IFB Beat – Week of May 22, 2023

A Message from the Editor

Hello all!

This is your last call! Please note that open enrollment for core benefits will close on Friday, May 26. If you have already enrolled, way-to-go! If not, read through the benefit guides listed below, set an appointment with a benefit coach to talk through options and complete your enrollment. After you’re all signed up, check out Your Benefit of the Week and learn how to claim your $50 Health Screening bonus.

Thanks for reading the Beat and I’ll see you next week!

Anastasia Powell

IFB Solutions Communications Manager

apowell@ifbsolutions.org | 336-245-5698

Quick Links:

New this Week

– Open Enrollment Closes Friday, May 26
– See what S.E.E. is Doing
– Adult Support Group Meetings
– CLVC Item of the Week

Reminders from Last Week’s Edition

– What’s Happening on the Floor: Ratio and Compliance Update
– The Tina Bess and Daniel J. Boucher Scholarship for the 2023-2024 Academic Year

From Our Community

– Insider Corner

HR and Opportunities

– Your Benefit of the Week
– New Job Openings

Support Group Zoom Meeting Links

 

New this Week

Open Enrollment Closes Friday, May 26

If you have already enrolled, way-to-go!

This is the last week to enroll for full-time IFB Solutions benefits for medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and more. Enroll today to avoid any disruptions to your benefits.

For many benefits, our carriers are changing; the biggest is that Healthgram will replace BlueCross BlueShield for medical, and Dental and Vision will now be offered through MetLife.

To help you learn more, and to enroll:

  1. Benefit Coaches are available to understand what benefit is best for your needs. They can also enroll you in benefits. Schedule an appointment today with this link: https://flimp.live/IFB2023 or call 877-277-7476.
  2. Representatives from our benefits provider (McGriff) will be on-site in Winston-Salem on Monday, May 15 in the afternoon in TAD’s Room and on-site in Asheville on Tuesday, May 16 in the afternoon in the conference room. More details will be announced in The Beat that comes out Sunday evening May 14. Virtual sessions will be announced soon for remote employees.
  3. Benefits overview guides that detail benefits and costs are available below:

If you have questions about the enrollment process, contact Ciara Frenette at cfrenette@ifbsolutions.org or 336-245-5644.

If you have questions about benefits, a Benefit Coach is going to be the most helpful source of answers. Book an appointment now via the link in #1) above.

 

See what S.E.E. is Doing

Picture of the Robot Hand

The S.E.E. After School Winston kids made a robot hand from card stock paper cut out from tracing their hand, bent at the finger joints, taped straw pieces under each section, and a piece of string threaded through the straws on each finger. By pulling the strings at the wrist, the fingers would curl. We had fun making the sign language “I love you”, peace sign, and trying to pick up objects like Hershey kisses.

Adult Support Group Meetings:

  • Monday, May 22 Guide Dog support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.
  • Tuesday, May 23, Glaucoma support group meeting from 12:00-12:45 in TADS Room.

 

CLVC Item of the Week:

image of the digital food scale packaging

Digital Kitchen Scale for $29.95

If you’re looking for a brand-new kitchen scale, whether you’re dieting, cooking, or portioning meals for your family or for the week, this Kitchen Scale is perfect for you! The bowl-shaped scale comes programmed with two units, up to 5000g or 176.37oz. It features a unit button, a tare (zero/reset) button, and a good-sized digital screen to display the weight readout. The bowl measures approximately 7″ in diameter. The scale requires one CR2032 battery which is included, and the product comes packaged in a box.

 

From Our Community

Insider Corner

This section is edited by Faith Harding.

Hello Everyone,

Creativity comes in various forms, from the song by Oryan Battis to the unique way teaching braille to students is displayed below. Everyone has the ability to express their creativity and share with others. The one thing I love about this gift, it’s free. It’s what we were born with. Exercise your creativity. You never know who you will inspire or assist.

Candles have numerous representations. From lighting a dark room to illuminating a situation, here’s another melodic tune from our very own Oryan Battis. Listen to Candles and support a fellow creator.

Make this a wonderful week for you.

Faith Harding

Contact me at FHarding@ifbsolutions.org.

 

Braille Doodle From Blind New World by the Perkins Foundation

Contributed by: Kim Shoffner

Meet 12-year-old Millie, a former student of mine. She grew up in Washington Heights and has been blind since birth. Millie is a talented singer with a personality that lights up any room. With a specialized school nearby, Millie received instruction in braille, orientation and mobility, core subjects, and even the arts – but this is not the case for many.

I am Daniel Lubiner. For more than 25 years, I have been a special education teacher, and for the last five years of my teaching, I taught art to students on the blindness spectrum in the Bronx. When the pandemic hit, I was devastated about how poor the education for my students had become. Then I was shocked to learn that only 10% of these children were learning braille well before the pandemic.

That’s when I conceived of the BrailleDoodle, an inexpensive “B-SMArt” device for braille and tactile learning – in science, math and art – with a surface that refreshes repeatedly. It allows students to write and create and feel as they go.

The BrailleDoodle will enhance education and make learning fun at home or school. It has arrays of hundreds of holes, and each hole contains a smooth metal ball that can be pulled to the surface by a magnetic stylus. A tiny spring under each ball holds it up with just the proper force – a user simply pushes the balls back down to erase.

On the “doodle” side, there is plenty of room to enjoy what some call “the Etch-a-Sketch for the blind.” It’s also a place where, unlike any other product, graphs can be made and manipulated.

The braille side has examples of letters, numbers, and words and plenty of space to practice.

Creating access to tactile art and making learning fun puts children on the path to a successful education and, therefore, a better future.

About the BrailleDoodle

The TouchPad Pro Foundation, a 501(c)(3), was founded in 2021 to distribute the BrailleDoodle to children who are blind, low-vision, or deafblind worldwide, even to those who cannot afford it. After years in development, the Foundation has launched the BrailleDoodle pre-sale on Kickstarter. Anyone can preorder one or more for themselves, for their organization or to donate.

The TouchPad Pro Foundation is a registered non-profit, and all donations are tax-deductible, even on Kickstarter. For more information, visit TouchPadProFoundation.org, or follow on Facebook and Instagram.

 

HR & Opportunities

Your Benefit of the Week

This section is a new weekly feature supported by IFB Solutions Benefits Supervisor Ciara Frenette. Reach her at cfrenette@ifbsolutions.org. 

If you have MetLife Accident and/or Critical Illness coverage, call and make your claim for your $50 HEALTH SCREENING BENEFIT!

Claims can be filed telephonically by calling 1-800-438-6388 for the fastest processing.

The screening/prevention measures for which a Health Screening Benefit may be paid are:

  • routine health check-up exam
  • biopsies for cancer or bone marrow testing
  • blood test to determine total cholesterol or triglycerides
  • breast MRI/ultrasound/sonogram
  • chest x-rays
  • colonoscopy or endoscopy
  • complete blood count (CBC)
  • dental or eye exam
  • electrocardiogram (EKG) or electroencephalogram (EEG)
  • fasting blood glucose test/ fasting plasma glucose test
  • hemoglobin A1C
  • immunization or HPV vaccination
  • mammogram or pap smears
  • oral cancer screening
  • serum cholesterol test to determine LDL and HDL levels
  • skin cancer biopsy or screening
  • skin exam
  • stress test on bicycle or treadmill
  • successful completion of smoking cessation program
  • ultrasounds for cancer detection
  • coronavirus testing

And more, call the number above to see how your preventative care is paying off!

 

New Job Announcements

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

Customer Service Representative – CSC

Education and work experience:

  • High School Diploma or GED equivalent
  • Two years of customer service experience preferred.
  • If applicable, demonstrated proficiency in use of Assistive Technology required with either JAWS and/or Zoom Text for visual adaptation. Bilingual Spanish-English capability a plus.

External candidates may apply at https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=63164&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909

Internal candidates may apply at https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=63165&clientkey=8B43E6E34C5D5C9AA3D07BB04DBEB909&jpt=ce8685cef740a6280b5fcb492b556fa5

 

Zoom Meeting Links

Adult Support Groups Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/99498078576?pwd=ODJzK0sxcXZrME9yN25YRTdiNXBSQT09
Meeting ID: 994 9807 8576
PASSWORD: 92638
One tap mobile
+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

 

Assistive Technology Support Group Zoom

https://ifbsolutions.zoom.us/j/94434630872?pwd=aXFYSHYyWkh1SE1tWDNOdDIwVURwUT09

Meeting ID: 944 3463 0872
Passcode: 924496

+13017158592, 99434630872, #, # US (Germantown)

+13126266799, 99434630872, #, # US (Chicago)