“BE PREPARED”
2009 MCBVI Convention
Registration information!

This is your invitation to join the fun and fellowship at the 36th annual convention of the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired taking place October 8 - 11, 2009
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel
Wyoming, Michigan (south side of Grand Rapids)

Hotel: This year the convention returns to the great hospitality at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, 255 28th street SW, Wyoming MI 49548. The hotel is right off US 131 on the south side of Grand Rapids. Room rates are only $75 plus tax for single or double occupancy. Rooms are available with a king bed or two double beds. The hotel has a recreation area on the fifth floor with an indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna, exercise room and more. There is an excellent casual and modestly priced restaurant in the hotel, with many more restaurants located nearby on 28th street (not walkable). Rooms include wireless internet access and cable TV. A convenient guide dog relief area is available of course. For more information about the hotel visit: www.hojogr.com.

Reservations must be made directly with the hotel by calling (616) 241-6444. Be sure to mention the MCBVI convention. Reservations must be made no later than September 28, after that regular room rates may apply. A limited number of fully accessible rooms are available; please make your reservations early if you need such accommodations. MCBVI is not responsible for your room reservations.

Transportation: Bus and train service available to Grand Rapids. If you need a ride from or to the bus or train station, please make that known when you register.

Registration: Registration for all participants is $15 regardless of membership status. To register complete the enclosed registration form or call (877) 254-6393. As this number rings into a private residence, please be courteous and do not call after 9:00pm. Your registration will be considered valid once payment is received for registration as well as banquet, lunch, and other options (see below). Payments must be received by Sunday, October 4. No refunds after October 4. Make checks or money orders payable to: VIPP MCBVI convention account. Mail payments and registration forms to: Casey Dutmer, 5940 Bayberry Farms Drive SW Apt. 6, Wyoming MI 49418.

Activities: For those that arrive Thursday, if there is interest we will travel to Rivertown Theater Thursday night to enjoy a movie with MoPix. The movie will be announced closer to convention. Please let us know if you plan to attend; pay your own admission and concession costs at the theatre. The hospitality room will be open in the evening too.

Friday afternoon we are having a tour of the Gerald R Ford Museum. Cost for admission is $5.00. Payment for this event must be included with registration. The museum has wheelchairs available if needed. We are using volunteer drivers for transportation; information regarding departure time will be given to you when you register.

Friday evening will be our opening ceremonies at 7:00 followed by the annual auction with Kyle Austin returning to his auctioneer post. Bring some extra cash and be ready to bid on some fantastic items, and have a lot of fun too! The hospitality room opens after the auction for refreshments and good fellowship.

Saturday we’ll begin at 9:00 and have sessions all day addressing such issues as self defense, diabetes care, status of Welcome Homes Residential Services (formerly Welcome Home for the Blind), new technology and more. A group lunch will be offered at noon. Saturday will also include voting for board positions including First and Second Vice Presidents and Treasurer.

Saturday evening starts off with a social hour before the banquet as we celebrate Fall and Halloween! Tyrone Hamilton will be providing music. Feel free to wear your favorite Halloween costume!

The annual banquet is always a good time with a great dinner (see food options below), awards and a great keynote speaker. This year’s speaker is Ken Medema. Blind since birth, Ken has become an accomplished musician/motivational speaker. Ken has been singing over 32 years in every venue imaginable for 50 - 50,000 people, from churches to conventions to colleges to corporations, Ken has always custom designed an event for every occasion. Using his gift of improvisation, Ken hears with his heart, stories from people or themes from events or speeches and sings the stories back to audiences of all ages. To learn more visit Ken’s web site at http://www.kenmedema.com.
If you wish to here Ken and see the MCBVI award presentation but not eat, there will be a $15.00 charge in addition to your registration.

Following the banquet, the hospitality room will be open or you can join in karaoke in the hotel lounge.
Sunday starts off at 8:30 with our annual memorial service where we can honor those in our organization who have passed on in the last year. Then from 9:00 to Noon It’s the annual business meeting where we will vote on resolutions and conduct the vital business of MCBVI.

This year there are more ways to keep connected. We will be audio streaming convention sessions live all weekend. In addition to the live stream of meetings, we will offer a variety of programming between the meetings which you can enjoy in your hotel room, or in your home. This will also be broadcast on the FM dial in the hotel which will provide hearing assistance in the meeting room, and radio pickup from many of the hotel rooms. You can access the audio stream during convention from the MEE Inc. Website which is www.meewebsite.com.

Food Choices:

Breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning will be in the dining room with a choice of continental breakfast or breakfast buffet. Dining room staff is looking forward to assist with the buffet.

Lunch on Saturday: Baked Italian Lasagna, Garlic Bread, and Tossed Salad: $12.00

Banquet: $20.00 with a choice of
Lemon and Herbed Boneless Breast of Chicken, served with Herbed Rice and Fruit Cup

Vegetarian Stir Fry Over Rice with Fruit Cup

We will try to accommodate other special dietary needs.

We welcome donations of door prizes and auction items from chapters and individuals. Items must be new.

Here are important phone numbers:

Howard Johnson Plaza for room reservations:
(616)241-6444

Registrations (before 9pm please):
(877) 254-6393

To reserve a display table or for general convention questions, call Kyle Austin, convention chairman: (616) 532-4737.

We are looking forward to another great convention!

Registration Form

Convention Broadcast

Click on the following link to listen to the first net cast of the Michigan Council Of The Blind And Visually Impaired annual convention in Wyoming Michigan.
Broadcast streamed coverage of the MCBVI 2009 convention will begin at approximately 6-30 pm Friday October 9, 2009. Live coverage and commentary will continue through Saturday October 10, and conclude at Noon Sunday October 11, 2009. Please listen for periodic updates during the coverage of this important convention for specific details about program content and times. http://sc4.spacialnet.com:27558/listen.pls
Another path to the Convention Broadcast is to go to http://meewebsite.com/ Click on the listen link and use Winamp to launch your audio streams, in some cases it might prompt you for a user name and pass word. Just hit the escape or Cancel butten and Winamp will then continue anyway and process the buffering for the stream to play for you.