American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Convention Issue 2023 AWARDS
2023 TWIG Awards
Presented by Carol Castellano
Carol Castellano: "As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclin'd." These words of Alexander Pope are the inspiration for the title of our awards. The National Organization of Parents of Blind Children initiated the Twig Awards for our twenty-fifth anniversary in 2008 to honor those whose work has influenced the direction in which our children grow.
The award itself is a medallion engraved with a tree and the words, "As the Twig Is Bent Award," and "NOPBC since 1983." NOPBC is written in Braille and print. On the back of the medallion are the recipient's name and the year.
This year we will be presenting two Twig Awards. Our first recipient is a person we were very lucky to have on our NOPBC board for a good long time. Our recipient's dedication to blind children and their families is renowned throughout the country. She truly has bent the twig and influenced the lives of countless blind children. She is amazingly knowledgeable and incredibly smart. Her proficiency, effectiveness, and hard work moved this organization forward through many challenges, including through the tough years of the pandemic.
I first met our recipient many years ago at the Beginnings and Blueprints seminar, where she came to get information for her little girl. She began serving on our board in 2008. She served for thirteen years, many of them as our president.
I am proud and delighted to present this award to Carlton Walker.
Carlton Walker: Thank you! Thank you very much! The kind words absolutely mean a lot. I have loved every minute of what I've done with the NOPBC, and I'm so excited to see where the NOPBC and the NFB and our children are going in the years to come. And best yet, cupcakes at our gathering tonight!
Carol Castellano: And now, to present our second award, here is Vice President Cassie McKinney.
Cassie McKinney: Good morning, everyone! For me it is very much an honor to be here to make a presentation. I tried to write it all down, and the more I tried, the more I cried. So I'm just going to say what's on my heart.
The presentation that I'd like to make goes to an individual who came into this organization because they didn't know where else to go. They didn't have another opportunity or another option to help their child, so they came to us.
This person came looking for help and ended up giving more help than you ever could imagine. We never know how much our actions are going to affect those around us. We never know if we're going to say the right thing that will change someone's life. But I like to think that when Penny Duffy came to our first NFB Convention, maybe she heard the right things. Only three years later, in 2014, she joined the board, and she served on the board for nine years. She did tremendous work, and I know that she continues to do that work, as she is able. I am honored to present this Twig Award to one of the strongest people I know, Penny Duffy.
Abby Duffy: My mother can't be here this year, but I know she'll really appreciate this award. She loves this organization very very much!
Carol Castellano: This is such a great organization! We love it, don't we? We came for ourselves, and we stayed for everybody else. Thank you, everybody!