NAD Establishes Scholarship in Honor of Departing Chief Executive Officer

At the 50th Biennial NAD Conference in Philadelphia, a special announcement was made on July 7, 2010 during the Welcome Ceremony by Barbara Jean “BJ” Wood, Annette Posell, Julie Rems-Smario and Jerry Nelson. With the approval of and on behalf of the NAD Board of Directors, they announced the establishment of a scholarship fund in honor of departing Chief Executive Officer Nancy J. Bloch, who has served the American deaf and hard of hearing community for 18 years.

The Nancy J. Bloch Leadership & Advocacy Scholarship is designed to grant stipends to qualifying deaf and hard of hearing students who seek to uphold the mission and values of the NAD during their internship at the NAD headquarters. Preference will be given to students pursuing law, government policy, non-profit management or related degrees. The number of stipends provided each year be given on a funds available basis.

NAD President Bobbie Beth Scoggins said, "Please join us in honoring 18 years of dedicated service by contributing to the ‘Nancy J. Bloch Leadership and Advocacy Scholarship’ fund. With your support, we can preserve Nancy's legacy as testimonial to her desire to invest in the future of young deaf and hard of hearing leaders and advocates so that they, too, can pave the way for others to follow.”

BJ Wood, in making the announcement during the Welcome Ceremony, challenged attendees to give a total of $18,000 by the end of the conference. She explained that donors would receive navy blue ribbons for their conference badges saying “Thank You, Nancy” in silver; these were sponsored by John Ziev, senior associate with Blue Moon Company.

During the four days of the conference, hundreds of attendees donated to the fund, displayed their blue ribbon and thanked Nancy for her dedicated service. Towards the end of the Closing Ceremony on Saturday, July 10, 2010, BJ Wood announced that a total of $34,400 was raised - almost double the goal of $18,000. This was a most heart-warming experience by all at the ceremony, especially for Nancy. And, this is only the beginning. The scholarship committee, with Nancy as its new honorary chairperson, will continue to raise funds from individuals, organizations and corporations to ensure that this new scholarship provides opportunities for student interns at the NAD for many years to come.

Interested persons wishing to donate have the option of making a $18, $180 or $1,800 tax deductible contribution, either as a one-time payment or in monthly installments over a year’s period. Donors can also contribute any amount they wish. To make an online donation, visit www.nad.org/donate-now [2] and insert “Bloch Scholarship” in the field for memorial and honor donations. Alternatively, donation checks can be mailed to the NAD at 8630 Fenton Street Silver Spring, MD 20910-3819; checks should be made payable to the NAD with the notation “Bloch Scholarship” in the lower left corner.