20260516 BSCB 2026 Spring Conference and Convention

Uh, so I am David Kingsbury.

I'm the president, maybe for just not too much longer, of the Bay State Council of the Blind, and this is the fiftieth anniversary year of BSCB.

[audience applauding] And I'd like to think that we are as strong as we have ever been.

Uh, we have record membership.

Uh, we're over around two hundred and twenty now.

Yeah.

Uh, we got a boost from having sort of a free membership, uh, one time only deal, and I think we have some of those new members here.

Um, so very happy to say that, um, we, we got a new num-- uh, uh, a substantial number of new members, and hopefully we will continue to grow.

I think BSCB is in good shape, again, primarily because of the work we do that is driven by our committees.

Like to thank all of our committee chairs for the great work they have done over the last year or so.

[audience applauding] Um, uh, so without the chairs and of course the committee members, uh, there's not a whole lot we could do in the areas that-- in which we work: advocacy, communications, um, um, social and, uh, beyond.

Fundraising too.

Um, so we need to get going because we got a pretty packed agenda, so I'm just gonna go straight into some of the logistics here.

Uh, first off, as you, uh, probably know already, you've met some of the volunteers.

So we have, um, a number of volunteers, um, uh, five from AmeriCorps, and [audience applauding] thank you to all of you.

And then we have some, uh, individual folks who are gonna be helping us out throughout the day.

So if you do, uh-

How many are like Maury and Charlie?

Yep.

Okay.

Yep.

[audience applauding] Thank you all.

Um, if you do have a request of a volunteer, uh, you know, just raise your hand and a volunteer will come to you, um, uh, you know, throughout the, the course of the day.

Um, we will have, uh, when the time comes, we will have a mic runner.

Um, when it is time for you to speak, when you have the mic, please wait until you get the mic because we also have, um, folks not only in the room but, um, via Zoom.