.
NDAB Monthly Book Club
Submitted by Mary Lou Stip
NDAB’s Book of the Month Club meets the first Wednesday of the month at 10 AM on Zoom. We have decided to do just one meeting until further notice, as everybody is so busy right now, so we will no longer meet at 7 p.m.
Here is the list of books for the upcoming months.
August 6th: Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves. DB 87922. Led by Susan Dahl.
September 3rd: Grave Sight (first book in the Harper Connelly series) by Charlaine Harris. DB 84829. Led by Paula Anundson.
October 1: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. DB 57349. Led by Michele Willman from the Vision Resource Center at NDVS/SB.
November 5: Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver. DB 94183. Led by Emily Brown.
December 3rd: Tears of the Giraffe (Book 2 of the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series) by Alexander McCall Smith. DB: 57445. Led by Candy Lien.
If anyone is interested in leading a book discussion for a particular month, please let me know by emailing maryloustip@midco.net. Thank you, and happy reading!
Welcome to Our New Members!
Lennie Muir of Valley City
Erick Redmann of West Fargo
Michael (Andy) Davis of Minot (returning member)
NDAB 2025 Convention Legislator Lunch Report
Submitted by Allan Peterson, Development Director
An appreciative thank you to the members and guests who joined us for the Legislator Lunch held during our NDAB Convention on Saturday, June 7 at the Ramada in Bismarck. We are especially thankful for the 7 guests that joined us – 5 state legislators and 2 spokespersons from our North Dakota congressional delegation. The 5 legislators from the Bismarck area were State Senators Dick Dever and Diane Larson, and State Representatives Larry Klemin, Bob Martinson, and Karen Rohr, plus Sonja Murray from the office of U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer and Cassandra Bowers from the office of U.S. Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak.
It is noteworthy that ND State Senator Dick Dever has had a close relationship with NDAB in that his mother Mabel was a member of NDAB and played an active role in our organization before her passing. In his remarks to us, Dick spoke about his mother and her appreciation for NDAB, and he lauded NDAB for our continued advocacy efforts.
Unfortunately, time did not permit us to read the letter that U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer had sent with Sonja Murray, his office staff representative. In the letter, sent both in print and braille, Senator Cramer praised NDAB for its work to advance and improve the lives of people with blindness and sight loss. He also pointed out legislation he has supported in the past in Congress that assists people with disabilities. His letter also mentioned our visit to his office in March, so it’s evident we are being heard and acknowledged.
During lunch, we encouraged our guests to share if they have had a family member or friend impacted by sight loss. The lunch is a fantastic opportunity for us to educate legislators about programs in state and federal government that are beneficial to us, and it is for this reason Paul Olson spoke about the services that ND Vision Services/School for the Blind offers to both children and adults. It also gives us an opportunity to educate legislators about our organization and that we are an independent organization of the blind that speaks for ourselves and the services that are critical to us to live productive independent lives. The opinion expressed here is that the lunch was an important exercise in our advocacy with legislators that can represent our interests in state and federal governments.
Save the Date for the 2026 NDAB Convention
Submitted by Trampes Brown
Save the Date for the 2026 NDAB Convention! Next year’s convention will be held at Spirit Lake Casino & Resort in Devils Lake June 5 – 7. If you are interested in helping to plan the Convention, reach out to Trampes at (701) 389-7982. You do not need to live in the host city to be a member of the planning committee. More information will be forthcoming.
Preliminary Report from the 2025 ACB Conference/Convention
Submitted by Allan Peterson, Development Director
The best good news from the ACB Convention in Dallas is that NDAB member Zelda Gebhard was appointed to be the chair of the ACB Board of Publications (BOP) by ACB President Deb Cook Lewis. The vacancy of BOP chair was created when previous chair Katie Fredrick was elected to be the next ACB Secretary. The appointment made a lot of sense in that Zelda had already proven her BOP skills, having served as an elected member for two full 2-year terms plus a partial term and was serving her third and final term as an elected BOP member. Congratulations, Zelda, for this recognition and honor; there is no question whatsoever that you will do an excellent job in your new role as BOP chair.
Another feather in Zelda’s hat is her service as chair of the ACB Derwood K McDaniel Fun Committee. As chair, she introduced the DKM First Timers and the JP Morgan Chase Leader winners at the ACB opening in-person convention session in Dallas. Congratulations, Zelda, for another job well done! In addition, Zelda holds an elected position as 1st Vice President of ACB’s special interest affiliate, the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International. And the beat goes on from there regarding her ACB work.
The NDAB members that attended the in-person 2025 ACB Convention session in Dallas held from July 4-11 were NDAB President Loris Van Berkom, ACB Delegate Janelle Olson, Alternate Delegate Zelda Gebhard, and Allan Peterson. We also spent a lot of Convention time with former North Dakotan Tammy Winn and her partner Jim Schwartz. The intent of this report is to focus primarily on the business aspects of the 2025 ACB Convention before they are forgotten.
Since the pandemic, the business at the ACB Convention has become more of a challenge to the uninitiated. When the pandemic spiked in 2020-2021, ACB chose to conduct its convention over the internet. In 2022, ACB reinstituted the in-person convention, with the added option of participating virtually. This convention format, with the added virtual option, is referred to as a “hybrid” convention, meaning there is an option of attending either in-person or via the internet. To help accommodate this new reality, ACB has found it necessary to do a portion of its initial convention business early, and to do this virtually.
Consequently, ACB held its opening 2025 Convention/Conference session online (virtually) on the evening of Monday, June 23. The business items required for this session were to have the Credentials Committee Report read, to approve the Convention’s standing rules, to approve the Convention’s agenda, to conduct the roll call of ACB’s state and special interest affiliates, and, finally, to conduct a meeting of the ACB affiliate Nominating Committee representatives. After this opening session, ACB business meetings were conducted during the week that followed.
On the evenings of Tuesday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 25, the ACB Resolutions Committee conducted virtual online meetings to consider six proposed 2025 resolutions plus the proposed guidelines to provide audio description services. After questions were raised about these proposals, followed by debate on them by ACB members present, all six resolutions and the audio description guidelines passed without the need to conduct a record vote.
The second order of business, conducted virtually, was to consider two proposed 2025 amendments to the ACB Bylaws and Constitution. The proposed amendments were given their first reading at the June 24 meeting and a final reading with debate on their merits on Friday, June 27. The record vote on these amendments was held Monday, June 30.
The first amendment is a change to the Bylaw for the required time for notice of a meeting from 15 days to 5 days prior. Since lines of communication have improved dramatically in recent years, it is assumed the lead time for notice does not need to be as long as 15 days. This was a Bylaw amendment and required a 50% majority plus one for passage. This amendment passed with a very comfortable margin.
The second 2025 amendment was a Constitutional amendment that sought to change how ACB does its voting. ACB currently conducts its voting through a combination of (1) individual member votes plus (2) a roll call of ACB affiliate votes. The number of votes each affiliate is granted is based upon how many members belong to that affiliate (1 vote per 25 members). If this Constitutional amendment had been adopted, the affiliate vote would be eliminated, and voting would be strictly based upon individual votes of ACB members. The debate on this amendment sparked much debate that may be described as sometimes heartfelt and emotional. This amendment was a Constitutional amendment, which meant it required a two thirds majority vote to pass; it received 60.9% of the vote, or approximately 5% less than what it needed to pass.
Bylaw/constitutional amendments mandate that a record vote be conducted which is a combination of votes cast by individual ACB members plus the roll call of ACB affiliate votes. The individual voting is currently done through the Vote Now system. All qualified ACB members are sent their own voter code.
The Nominating Committee also presented its report to the virtual business meeting held on June 24. At this year’s Convention, the positions of ACB’s five officer positions were scheduled for election for a 2-year term of office. Three of the five ACB officers were incumbents seeking their second 2-year terms: Deb Cook Lewis as President, David Trott as 1st VP, and Michael Garrett as Treasurer. The offices of 2nd Vice President and Secretary were open, as officers in those positions had termed out because they had already served three consecutive 2-year terms. The Convention did elect the slate of candidates that were presented to them by the Nominating Committee:
- Deb Cook Lewis from Clarkston, WA, was elected to a second 2-year term as ACB President.
- David Trott from Talladega, AL, was elected to a second 2-year term as ACB 1st Vice President.
- Kenneth Semien Sr. from Beaumont, TX, was elected to a first term as ACB 2nd Vice President.
- Katie Federick from Worthington, OH, was elected to a first term as ACB Secretary
- Michael Garrett from Missouri City, TX, was elected to a second 2-year term as ACB Treasurer.
The Convention featured 4 contested elections plus an aborted nomination for ACB president. Jenine Lee from Orlando, FL, sought to be nominated for ACB President from the floor; but this nomination was, without explanation, almost immediately withdrawn, all of which added some classless drama to the proceedings.
The first of the three contested elections was for the position of second Vice President; Kenneth Semien’s nomination was challenged on the floor by the nomination of Koni Sims from Sioux City, SD. Kenneth was elected, which then opened a vacancy for his term on the ACB Board of Directors. Four nominees vied for this unexpired seat. Cheryl Cumings from Seattle, WA, won this election, which required a runoff of the two nominees that received the most votes. Cheryl will serve on the Board for the remaining three years of Kenneth’s term.
Zelda’s appointment as ACB BOP chair opened a vacancy for the remaining year on her elected term on the BOP. The two-person race for this position was won by Deb Armstrong from Milpitas, CA.
The incredibly sad news coming out of the Convention was the announcement of the death of Denise Colley who was serving as ACB’s Secretary. Lamentably, Denise died while the Convention was in session. Denise had been a longtime member of the Washington Council of the Blind and, to her credit, had served in multiple capacities with ACB. Besides her role as ACB Secretary, she has also served as chair and member of the BOP, as an ACB Board member, and as chair of the ACB Scholarship Committee, among many other jobs. In Denise’s absence, Katie Frederick was appointed to be the Convention Secretary prior to her being elected as ACB’s Secretary.
Among other in-person convention business was the President’s report to the Convention, the Executive Director’s report by Scott Thornhill, and the Treasurer’s report given by Michael Garrett. Clare Stanley, Governmental Affairs and Advocacy Director, gave an impressive list of the work she and the ACB Advocacy Committee is doing on legislation in Congress and the courts to advance the access and independence of people who are blind and have sight loss.
The two biggest attractions of many for attending the in-person Convention are the exhibits and tours. Among the big attractions in the exhibit area this year were the ones that featured smart glasses – Meta and the company Agiga, who will be selling a product called Echo Vision smart glasses. Other interesting vendors were groups promoting recreational hockey and tennis for the blind and visually impaired. There were 86 exhibitors – too many products of interest to cover in this article.
The tours are another big attraction to Convention-goers. The tour that interested me most this year was the Dallas City tour. What I did not know is that Dallas was originally settled by people who were cultured, meaning they were artists, writers, musicians, philosophers, and the like, which is reflected in the city’s buildings and dedication to the arts. The famous architect I.M Pei is responsible for the design of many of the city’s buildings. Of course, the tour included a stop at the site where the crowd gathered to watch President John Kennedy’s motorcade and where his assassination happened in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. The tour guide reflected on all the unlikely coincidences that happened that led up to that event, which have fed into the conspiracy theories about his assassination. What caught my attention in her presentation was that Lee Harvey Oswald fled to a Dallas theater where he proceeded to sit by several different people in the audience, as if he were trying to contact someone like a handler, and he continued to insist he was a patsy.
Another attraction for many are the programs that ACB’s Special Interest affiliates and ACB Committees offer to Convention-goers. The one that attracted me this year was the course offered by ACB’s special interest affiliate, BITS (Blind Information Technology Specialists) on AI (artificial intelligence). I am still trying to digest all the information I got from that class – hopefully much more to come about this!
Life Enrichment Program Changes
Submitted by Zelda Gebhard, Awareness and Education Committee
The Life Enrichment Program received budgeting during the 2021 NDAB Convention for the fiscal year 2021-2022. Guidelines were written and approved by the NDAB Board in May 2022, and the program was open for applications in August 2022.
The majority of funding is received from an annual pledge from an endowment with budgeted general funds, if needed, to fully fund the program at $5000 a year.
We have received a total of four applications for life enriching experiences or trainings since the start of the program. Therefore, we have never fully utilized the money budgeted.
To create a greater impact on the lives of our members, the committee decided to expand the scope of opportunities for members to try new things. We hope that action will result in increased utilization of the program.
With that in mind, the committee reviewed and revised the program guidelines, then presented them to the NDAB Board who decided to involve the convention body in the process. Those guidelines were brought before the convention body during the 2025 NDAB Convention and were approved.
The opportunities now include technology and equipment, as well as experiences. The following are excerpts from the guidelines.
Experiences
May include (but are not limited to) workshops, classes, seminars, or training in areas such as technology, arts, wellness, exercise, cooking, etc. Preference is given to “first-time” experiences.
Technology and Equipment
Includes assistive or mainstream technology, hobby-related equipment, tools, or other items that enable individuals to explore life-enriching activities independently.
For full details about the program or to read the entire guidelines, go to https://ndab.org/life-enrichment/.
To apply, go to https://forms.gle/XRuNfs3ymDpfVXXe6 and complete the online application form found there.
Any questions about the program can be directed to the committee at lifeenrichment@gmail.com.
Looking Ahead to the Fall Sports & Rec Retreat
Submitted by the Sports & Rec Committee
The 2025 Fall Sports & Rec Retreat will once again be held at the Triangle Y Camp near Garrison, ND. This is where last year’s Fall Retreat was also held. The event will take place Friday – Sunday, September 19 – 21. As always, there will be plenty of outdoor activities on offer, such as archery, kayaking, hiking, blind sports, bonfires, and the chance to connect with new and old friends. We hope to see some new faces there this year; do not think this event is only for “young” members! You must be at least 14 years old to attend. Remember that every visually impaired member attends free and can bring a sighted “plus one” for $75. This person could be a friend, a spouse, a child, a parent, etc. To register, go to https://ndab.org/recreation-retreat-registration/. More information will be sent out to members via email later this summer. If you are interested in attending and need transportation, please contact Sports & Rec Chair Elias Youngblom at (612) 968-1044.
Audio Material at the Vision Resource Center
Submitted by Michele Willman, NDVS/SB Vision Resource Center Specialist
If you are a Talking Books user, you have probably received notifications from the North Dakota State Library about the migration to BARD 2 which took place on July 29. You may also have heard about the new Digital Advanced Player 2 talking books machine which can connect to Bluetooth and wi-fi, allowing it to download books from the BARD mobile app.
The Vision Resource Center will be receiving one of these advanced talking book machines and it will be available for use if you are on-site at NDVS/SB. I hear it’s great for cookbooks and other non-fiction material where you might want to skip around to different recipes or sections. I am excited to try it when we receive ours! We do keep a small selection of Talking Books cartridges in the VRC for anyone to use while you are on-site if you want to try out the new machine when you visit NDVS/SB.
In addition to the Talking Book machines, the VRC has a small selection of audiobooks on CD and DVDs with descriptive video. These can be checked out and used off-site just like books and other materials. One of my favorites is The Greatest Showman—such great music! We also have a few other popular titles on DVD like Julie & Julia on DVD to enjoy alongside our large print copy of the book and the Toy Story series.
You can find information about the Digital Advanced Player 2 here: https://www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/equipment-for-nls-materials/da2-getting-started/. For assistance with Talking Books materials, contact the state library at (701) 328-1408 or 800-843-9948. You can also email them at tbooks@nd.gov. For assistance with any materials at the Vision Resource Center at NDVS/SB, contact Michele at (701) 795-2781 or mwillman@nd.gov.
Fargo Member News
Submitted by Mary Lou and Doug Stip
Update on Rosie Landsem: She resides for now at the Meadows on University in Fargo and would love to hear from you! Her phone number is (701) 306-7223. Also, she would love cards sent to her. The address is 1315 University Drive South, Room 85, bed 1, Fargo, ND 58103.
Several of us attended the June 26th Fargo-Moorhead Community Theater production of “Saturday Night Fever” audio described by Karla Petersen. Great music and a wonderful time together.
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery for Greg Otis.
Ron Abbott continues working for the Roger Maris Cancer Center. He is also looking forward to camp.
Doug continues working at Hornbacher’s where he put in a busy first week of July working four days straight. Still enjoying it.
On May 28th, a group of us went on an outing to the SheyWest Garden Center in West Fargo where Deb furnished us with beverages, and Joe Jordahl and Mary Lou Stip served bars. What wonderful fellowship.
Vince Ulstad spoke for our Gateway Lions Club meeting on May 23rd. He spoke about how he was blinded and how his Christian faith pulled him through some very hard times. He recently attended his 50th class reunion in Appleton, Minnesota. He has also been elected our NDAB delegate to attend next year’s ACB Convention in St. Louis, MO.
Deb plans to travel with her two sisters and two nieces to St. George, Utah, in late July to celebrate her sister’s 70th birthday. She also anticipates the birth of a granddaughter in August.
Together, Vince and Deb went to Lakeville, MN, over Father’s Day weekend to visit his son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, a 2 ½ year-old and a 6-month-old. They plan a trip in August for the Ulstad family reunion.
Linda Clarey has been going back and forth to Rochester, MN, helping one of her relatives. Kelly has been baching it but is doing well thanks to invitations out for meals with friends and relatives. They’ve also had time to go fishing. Kelly is also looking forward to summer camp.
I’ve been elected for a seat on the board of directors for the Gateway Lions so I’m keeping busy. For the Fourth of July, I spent a little time with my son and daughter-in-law, and it was a great day. My youngest granddaughter is attending UND in Grand Forks.
We have decided to do just one Zoom meeting for the monthly book club until further notice, as everybody is so busy right now. Meetings will continue at 10 AM the first Wednesday of the month.
If anyone has any news for the next Promoter, please email me at maryloustip@midco.net. So long for now!
Bismarck & Other News from Robert Westermeyer
The Bismarck Supper Club met at Olive Garden in May, Rockin’ 50s in June, and China Star in July. Their annual barbeque will likely be in August or September. For info, call Pat at 426-5619.
If you’re like me, your medication list is not shrinking. Spoken Rx is an audible service that reads the information out loud allowing visually impaired individuals to manage their medications safely. A sticker is placed on the bottom of your container which is then set on a platform. Press the button with the raised dot, and it’ll read the information out loud. For more information, contact Bismark CVS Pharmacy (701) 255-1335 or your local pharmacy.
Camp is coming up, and for some people that month before camp can be a blues time. Just like the holiday blues, people can have camptime blues. It can be triggered by a number of things: the stress of wondering if transportation is going to work out, wondering if you’ll get your classes, a traumatic event that took place at past camp, the death of a good friend especially if his birthday is close to camptime, and some other factors. The best way to cope is to think about the positive experiences you’ve had with camp. Among other things, work out transportation and other details ahead of time.
Spotlight on NDAB Member: Sue Dahl
Each month we profile an NDAB member. This month, meet Susan Dahl from Mohall.
Tell us about yourself.
I am Susan Dahl. I live in Mohall, ND. I came to the States in 1970 as an immigrant. I’ve lived in North Dakota for 51 years. My ex-husband was in the Air Force, and I met him in England when he was stationed there for a few years. I have one daughter, Kathleen, and a son, David, who lives in London. I had him when I was quite young, and he was adopted. He came looking for me about 20 years ago and we made contact. I get to see him when I go back to Scotland. My husband of 48 years was Ronald, and he passed away this past year. I have four grandchildren who are all very supportive of me, two grandsons and two granddaughters who all live in North Dakota. Two live here in Mohall, one is in Grand Forks, and one is in Dickinson.
I have a sister who lives in Scotland who I like to go to visit. We are both widows. I am planning to move back to Scotland later this year. I am going to remain a member of NDAB – an international member I suppose – because I have very good friends in the organization. They’ve been a lifesaver for me. They’ve really helped me cope and were so welcoming. I am really excited about going to live with my sister. She’s four years older than I am. We didn’t get on well when we were younger. About 25 years ago she had an accident and fell down stairs when I was visiting my family in Scotland and suffered a brain injury. I had to stay on an extra month or two to help her recover, and that’s when we made the bond that we have. We just get on so well with each other now. It seems the right thing to do is to spend as much time together as possible and make up for lost years. She lives on the southwest coast of Scotland in a town called Ayr. Her house is about ¾ of a mile from the sea. It’s glorious there.
I have macular degeneration. I found out that I had it because I was having problems, and I went to my optometrist because I thought I needed new glasses. He told me I had cataracts. When I had the cataracts removed, that’s when they found I had macular degeneration. I have both wet and dry; wet in the right eye and dry in the left. My vision didn’t change very much over the first few years, but I chose to give up driving because it just scared me that I might not see something sometime. My vision over the last year has deteriorated quite considerably, and I find it hard to try to read anything or look at pictures.
What are some of your hobbies?
I like gardening. I used to make bobbin lace, but not being able to see has made it difficult. Magnifiers don’t seem to work. I enjoy music and reading.
How long have you been a member of NDAB?
I think I joined about five years ago, in 2020. I was encouraged to become a member when I was at the School for the Blind. Tracy Wicken was talking about it. She thought it would be a good thing for me. They were doing the Zoom sessions on technology, and it was just a good thing to have contact with people. I think some of the people I was at the School with were also members. I just thought it was an exciting thing to be a part of.
What is your favorite memory from NDAB events?
It’s got to be Camp. Janelle Olson says it’s the best thing you’re going to do for yourself. The friendships and the things I’ve learned there have been wonderful. Camp is an enormous family where everyone gets on with everyone else, which is so unusual. Learning about people, sharing stories, making good friends. Camp helps you come out of yourself and not be afraid of the inability to see. Camp teaches you to have more confidence, and I was also thrilled to death that I could do archery. My grandson was horrified that they were going to give a blind person a lethal weapon.
I went to Dining in the Dark for the first time last year, and that was something I really enjoyed and thought was very good. And it was educational. So many of the people who were there really didn’t have a clue about vision loss, and it’s educational to find out how much you can share with them and help them understand people who have visual impairments.
What do you consider NDAB’s greatest accomplishment?
Reaching out to people who are isolated by their vision loss and bringing them into this family. The whole NDAB I think of as a family. From my point of view, Camp is one of their biggest achievements. There are also so many active members representing us at the legislature who are focused on making life better and getting information and services for visually impaired people. That is a wonderful ambition that they have.
Why should someone join NDAB?
I can’t imagine how my life would be if I wasn’t a member of NDAB. My life would have been much emptier than it is now. Maybe try it – you’ll like it! Make friends, enlarge your family.
NDAB’s theme this year for Giving Hearts Day and the Convention is “Be Aware.” What do you think the general public should “be aware” of regarding vision loss or blindness?
That most people who have vision loss or blindness want to be as independent as they can be. People can offer to help in a situation, but they have to be prepared to hear a “no” or “I don’t need your help.” Not to try to be pushy or grab someone and have someone push you across the road. Accept that people can do things without being able to see. Most of us, if we need help, will ask for it.
I think “Be Aware” is a really good theme to use to reach out to other people who haven’t heard about NDAB who have vision loss. So often you find that doctors you see are reluctant to pass on information about the organization. There must be many others who have vision loss who haven’t a clue that NDAB exists.
Is there anything else you want to share?
NDAB is my lifesaver! When I first had the diagnosis and realized that things were not going to get better, I was trying to be proactive and learning how to magnify things and whatnot. But the contacts that I’ve made through NDAB have really been a lifesaver and have kept me sane. When I lost my husband last year in June, and then went to Camp in August, that helped me deal with his loss in a very positive way. The support that I had from everybody was amazing.
Spotlight on NDAB Member: Paul Olson
Each month we profile an NDAB member. This month, meet Paul Olson from Grand Forks.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m Paul Olson from Grand Forks. I have 3 kids and 7 grandkids. I’m engaged to my best friend Cindy Williams. I started out at ND School for the Blind after finishing a degree in High School Social Science. I was a paraprofessional and mostly worked with students with multiple disabilities back when the school was residential. There was no mobility specialist on staff at that time. I was able to observe an O&M specialist who was contracting with the school, and I fell in love with the idea of teaching O&M. I went to Colorado for two years and became a teacher of the visually impaired and an O&M Specialist. I came back and started work on June 1, 1991, and the rest is history.
What are your hobbies?
Running, reading, whittling, nature
How long have you been a member of NDAB?
I really don’t know. 20+ years for sure.
Why did you become a member?
It is about partnership. NDAB has also helped me have a greater understanding of the interests and needs of people with low vision or blindness.
What is your favorite memory from NDAB events?
I have a funny memory of sheltering under a stairway at an NDAB convention in Devils Lake when there was a tornado nearby. That really isn’t supposed to be a good memory but I was with great people and we made the most of it. I also have many memories of driving participants for Ski for Light from Grand Forks to Fargo to catch the bus. I also really enjoyed helping plan and host the last NDAB convention in Grand Forks. That was a lot of work, but it was a blast.
What positions have you served with NDAB?
I have not been an officer. I have on purpose been a member that will simply volunteer and help where I can. Being a sighted member and a service provider, I feel that my role should simply be supportive rather than directly involved with chapter business.
What do you consider NDAB’s greatest accomplishment?
I could say it is all the advocacy at the state and national level, but I think it really lies with the thousands of times that members have supported individuals that are just experiencing vision loss. That initial and ongoing encouragement is priceless.
Is there anything you think NDAB should add or do differently?
Just keep fighting the good fight and keep trying to meet new demands that arise in the future.
Why should someone join NDAB?
As I mentioned previously, it is all about the support that comes naturally in such an organization. It is also a positive way to be active in a community. The organization really is a community.
NDAB’s theme this year for Giving Hearts Day and the Convention is “Be Aware.” What do you think the general public should “be aware” of regarding vision loss or blindness?
I am somewhat joking when I say this but the first thing that comes to mind is “Be Aware because WE are coming and WE are important and WE are sticking up for the rights of people who are low vision or blind!”
How do NDAB and NDVS/SB work together?
I will speak from the perspective of being a long-time employee of NDVS/SB as well as superintendent for the last 12 years. We at NDVS/SB work for you. We learn from you. We may not always live up to everyone’s hopes and dreams, but we try to do the best we can with the resources we have. I also want to express my appreciation for all the support that NDAB has given NDVS/SB over the years. The advocacy NDAB provides for our budget proposals every two years is very important. We may not get everything we want, but the vote of confidence in our staff is heard by the legislature.
Spotlight on NDAB Member: David McCloud
Each month we profile an NDAB member. This month, meet David McCloud from Grand Forks.
Tell us about yourself.
My name is David Joseph McLeod. I live in Grand Forks, ND, near UND. I’ve been employed with the city of Grand Forks for 32 years. I’m 59 years old this year. I do a lot of running as a hobby. I also am a member of a bowling league, and I’ve joined the chess club. I got lens implants to get my vision back in 2010.
How long have you been a member of NDAB?
I joined NDAB in 2003. I went to Ski for Light first, then summer camp. I’ve met so many people through NDAB.
What is your favorite memory from NDAB events?
I’ve spent a lot of time with Mike Heppner. We’ve driven down to Ski for Light and camp many summers. I was also at Dining in the Dark with Mike when it was at the golf course in Minot. I attended Family Seminar with my sister Betty. I’ve attended many of the annual convention meetings. I like Janelle Olson’s marching band from summer camp. That was fun. I play clarinet. My brother, Andrew, has been to camp twice with me. Many of the members are very friendly.
What do you consider NDAB’s greatest accomplishment?
I would say the funds from Giving Hearts Day. There’s more competition for funding these days, but we’ve managed to keep funding ourselves. We also have younger members now.
Why should someone join NDAB?
It helps people stay active. We learn from each other.
NDAB’s theme this year for Giving Hearts Day and the Convention is “Be Aware.” What do you think the general public should “be aware” of regarding vision loss or blindness?
When they see the white cane, to slow down because blind people were trained to find their way in the streets. Things get so fast – slow down.
Is there anything else you want to share?
I’m really into my health, and I want everyone to be healthy. I wish everyone good health, and I expect to be a member of NDAB for as long as I’m healthy.
2025 NDAB Award Winners
2025 Ed Christensen Award
This person has been a member of NDAB for approximately 28 years.
This person has done considerable planning to assist in the annual NDAB conventions.
This person was very active in raising large amounts of funds for NDAB in their community.
This person has served as an ACB delegate a couple of times for NDAB.
This person has voluntarily submitted articles, such as their personal poetry, to the Promoter.
This person served as an Emcee for a Comedy Show at camp.
This person served as a member of the Board of Directors for 2 years.
This person helped with clerical duties to assist another member of NDAB to serve in their official role.
This person served as an Emcee as needed for the Talent Show at camp.
This person read the Promoter for another editor during their term as Editor.
This person is considered to have the “red pencil” when editing minutes.
This person was the editor 5 years. This person produced, edited, dubbed and mailed the Promoter during this time.
It is with great honor that the Awards Committee presents the 2025 Ed Christensen Award to Doug Stip from Fargo.
2025 Friend of NDAB Award
Excerpts from nomination letter, submitted by the 2025 NDAB Convention Committee.
This year’s award winner, Mary Verlinde, is a Regional Coordinator for southwestern North Dakota for NDVS/SB. She has been working in the field of vision for almost 27 years.
Mary has been a faithful volunteer for NDAB for a number of years. To NDAB members, she may be best known for transporting North Dakotans to Ski for Light.
Just this spring, she transported NDAB members to Minot for the Sports & Rec Retreat.
One of the best things about Mary is that she always does these things with a smile on her face. Mary said that helping others through NDAB has been rewarding and fun, as it has allowed her to meet so many wonderful people.
2025 Robert John LePage Service Award
Excerpts from nomination letter, submitted by Fargo Lions President Jane L. Pettinger.
It is my honor to again nominate Lion Mel Olson for the Robert John LePage Service Award. Lion Mel serves folks in our community in numerous ways but for the purposes of this nomination, I will focus in on his vision related service.
At present, Mel serves as a Sight For Kids coordinator, managing the usage of six Plus PlusOptix devices to screen for vision issues in children throughout Cass County. Because we have the use of these devices, every schoolchild in the county is vision screened.
It is important to mention that we HAVE these screening devices because in 2012, Mel, along with other Lions leaders across North Dakota, began looking into the benefits of utilizing these devices to greatly increase our vision screening capacity.
In addition to his vision screening role, Mel has been an amazing champion of collecting used eyeglasses for use in mission trips throughout the world.
Best of all, Mel does all of this work with passion and dedication, inspiring others to step forward and ensure that vision issues are addressed for all in our communities. The Fargo Lions Club treasures Lion Mel. We are so very fortunate to have him in our club, ensuring Lions throughout the region are dedicated and guided in providing vision services that are impactful, valued, and ongoing!
Caption: From left: 2025 Robert John LePage Award Winner Lion Mel Olson, Award Committee Chair Mary Lou Stip, Ed Christensen Award Winner Doug Stip, and Lifetime Membership recipient Janelle Olson. Friend of NDAB Mary Verlinde and Lifetime Membership recipient Kathy Larson were not in attendance but accepted their awards virtually and over the phone.
Development Director’s Report, Summer 2025
Submitted by Allan Peterson, Development Director
An analysis of NDAB’s financial records for the past fiscal year that began June 1, 2024, and ended May 31, 2025, reveals that NDAB generated most of its income from fundraising and donations. Hooray! We generated enough income from all sources to cover our expenses and thus can thankfully declare this to have been a successful fiscal year for NDAB.
The income total that is attributed to fundraising and donations for fiscal year 2024 – 2025 is $52,283.30. For record keeping, we categorize fundraising income into five revenue streams: (1) Walk for Vision, (2) ND Lions Club donations, (3) ND charitable gaming license holder donations, (4) unclassified donations received from individuals and businesses, and (5) income generated from our participation in the Giving Hearts Day (GHD) Appeal. The income that can be attributed to our participation in the 2025 GHD appeal is $30,622.57, or approximately 60% of our fundraising total. Giving Hearts Day requires participating organizations to declare a Match Fund in advance of the event. Money set aside in the Match Fund is used to match GHD donations; it is meant primarily to serve as an incentive to make donations through the GHD system. To comply with this requirement, we created NDAB’s GHD Match Fund of $20,018 from a list of donors in advance of Giving Hearts Day.
Total income from all sources for NDAB fiscal year 2024-2025 was $65,563.54. Income sources other than fundraising were from the Life Enrichment gift, memorials, convention income, bank interest, membership dues, and fees. It is noteworthy that fundraising sources accounted for approximately 80% of our income in fiscal 2024-2025.
Several people need to be acknowledged and thanked for their help with our fundraising successes, principal among them is NDAB Treasurer Rebecca Anderson for her service of maintaining our financial records and handwriting the many thank you notes. Rebecca does many things behind the scenes as well which do not get attention. Often, she is the gopher that gets and delivers things she and other members need to do their work for NDAB. Our Giving Hearts team members each played a pivotal role in our success with this event – Rebecca Anderson, Trampes & Emily Brown, Zelda Gebhard, Michelle Zentz, Lilly Dunrud, David Olson, Kaity Young, Missy Miller, Brant Adams, among the others that I may have inadvertently missed.
The current NDAB fiscal year began June 1, 2025, and will continue to its end on May 31, 2026. We plan to have a Walk for Vision event again in conjunction with White Cane Safety Day on October 15, 2025, and have been accepted to participate in the 2026 Giving Hearts Day appeal. If interested in helping with any of these events, please let me know.
Legislative & Advocacy Report, Summer 2025
Submitted by Allan Peterson and Zelda Gebhard
Advocacy for accessibility now and forever! Today, advocacy for issues that maintain and improve the lives of people who are blind and have sight loss is needed more than ever before! To be sure, advocacy for accessibility is a theme that has defined much of our NDAB “lobbyist” work for some time now.
A brief review of our advocacy efforts, during the recently completed 69th session of the North Dakota Legislature, reveals these as outcomes:
- In accordance with NDAB’s 2024 resolution made in support of the appropriation for North Dakota Vision Services/School for the Blind, both written and oral testimony were given to support their budget request for the next biennium and supported their request for an additional position as an assistive technology instructor. Wahoo! Their budget was approved as presented, and the position of an additional technology instructor was added for the second year of the 2025 – 2027 biennium.
- In accordance with NDAB’S resolution to support the appropriation for the Talking Book Program at the State Library, we gave both written and oral testimony to maintain and strengthen the library’s services. The state budget for the Talking Book Program was maintained by the Legislature in the next 2025-2027 biennial budget.
- In accordance with NDAB’s resolution adopted for the Older Individuals who are Blind (OIB) Program appropriation that is administered through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, we gave written and oral testimony to support their budget request. In our testimony, we made the case that the OIB program needs supplemental funding, as this program has not had an increase in financial support since its inception in 1987. Wahoo! In conferring with Senator Dever, he does say the Legislature did provide supplemental funding for the OIB program in the 2025-2027 human service budget.
- In accordance with NDAB’s resolution in support of public transportation, the Legislature did approve an additional $2 million for paratransit services and $2 million for fixed route bus services to ND public transportation operators for the next 2025-2027 biennium.
On March 18, Zelda and Allan made visits to the Capitol Hill offices of our North Dakota congressional delegation to advocate for three priorities that would facilitate our access to electronic information. A fourth priority clarified our support for existing services and laws that help and protect people with sight loss and others with disabilities. Our visits were made in conjunction with ACB’s Leadership meetings, which are held annually in the DC area sometime in February or March.
Briefly, the four priorities that we brought to the attention of staff in our North Dakota congressional offices were:
- The Medical Device Non-Visual Accessibility Act – to help ensure that medical equipment that has visual information on a digital display is accessible to people with sight loss.
- The Website and Software Applications Accessibility Act would establish clear and enforceable accessibility standards for websites and software applications so that they can be accessed by people who are blind or have low vision.
- The Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA) to update existing requirements for accessible media and video conferencing services.
Our 2024 NDAB Convention did adopt resolutions in support of these three priorities which address access to different types of electronic communication.
The fourth priority that we brought to the attention of DC staff during our visits was to ask that services and rights that people with sight loss and other disabilities rely on to help them maintain their independence and wellbeing be sustained in the face of projected cutbacks in the federal budget, Primary among these programs being Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
Our visits were made with staff members in each of the three North Dakota congressional offices – Senators Hoeven and Cramer and congresswoman Fedorchak.
The staff members we met with in Hoeven’s and Cramer’s offices were familiar with us because we had met with them in the past and they were familiar with the issues we were promoting. All our visits went well. It bears repeating, we do not have the power to pass legislation ourselves; we must convince our political representatives about the merits of our issues and most often that takes a lot of time and effort!
The highlight of our Capitol Hill visits was the opportunity we had to visit with Anna Scallon, Carol Scallon’s daughter, who is working as a receptionist in Senator Hoeven’s office and was at the front desk when we entered Hoeven’s office – it was a very, very pleasant surprise.
Positive news! Wahoo! The Website and Software Applications Accessibility Act was reintroduced in Congress on May 14 by Congressman Pete Sessions from Texas. This is important because Congressman Sessions is a Republican, which demonstrates this legislation should have broad bipartisan support. As we know, this is a very important first step, but to get it through final passage will take a lot of advocacy work of members from throughout ACB land and beyond.
Two resolutions were adopted at our 2025 NDAB Convention in Bismarck. The first addresses NDAB’s support for the Randolph Sheppard Vendor Program in North Dakota, and the second addresses NDAB’s support for the National Eye Institute administrated under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These resolutions will now be used to help advance our advocacy for these programs and services within state and federal governments.
Donations April – June 2025
Submitted by Rebecca Anderson, Treasurer/Registered Agent
Donations April to June 2025
Total Donations $5,970.20
Giving Hearts Day Bonus $170.00
Stripe
Charitable Gaming $150.00
Bowman Lions
Life Enrichment $3,775.20
Wallace and Vivian Dahl Family Fund
Other Donations $1,875.00
ACB MMS
The Barry Foundation
Blackbaud Giving Fund
Mary Peterson
Doug Puetz
North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
June 2, 2025
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Loris VanBerkom, Lexee Steffan, Rebecca Anderson, Helen Baumgartner, Gerald Byron, Janelle Olson, Elias Youngblom, Allan Peterson and Trampes Brown
GUESTS: Brant Adams, Mary Stip, Tracy Wicken, Zelda Gebhard and Michelle Zentz
CALL TO ORDER: Loris called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm via Zoom. Roll call was taken.
REGULAR AGENDA: Loris read the agenda. Gerald made a motion to accept the agenda as read, seconded by Lexee. MC
PUBLIC COMMENT: None
BUSINESS AGENDA:
Secretary: On March 31st, a motion was made by Janelle, seconded by Lexee, to approve the March 24th minutes. MC On April 8th, a motion was made by Gerald, seconded by Lexee to approve the slate of officers presented by the Nominations Comm. MC On April 22nd, Allan made a motion that the NDAB board opposes the provision in HB1165 that would reject ballots that are received in the mail after election day but are postmarked before that date, seconded by Rebecca. On April 24th, Allan withdrew his motion in the interest of maintaining the independent nonpartisan position of NDAB. On April 23rd, Lexee made a motion to approve Lifetime memberships, seconded by Rebecca. MC
Treasurer: A motion was made by Lexee, seconded by Gerald to accept the March and April Treasurer’s reports. MC
Finance: Allan reported a couple of totals raised during the past year and will give a more detailed report at the convention.
Membership: Lexee made a motion to approve two new members: Lennie Muir, Valley City, VI and Erick Redmann, West Fargo, VI; and one returning member, Michael (Andy) Davis, Minot, VI. Allan seconded the motion. MC There are 135 paid members. With the scholarship recipient, Cylee Walton, there are 136 members.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Awards: Mary reported the recipient of the Robert LaPage award. Allan made a motion to accept Mel Olson as the recipient, seconded by Gerald. MC Lexee made a motion to accept Mary Verlinde as Friend of NDAB, seconded by Elias. MC Mary reported there will also be a recipient for the Ed Christensen award.
Family Adjustment: Janelle recapped the information given at the last board meeting. She will contact Amy to discuss moving forward.
Life Enrichment: The program was started in 2022. Only 4 applications have been submitted and approved since then. It has been suggested that technology equipment or devices for the blind and visually impaired should be added to the program. Zelda reviewed the changes to the guidelines suggested by the committee. This topic will be brought up to the convention body for discussion.
Scholarship: Tracy reported that scholarship applications were emailed out to all entities as in the past mailings. Two applicants applied. One was disqualified as they were not a resident of ND. Cylee Walton was awarded the $2,000 NDAB scholarship. She is majoring in education with a goal of being an outreach teacher at NDVS/SB.
2025 Convention: Brant reported everything is ready to go for the weekend.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Archiving Talent Shows: Elias reported that he has heard that some talent shows have performances that NDAB would not want to have digitized. He is not able to go through and edit them. If anyone would like to do so, he will pass the recordings off to that person.
Grandpa’s White Cane: The committee is looking for more volunteers to help go into the schools across the state in the upcoming school year. NDAB has purchased 150 books to be placed in the schools.
NEW BUSINESS:
Proposed Budget: Janelle made a motion to recommend passage of the proposed budget to the convention body, seconded by Allan. MC
Code of Conduct: Michelle has read the statute of limitations for nonprofits in ND is six years. It has been determined that the Code of Conduct forms need to be kept for at least six years.
Gateway Lions Fundraiser: The Gateway Lions are having their All-Star Lions Basketball Tournament coming up in July. Mary suggested NDAB put an ad in the program for publicity purposes. Cost of ads are $50 and up depending on color and size. Because of the lack of information and the immediacy of getting the information to the Lions Club, it was determined that we should not place an ad this year.
Public Comment: None
NEXT MEETING: June 8, 2025 immediately following the convention
ADJOURN: Allan made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Lexee. MC The meeting adjourned at 9:18 pm.
Respectfully Submitted, Helen Baumgartner, NDAB Secretary
North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. 2025 Convention Minutes
Ramada Inn – Bismarck, ND
Friday, June 6th:
Registration for the convention began at 3:30 pm. A vendor showcase was held from 3:30 – 6:30, with each vendor having an opportunity to share a bit about their services and/or equipment available. At 7:00 a pizza supper was enjoyed at the hotel.
Saturday, June 7th:
Registration continued at 8:00 am.
Opening Ceremony: Brant Adams welcomed the convention attendees. The colors were posted by the Bismarck Amvets. Doug Stip sang the Star-Spangled Banner. Bobby Westermeyer led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Loris Van Berkom replied to the welcome. She appointed David McCloud and Steve Gebhard as mic runners. Loris read the agenda. Bobby made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Lexee Steffan. MC Rick Vannett, Parliamentarian, read the standing rules.
Business Meeting: President Loris Van Berkom called the 88th Annual NDAB convention business meeting to order at 8:45 am. Roll Call was taken with 30 members and 2 guests present.
REPORTS:
President’s Report: The gavel which Loris opened the meeting with was made for and given to her by Daryl Kline, a former NDAB member. Loris expressed her surprise in all the changes in the role of President since her last term in that office in 1992-1993. However, she believes her role as President is to work with the membership, not the advanced technology nor the upkeep of all the manuals. Being a good leader is putting competent people in charge of the various committees and letting them do their job.
Secretary’s Report: The June 2nd Pre-convention board minutes were read. Bobby made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Doug. MC
Treasurer’s Report: Rebecca Anderson shared the financial report for the past fiscal year. She also read the Proposed Budget.
Development Director: Allan Peterson reported the donations received during the past fiscal year. He thanked those who assisted him in fundraising.
Membership: Lexee reported there are 136 paid members, of which 56 are visually impaired, 28 are blind and 52 are sighted. There were 3 deaths in the last year.
Editor: Emily Stenberg Brown reported the cost of the Promoter continues to rise. She reported the number of newsletters distributed in each format since the last convention. There are 335 Facebook followers, of which 22% are male and 78% female. There were 2-3 posts made monthly on various topics.
Presentation by Tracy Wicken: Tracy has been a member of NDAB since 1985 when she worked for ND Vision Services. She started a project called the Statue of Service. The statue will represent the services provided to the visually impaired by NDVS/SB and the Lions Clubs across the state. It will be located on the grounds of NDVS/SB. It will be a bronze statue of a lion. To the left of the lion is a woman with a guide dog extending her hand to the lion. To the right is a little boy with a cane extending his hand to touch the lion. This depicts unity. Tracy shared information on the entities she has contacted to construct the statue and do the landscaping around it. The total cost estimate is $175,000 to $200,000. Any donor who contributes $1,000 or more will have their name placed on one of the pavers. There will be a quote from Helen Keller, along with the saying in braille with the braille alphabet to decipher the message. Any donations are welcome and appreciated.
A coffee break was taken at 10:10. Door prizes followed.
Speaker – Ryan Botner of Cornerstone Speaking and Coaching shared his story/testimony regarding his life and spiritual journey. Some helpful acronyms he shared were FEAR – false evidence appearing real or forget everything and run. HOPE – helping others pursue excellence. We need to prepare our soil to receive the seed of hope. Your attitude is what nourishes the soil. Boldness, people connectors, intrinsic motivation, and resilience are the characteristics that help the top performers stay activated. These five actions done every day are life changers: value people – see every person as valuable; bring value to people every day – what can I do for this person; look to bring value to people – look for ways to always bring something to people, be humble and fast; do things to bring value to people – faith without works is dead; and encourage others to bring value to people – encouragement is oxygen for the soul.
Camp: Missy Miller reported on the results of the 2024 camp session. Three new members attended. The banquet was a Thanksgiving theme. Dan Mimnaugh was the guest speaker. Truncated dome tiles were installed to assist with O & M around the camp. Camp will be August 10 – 17, 2025. The theme for the banquet this year is “Run for the Roses.” Camp packets have been sent out.
Legislative & Advocacy: An additional Technology Specialist was added to NDVS/SB. Allan testified in support of the Talking Book and OIB Programs. Visits to the three congressional offices in D.C. were made to request support for 4 issues. NDAB had a booth at the Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol.
The meeting recessed at 11:50.
Legislative Luncheon: Five local Legislators, a representative from Cramer and Fedorchak’s offices and Paul Olson from NDVS/SB spoke during the luncheon.
Business Meeting Resumes: The meeting resumed at 1:20 pm.
Dining in the Dark: Janelle Olson reported the next DITD event is planned for Oct. 2, 2025 in Bismarck. If anyone is interested in being a table host for this event, please contact her.
Family Adjustment Seminar: The last Family Adjustment Seminar was held in 2010. Amy Osvold from NDVS/SB indicated families are requesting this type of service again. The sessions would be held over Zoom. The details are still being worked out. The board has approved working with NDVS/SB to start this project. It is planned to begin in the fall.
Grandpa’s White Cane: Since last year, approximately 10 books have been delivered to schools across the state. NDAB has purchased another 150 books. Volunteers are welcome to help go out to deliver the book and visit with the children.
Life Enrichment: The committee would like to broaden the selection of opportunities available to utilize the funds. In addition to previous requests, assistive and mainstream technology, hobby related equipment, and tools may be added.
Education and Awareness: The programs which deal with publicity and education have been reviewed. When doing fundraising, public awareness is also done. The various education committees will be under this committee, including Grandpa’s White Cane, DITD, Family Adjustment and Life Enrichment.
Sports and Rec: Two retreats were held this past year, one at the Triangle Y Camp and the spring retreat in Minot. The activities of each session were discussed. The committee is willing to let members of NDAB use the sports equipment in their community.
ACB Delegate: Mary Stip gave a report on her experience in Jacksonville, FL.
A coffee break was taken at 2:25. Door prizes followed.
Business Meeting Resumes: The meeting resumed at 2:56. Roll call was taken with 27 members and 2 guests present.
OLD BUSINESS: None
NEW BUSINESS:
Resolutions: Emily read 2 resolutions.
Resolution 2025-01: In support of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors Program in ND – A motion was made by Mary to accept this resolution, seconded by Bobby. MC
Resolution 2025-02: In support of Research at the National Eye Institute – A motion was made by Bobby, seconded by Zelda Gebhard. MC
Life Enrichment: Because the Life Enrichment funds are not being utilized, the committee suggests that the opportunities be expanded. Zelda read the guidelines as revised by the committee. A motion was made by Brant to accept the new guidelines, seconded by Bobby. MC
Scholarships: Mary suggested we extend our scholarships out of state. Paula Anundson suggested we raise the scholarship amounts. Bobby made a motion to change the $2,000 scholarship to $4,000 and one $1,000 scholarship to $2,000 and keep one $1,000 scholarship, seconded by Trampes Brown. MC
Statue of Service Project: Helen Baumgartner made a motion to support the Statue of Service project in the amount of $20,000, seconded by Mary. Allan made a friendly amendment to the motion to donate $10,000, seconded by Paula. MC Motion carried to donate $10,000 to the Statue of Service.
Door prizes were given out. Announcements for the evening activities and the Memorial service were made by Brant. Mary made a motion to adjourn the meeting for the day, seconded by Lexee. MC
Awards Banquet: Following a social hour beginning at 6:00, the Awards Banquet began at 6:30. Brant was Emcee. Janelle led us in prayer. Following the meal, Emily introduced our banquet speaker, Jason Romero, joining us via Zoom. Jason is a lawyer, businessman, author, transcontinental runner and is blind. Jason shared his life story, emphasizing that he has experienced many more failures than successes. He defines failure as success in progress. When we fail, we grow. “The bigger your dreams for success, the bigger and more frequent your failure.” Jason’s dream was to run across the USA. It is 3,000 miles across. He wanted to accomplish this goal in 60 days. He had to run an average of 50 miles per day. He started a website – visionrunusa.com. Jason completed his dream, running a total of 3,063 miles. This is the first and only transcontinental foot crossing completed by a person who is blind.
Helen announced the $2,000 NDAB Scholarship award recipient as Cylee Walton, attending UND. Lexee presented the Friend of NDAB Award to Mary Verlinde who responded via Zoom. Lexee presented Lifetime Membership Awards to Kathy Larson, via phone, and Janelle Olson. Mary presented the Robert John LePage Award to Mel Olson from the Fargo Lions Club. She also presented the Ed Christensen Award to Doug Stip.
Sunday, June 8th:
Memorial Service: Janelle led the Memorial Service. The obituaries and memories were shared for three deceased members: Gail Melland, Gen Bruins and Violet Zentz.
A coffee break was held, followed by door prizes.
Business Meeting Resumes: The meeting resumed at 9:15 with 28 members and 2 guests present.
Archiving the Talent Shows: Janelle made a motion to pay $500 to a long-term NDAB member with vision to review the talent shows and get them in order so they are prepared to be digitized, seconded by Bobby. MC
Hybrid State Conventions: Mary made a motion that we conduct our annual state conventions in a hybrid format, seconded by Bobby. Motion failed
Proposed Budget: The $500 to prepare the talent shows for digitizing was placed under Camp expenses and the $10,000 Statue of Service was placed under Charitable contributions. The budget was adjusted to $86,200 in expenses. The income total Is $75,700. Allan made a motion to approve the proposed budget, seconded by Lexee. MC
2026 Convention: This convention will be in Minot or at the Spirit Lake Casino in Devils Lake. An article will be put in the August Promoter clarifying where the convention will be in 2026.
2027 Convention: Fargo will be hosting this convention.
Nominations: Janelle announced the committee consists of herself, Missy and Rick Feldman. The slate of officers was read.
Election of Officers:
Secretary: The Nominations Committee put forth Helen Baumgartner for this position. Janelle made a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Helen as Secretary, seconded by Bobby. MC
Board Director: The Nominations Committee put forth Mary Stip for this position. Helen made a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Mary as Board Director, seconded by Bobby. MC
Development Director: The Nominations Committee put forth Allan Peterson for this position. Helen made a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Allan as Development Director, seconded by Lexee. MC
Editor: The Nominations Committee put forth Emily Stenberg Brown for this position. Lexee made a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Emily as Editor, seconded by Bobby. MC
ACB Delegate: The Nominations Committee put forth Vince Ulstad to serve as delegate to the ACB Convention in St. Louis, MO in 2026. Missy nominated Elias Youngblom. Vince accepted the nomination and agreed to serve in this capacity for NDAB. Missy spoke in support of Elias in his absence. Vince will be the delegate for 2026.
Alternate Delegate: Elias Youngblom was nominated for Alternate Delegate. Bobby made a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Elias as Alternate Delegate, seconded by Mary. MC
Loris thanked Gerald Byron for his service as Board Director. Gratitude was also extended to the Bismarck Convention Committee, the mic runners, the sound system operator, the door prize donors and distributors and Rick Vannett for his service as Parliamentarian. Brant thanked the Convention Committee and all those who helped in any way to make this convention a success.
Adjourn: Allan made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Lexee. The meeting adjourned at 10:37 am.
Respectfully submitted,
Helen Baumgartner, NDAB Secretary
North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. Post-Convention Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
June 8, 2025
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Loris Van Berkom, Lexee Steffan, Rebecca Anderson, Helen Baumgartner, Janelle Olson, Mary Stip, Allan Peterson and Trampes Brown
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Elias Youngblom
Loris called the meeting to order at 10:56 am.
Code of Conduct: The Code of Conduct was signed by board members present.
NEW BUSINESS:
ACB Stipend: Zelda Gebhard and Allan Peterson have requested a stipend. Lexee made a motion to approve the 2 requests, seconded by Mary. MC
New Brochures: Loris received a complaint regarding the new brochures. Trampes stated the new brochure was done by members of the Education and Awareness Committee. Allan stated there were 500 printed. Loris informed Allan that after these brochures are used, the brochure needs to be re-evaluated. There is only one sentence about our camp and a very outdated picture was used to depict what happens at camp. These things will need to be changed.
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting was set for August 19th @ 7:30 pm.
ADJOURN: Allan made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Mary. MC
The meeting was adjourned at 11:04 am.
Respectfully Submitted,
Helen Baumgartner, NDAB Secretary
Leadership Roster
President: Loris Van Berkom
Membership Chairperson/VP: Lexee Steffan
Secretary: Helen Baumgartner
Treasurer/Registered Agent: Rebecca Anderson
Past President: Trampes Brown
Legislative Liaison: Zelda Gebhard
Director: Elias Youngblom
Director: Janelle Olson
Director: Mary Lou Stip
Development Director/Leg. Liaison: Allan Peterson
Historian: Open
Webmaster: Brant Adams
Promoter Editor: Emily Stenberg Brown
Camp Committee Chair: Missy Miller
Committee Chairpersons:
Awards: Mary Lou Stip
Communications: Trampes Brown
Dining in the Dark: Janelle Olson
Finance: Rebecca Anderson
Scholarship: Tracy Wicken
Sports and Recreation: Elias Youngblom
Education and Awareness: Zelda Gebhard
Nominations: Janelle Olson
Local News Reporters:
Bismarck: Robert Westermeyer
Lake Region: Carol Schmitt
Minot: Dianne Giessinger
Williston: Janelle Olson
Fargo: Mary Lou Stip
Grand Forks: Ruth Phalen
Communication Connections:
Website: www.ndab.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoDakAB/
Communication submissions: comms@ndab.org
Address: NDAB, PO Box 824, West Fargo, ND 58078
All members are encouraged to submit items of interest to the editor at promoter@ndab.org for publication. Deadline is the 10th of the month prior to quarterly publications of February, May, August, and November.
NDAB is a nonprofit organization which promotes the interest of ND residents who are blind and visually impaired. As a nonprofit organization, we welcome donations to help in advancing the cause of persons who are blind and visually impaired. For more information about NDAB, visit www.ndab.org.