Mentioning Ol' Reliable

Mentioning Ol' Reliable

Braille Monitor
February 2015

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Mentioning Ol' Reliable
by Grace Warn
From the Editor: At chapter meetings, state conventions, and at our national convention, we work hard to make the content of our meetings both interesting and informative. We must decide how much of our agenda will focus on history, how much on current events, and how much on future planning.
Grace Warn assists me in putting together each issue of the Braille Monitor. She has written a piece that encourages us to listen to those who know about our history, learn it, and be in a position to pass it on. Here is what she says:
Disney's Lady and the Tramp happens to be my mother's all-time favorite Disney movie, and it's in my top five, so we've watched it frequently over the years. When I was younger, I laughed at the way Trusty would several times say, "It's like my grandpappy Ol' Reliable used to say—don't recollect if I've ever mentioned Ol' Reliable before?" And Jock, with long-suffering patience, would reply, "Aye, you have—repeatedly," thereby stopping Trusty from telling this story (for what may have been the four millionth time). Then there is that final scene in which Trusty brings up Ol' Reliable, only this time Lady and Tramp's pups say, "No you haven't, Uncle Trusty." And Trusty is so thrilled—finally, someone who wants to hear his story. Except that, when Trusty starts to tell the pups this wonderful bit of wisdom that his grandpappy told him, he can't. It's been so long since he got to tell someone what Ol' Reliable used to say that Trusty has forgotten what it was. As a kid, I found it funny. As an adult, I find it sad.
Now I'm sure you're wondering what the heck a running gag in an old Disney movie has to do with the NFB, blindness, or anything else that would make this article belong in the Monitor. Simply put, it's because I want our people to let Trusty tell us what Ol' Reliable said once in a while. In every group there's a Trusty: be it a family, an NFB chapter, a church congregation, or what have you. There's that one person, usually older, (whether by age or by years as a member) who is ready and willing to tell the stories at the drop of a hat. And often that person has two or three or five favorite stories to tell about experiences in the group. Some of these stories they tell so frequently that, after a year or so, you and other members can repeat them word for word. Now you love this person, but you come to recognize when Trusty is about to start in on one of these stories, and you've heard it often enough that you'll do just about anything to keep from having to hear it again. Perfectly understandable: there's a limit to how many times you can hear the same thing over and over and keep your sanity. Ask any parent about that movie that somehow "got lost" or the cassette tape that "got stretched" so it wouldn't play anymore.
I've only been a member of the NFB for a few years. One of the best parts of working with Gary to put together the Monitor is how interesting it is. I've learned more about civil rights, legislation being considered in Congress, technology, and any number of topics than I ever did in high school, all because of articles I've helped edit. But several times I've had to ask Gary about an issue or an organization that was referenced in passing in an article because, while it's perfectly obvious to someone who was reading the Monitor in the 90s when the issue was huge in the work of the NFB, in 2015 I'm clueless. And I'm not the only one. My best friend has been a member of the NFB for over twenty years, but when I've asked her about a couple of these topics, she didn't know either. Because, after all, she's my age. At the time when whatever it was was a hot topic of discussion, she was ten, or twelve, or fifteen, and she wasn't interested in that. She was talking to me about whether NSync was better than the Backstreet Boys, or whether our Girl Scout troop would go roller skating or bowling next month.
My point is that the story that you're tired of hearing—perhaps we haven't heard it, but we'd like to. This year there's a lot of focus on history with this being the National Federation of the Blind's seventy-fifth anniversary. This is the time when the old stories about the amount of work Dr. tenBroek did in founding the NFB, or how Dr. Jernigan inspired one of the current leaders of the NFB, or how Dr. Maurer brought the Federation into the new millennium should be told again and again. Some of you were lucky enough to have met one of these men, gotten to know them, been encouraged or inspired by what they had to say to you. But, for me and countless other younger members of the Federation, these men are names on an award or a voice heard once a month at chapter meetings when the Presidential Release is played. It is hearing someone else talk about meeting Dr. Jernigan at a convention or that letter that Dr. Maurer wrote to them when they were sixteen—that's how we're going to connect to these leaders.
It's a balancing act that all organizations must negotiate. You have to have eyes on the future, have goals that will take you there, and ways of getting members interested in moving that direction. Otherwise the organization becomes stale, irrelevant, and ultimately, it falls apart. But at the same time, we have to maintain the organizational memory of who we are as a group, where we have come from, how far we have come, and how we made the journey, because that maintains the core of the organization's identity. Those old-timers who remember all those stories—they won't be around forever. They can choose to stop being a member for any number of reasons, or they can be taken from us by age or illness. And with them go memories that can't be replaced.
So next time you're at a chapter meeting or a state convention and your local Trusty starts winding up to that story you've heard twenty times too many, let them tell it just one more time. Do it for that person who joined last year who hasn't learned the story by heart or for the veteran Federationist who heard it as a kid but who didn't have the attention span to hear it the whole way through the last time Trusty told it. When one of our younger members is called upon to relate that story, maybe in a decade or two, you'll be very glad you did.
Consider a Charitable Gift
Making a charitable gift can be one of the most satisfying experiences in life. Each year millions of people contribute their time, talent, and treasure to charitable organizations. When you plan for a gift to the National Federation of the Blind, you are not just making a donation; you are leaving a legacy that insures a future for blind people throughout the country. Special giving programs are available through the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).
Points to Consider When Making a Gift to the National Federation of the Blind

Will my gift serve to advance the mission of the NFB?
Am I giving the most appropriate asset?
Have I selected the best way to make my gift?
Have I considered the tax consequences of my gift?
Have I sought counsel from a competent advisor?
Have I talked to the NFB planned giving officer about my gift?

Benefits of Making a Gift to the NFB

Helping the NFB fulfill its mission

Receiving income tax savings through a charitable deduction

Making capital gain tax savings on contribution of some appreciated gifts
Providing retained payments for the life of a donor or other beneficiaries
Eliminating federal estate tax in certain situations
Reducing estate settlement cost

Your Gift Will Help Us

Make the study of science and math a real possibility for blind children
Provide hope and training for seniors losing vision
Promote state and chapter programs and provide information that will educate blind people
Advance technology helpful to the blind
Create a state-of-the-art library on blindness
Train and inspire professionals working with the blind
Provide critical information to parents of blind children
Mentor blind people trying to find jobs

Your gift makes you a part of the NFB dream!

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