From: Pete Donahue 
Subject: setting an example
Fellow fEderationists,
First of all, as I pointed out in my original post the man in question
thought that the VA's training was the greatest thing going and I am sure
he still does.  Had he expressed an interest in upgrading his skills we
would have gladly given him the literature and most importantly, we would
have put him in touch with one of two center graduates now living in the
San antonio area.  I believe that Alan was quite corect in saying that the
only way you    can sell a product or a service is to use it and believe
in it yourself before you can discuss it's strengths and weaknesses with
others.  Anyone who has been in businewss for himself or herself
understands this very well or they wouldn't make it in most businesses.
Thus the only we feel that is quallifieed to try to sell others in
attending one of our training centers is someone who has gone through a
center and has received the training and is in a position to discuss
tthese programmes at the gut level; both the strengths and weaknesses of
these programmes.  And our centers are not perfect.  There is one weakness
that I hope will be corected in the near future, but that's the subject of
 another post and one I don't care to get in to now as it hits home very
hard.
When someone wants information about our training programmes we have it as
a practice in our chapter to referr these individuals to Lisa Hall or some
one who has experienced the center' programmes for themselves.  We
ourselves do not feel quallified to try to sell some one on something we
had not experienced for ourselves, and we are trying to instill that
thought in others.  In fact, it has been very rough going whare membership
recruitment is concerned.  Mary and I along with other chapter members
have worked tirelesly to bring new members in to our chapter but the
mention of the nfb to many ofthem sends them running for cover.  And this
has been going on even before we moved here.  But the situation is slowly
starting to change.  We have picked up a few new members during the last
several years and we now have a good core group, but things could be much
better.  We expect to bring in some more members who objected to a Sunday
Afternoon Chapter meeting.  We will now meet on the third saturday of the
month from 10 a.m to 12 p.m.  No native San Antonian has attended any of
our training centers but I am sure that that too will change.
I just want to close out by wishing everyone a good evening and a great
weekend.  Don't forget those last-minute Christmas gifts.  Take care.
Yours truly,
Peter Donahue
---
---------------