[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1448

[NFBSC Office via Nfbofsc]

May 14, 2014

Memo To: Executive Officers, Board of Directors, Chapter and Division Presidents and Others

From: Parnell Diggs, President

Positive Note 1448

 

Dear Fellow Federationists:

 

          There have been two major steps in the legislative process regarding S. 687 (the South Carolina Blind Persons Right to Parent Act) in the past week.  First, as I reported on the NFB of SC listserv, the House Family and Probate Law Subcommittee sent the bill to the full Judiciary Committee.  This occurred on Wednesday of last week fueled by the excellent testimony of Jennifer Bazer, the blind mother of two young children.

          Just six days later, or on Tuesday, May 13, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously sent S. 687 to the Floor of the House of Representatives for a vote by the entire House.  I am grateful for Debra Canty and our Sumter Chapter for being in attendance at yesterday's Hearing.  Jennifer Bazer was also there, even though no testimony was allowed, to show her support.

          In addition to the legislative activity, Valerie and I attended the Rally at the Statehouse last Thursday, Advocacy Day for Access and Independence, where I participated on the program with the Governor, members of the General Assembly, officials with the City of Columbia, and a number of leaders in the disability community.

          I also had the pleasure of visiting with our Columbia Chapter and addressing the group during the meeting.  I particularly enjoyed the program that evening, which featured Marty McKenzie, A Principal at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind.

          Valerie Bouler Johnson drove me over one thousand miles over the past week, and I could not have done it without her much needed help and commitment to the cause.  On Monday, for example, I traveled to Spartanburg for a campaign stop, then traveled back to Galivants Ferry for the 138th edition of the Galivants Ferry Stump, which was first held in 1876.  We then showed-up at the Committee Hearing in Columbia on Tuesday.

          The NFB of SC Cruise has been canceled due to lack of interest.  We had some seven cabins committed.  But this was not enough to hold a fundraiser, as the number of cabins booked is a major part of the proceeds received by the NFB of SC; however, this does not mean we will not take other trips or think of other types of activities.  Stay tuned for other opportunities for fellowship and good times with a fundraising twist in the near future.

          There are only two weeks remaining for preregistration for the National Federation of the Blind Convention in Orlando.  This is going to be a great Convention with lots of fun things to do in addition to an outstanding program.  Get your preregistration taken care of as well as your hotel reservations.  You can call the Rosen Centre directly at 800-204-7234 to reserve a room.  For more information, visit www.nfb.org.  Joining me for comments in this Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr. Capps.

          For some half century I have traveled throughout the nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border to participate in meetings of the blind in various states.  Also, we had tremendous amounts of travel in South Carolina from 1953 until recent years.  As you can imagine, we had a variety of experiences in this extensive travel of over 50 years.  There were many experiences but the help we received in our hundreds of thousands of miles driven deals primarily with local help.  Let me share with you a particular experience that stands out in my memory.  A number of years ago we were returning from attending a New England state convention and during that long trip, our overnight stay was spent at the Holiday Inn in Alexandria, VA.  After checking out early, we made our way to our automobile and removed our coats.  Betty had taken her long coat as it was the fall and, therefore, cold in New England.  Just as she placed her coat in the trunk of the automobile and slammed the lid she immediately remembered she had left the auto keys in the coat.  We were in trouble as we didn't have any knowledge of automobile dealerships in that general area.  Just as we had begun to "get into a sweat" two young men in their early 20's who would have been considered "hippies" at that time made their way to us and said they had observed what happened and they could help.  Betty had seen them from out of the corner of her eye, standing in the parking area near the motel.  At that point in time, any offer of help is welcomed.  They said they had to go to their automobile and get a clothing hanger which had been straightened and they proceeded to get the clothes hanger inside the window and managed to open the door.  They then got inside our automobile and removed the upper part of the back seat and reached into the trunk, removing the coat with the keys inside.  Everything else was put back in order.  We were very grateful but the two young men who appeared to be hippies refused to accept any money whatsoever.  By the way, they stated they had been standing outside the motel waiting for room availability.  I'm not sure what they were really up to but I will never forget their generous assistance which met our needs tremendously, especially at that time of the morning as we prepared to travel to Columbia from Alexandria.  I still wonder about those two adults but one thing is sure, they were Good Samaritans.

          At the May 8 meeting of the Columbia Chapter we were delighted to have our state President Parnell Diggs and Marty McKenzie, President of the Clarendon County Chapter and on the NFB of SC Board of Directors.  President Diggs gave some information concerning that day's activities at the State House for different disability groups.  He also reported on his campaign for SC Attorney General which was looking good.  Marty was the guest speaker as I had requested him to discuss his extremely important position with the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind in Outreach Services to children throughout the state.  Marty is an expert in education of the blind including Braille and technology.  He also is a statewide administrator for those who work with him.  Next week is Senior Blind Camp at Rocky Bottom and we will be making a brief appearance.  There is an excellent article in the May 13 edition of The State newspaper on President Diggs run for Attorney General.

 

Final Thought:  "All the laws and legislation in the world will never heal this world like the loving hearts and arms of mothers and fathers. If every child could drift to sleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family - and God's love - this world would be a far more gentle and better place." - Mitt Romney
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20140514/6e765830/attachment.html>