IFB Beat – Week of April 8, 2024

A Message from the Editor

Greetings all! Get ready to lend a hand at this year’s annual blood drive,  back the NFB peanut fundraiser, explore details on budget-friendly phone service, greet our newest team member, and don’t forget to go through this week’s safety tips.

Thanks for reading the IFB Beat and have a wonderful week!

Anastasia Powell

IFB Solutions Communications Manager

apowell@ifbsolutions.org | 336-245-5698

Quick Links:

New this Week

– Reminder: Winston-Salem Facility Red Cross Blood Drive
– Tips for a Safe and Productive Workplace
– See what S.E.E. is doing!
– Adult Support Group Meetings
– CLVC Item of the Week

From Our Community

– Insider Corner

HR and Opportunities

– New Job Openings

Support Group Zoom Meeting Links

 

Reminder: Winston-Salem Facility Red Cross Blood Drive Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Winston-Salem Facility Red Cross Blood Drive Hosted by AAA Committee will be Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Every 2 seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Your donations assist with heart surgeries, revitalizing accident victims, organ transplant recipients, and patients needing lifesaving procedures. So, will you raise your sleeve and help someone have a second chance in life?
When: May 1, 2024
Where: Tad’s Room (Winston-Salem)
Time: 10:00 am-2:30 pm, Contact your supervisor to set up an appointment to donate.
Admin contact: Jason Kirkpatrick at jkirkpatrick@ifbsolutions.org or 336-245-5682 and Morgan Dugan at mdugan@ifbsolutions.org or 336-245-5612.

 

Tips for a Safe and Productive Workplace

IFB Solutions has put several processes in place to keep everyone safe at work. We will be reviewing these tips weekly and would like you to please adhere to these rules. Everyone is responsible for safety, and failure to adhere to these guidelines could result in personal injury or injury to others. Violators are subject to disciplinary action. In the April 1 edition we shared tips for safe travel and this week we share more safe travel tips. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe!
Safety Travel Tips Reminder:

• Do not block Fire extinguishers and exits. They must always maintain a clear path.
• Do not use cellphones while walking through the facility. You should be paying attention to what is going on around you.
• Please be aware of your surroundings while walking around the campus.
• Be sure to report all injuries and near misses to your supervisor no matter how small they may appear.

Thank you,

Angela Jordan Director of Safety and Environmental Health

 

See what S.E.E. is doing!

   

The S.E.E. kids enjoyed exploring the “By Design” room at Kaleideum. We tried to build a structure with different shaped pieces of wood so that it would support a small sandbag, gave Mr. Potato Head a fresh look, designed a dance routine for lively music, and found the letters for “S.E.E. kids can” to project on the large monitor. Other activities included virtually painting on body art, creating pictures with magnetic shapes, and drawing on electronic tablets.

 

Adult Support Group Meetings:

Announcing the NFB Peanut Fundraiser

Support the National Federation for the Blind by purchasing our delicious salted roasted shelled peanuts, priced at $5 per bag. Every purchase contributes directly to our community outreach initiatives. Reach out to President Angela Hanes in the ACS department or any NFB member to purchase a bag today!

Upcoming Support Group Meetings

• Monday, April 8 NFB meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room
• Tuesday, April 9 Sight Adjustment support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room

CLVC Item of the Week:

Talking Typing Teacher – Standard for $99.95

Screen Reading Software Helps You Learn to Type

Discover Talking Typing Teacher, a revolutionary new typing program that’s ideal for the blind and visually impaired. At home or in the classroom, Talking Typing Teacher is the perfect software solution.

If you are interested in purchasing Low Vision Equipment through our Loan Program (3rd Party), please contact a Low Vision Coordinator for assistance.

 

From Our Community

Insider Corner

From the American Council for the Blind Monthly Community Newsletter: Phone Service with Ooma Telo

What is Ooma Telo? Ooma, is a replacement for your traditional landline service, which promises “crystal-clear U.S. calling with your high-speed Internet.”

The Ooma Telo device currently sells for about $99. (You can find it $20 cheaper on Amazon.) It’s dead simple to set up. Just plug the device into a port on your home internet router (or directly into your cable or DSL modem). Plug a regular phone into the phone jack on the Telo. Ooma is a “VoIP” service, which means your phone calls will travel over the Internet, rather than the public landline telephone wires. So, you will need a reliable high-speed Internet connection to use the service.

Go to Ooma’s website to set up your account and get your Ooma telephone number. You’ll have to provide your name, street address for E911 purposes, and a credit card number for billing. You can now call any number in the USA free of charge. Ooma also comes with basic features like Caller ID, Call Waiting, and voicemail. There is also a mobile app for iOS and Android devices that lets you use your Ooma account over Wi-Fi or mobile data services.

Ooma does not charge a monthly fee. Instead, you pay once for the Ooma Telo device, and pay only U.S. government taxes and fees monthly (about $6 in most areas). This covers the Federal universal service charges, 911 service fee, state and local taxes, surcharges, and regulatory and compliance fees. With Ooma’s easy setup, most customers can start making calls in less than 15 minutes.

In addition to the one-time cost of the Ooma Telo device, there are a few other things that you MAY need to pay for with Ooma service. There are optional Ooma Telo accessories such as a Telo handset, a battery backup, or the Ooma Linx which allows you to wirelessly connect additional telephones or fax machines to your Ooma Telo. If you already have a phone handset, all of these are optional.

In most cases, you can port an existing number to Ooma for a one-time fee of $39.95. International calls can be made a la carte, I. e., 1.4 cents per minute to Canada; or you can pay $17.99 per month for unlimited international minutes to call over 60 countries. You probably won’t find a better deal on international calling.

An Ooma Premier account costs an additional $9.99 per month or $119.99 per year. It includes a second line, call blocking, three-way conferencing; multi-ringing or call-forwarding to multiple other phone numbers; Google Voice extensions; and free calling to Canada. The annual fee option includes one free number porting (normally $39.95). The Premier plan’s enhanced voicemail includes voicemail-to-text, Caller ID, number-blocking, and other handy features.

Once you purchase the Ooma Telo device, you can get away pretty darn cheap. If your calls are all within the USA, and you don’t need any of the optional features mentioned above, your monthly cost drops to around $6. That’s a lot cheaper than Vonage and other VoIP competitors which typically charge about $25 per month. In fairness, those competitors don’t have the $99 upfront cost of the Telo device, but that washes out after a few months.

Ooma does provide emergency 911 service, and if you make international calls, they offer some of the best rates available anywhere. Ooma has been named “best home phone service” by Consumer Reports for several years. That’s based on reported overall customer satisfaction. It’s certainly a top-tier option for home VoIP service.

 

HR & Opportunities

New Job Announcements

For all current openings, visit https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs?clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909

For more information, please contact a member of the recruitment team at careers@ifbsolutions.org.

 

Zoom Meeting Links

Adult Support Groups Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/99498078576?pwd=ODJzK0sxcXZrME9yN25YRTdiNXBSQT09
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576
PASSWORD: 92638
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+13017158592,99498078576# US (Germantown)

13126266799,99498078576# US
+(Chicago)

Dial by your location.
877 853 5257 US Toll-free
888 475 4499 US Toll-free
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576