[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1464

[David Houck]

September 3, 2014

Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents &
Others

From:  Parnell Diggs, President

Positive Note 1464

Dear Fellow Federationists:

 

              Last week was one of the busiest I have ever experienced.  For
example, I found myself spending the night in five different cities in a row
last Monday through Friday.  I was at home on Monday, then I traveled to
Columbia on Tuesday for a campaign Reception and stayed in a Columbia area
hotel, I returned home on Wednesday, but then traveled to Spartanburg on
Thursday before winding up at Rocky Bottom on Friday for the Fun Day event.

Thus, I found that I was in five different beds on five successive nights.
I can tell you that it requires lots of energy to maintain that type of
schedule.  It also requires a lot of adjusting to get accustomed to five
different cities in five nights.  On Saturday morning, I was up early to
prepare for the 2014 Fun Day auction.  The auction itself began at 11:00 AM,
but you don't simply walk in and start auctioneering.

My reward for last week's efforts was spending time with fellow
Federationists from across the state during the weekend.  This Fun Day was
well-attended with very few no shows.  All of the buildings were filled to
capacity with more than a dozen members having to be on a waiting list due
to the level of interest in the 2014 Fun Day festivities.  Lots of members
pitched in and made this Fun Day a huge success.

In particular, I want to thank Isaiah Nelson, John Nelson, and Anthony
Nelson for their hard work in taking care of various items which needed
attention throughout the weekend.  I also appreciate Lenora Robertson, Ellen
Taylor, Elizabeth Farr, and all of those who worked in the kitchen to serve
the delicious meals enjoyed by the more than fifty participants from
Saturday through Labor Day.

Congratulations to our Columbia Chapter on winning the $300 prize for
selling the most $5 Fun Day tickets and to Greenville Chapter member, Ruth
Jordan for selling and buying the winning ticket and hitting the jackpot for
$550.  In addition to the many Federationists who spent the weekend at Rocky
Bottom, we were pleased that some chapters brought members to Fun Day on
Saturday and Monday to stay for the day and participate in a time of fun and
fellowship.

I have been speaking with some of our chapter leaders around the state about
revitalization efforts taking place this fall in the National Federation of
the Blind across the nation.  In the NFB of SC, we are working in Columbia,
Summerville, and York County in the next thirty days or so, and there will
be other efforts thereafter.  October will also see a number of revitalizing
activities as we continue the 75 Days of Action initiative.  The 75 Days of
Action initiative is a nationwide effort to build the Federation by
organizing new chapters and revitalizing existing ones, and it starts this
week!

              Let me call your attention to an important scheduling matter,
which will need several mentions so that members will be able to make the
adjustment.  As you know, members are accustomed to having the Statewide
Seminar in early January; however, because we moved the Christmas Board
Retreat to mid-December, it seemed prudent to move the Statewide Seminar to
the end of January to allow sometime between NFB of SC events.  Accordingly,
the Statewide Seminar will occur on January 31, 2015. 

We will have until January 31 to sell the $1 bus tickets.  As you make your
plans, please adjust your schedule to reflect this change in the Statewide
Seminar date.  State dues should be in by this time, and plans for the state
and national conventions will be in the works.  We may find that late
January is a great time to hold this important meeting, which is the largest
NFB of SC gathering between conventions.  Joining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.

              The 2014 Labor Day Fun Day Festival had a record breaking
turnout from across the state.  There were some last minute drop outs but
more than 50 persons participated.  Some of the chapters represented
included Columbia, Newberry, Greenville, Spartanburg, Laurens, Cherokee,
Rock Hill, Grand Strand, Conway, Loris, Upper Dorchester, Belvedere,
Lancaster, Sumter and Clarendon County.  Forgive me if I have missed some of
the chapters through inadvertence.  The federation spirit was very apparent
as everyone had a good time.  I'm grateful for the wonderful cooperation
which was prevalent throughout the Labor Day weekend.  My gratitude is
extended to everyone who pitched in and did an excellent job.  While we have
every reason to believe that the final profits will be very good, we are not
able to furnish a breakdown of the events during Fun Day in this Positive
Note but in next week's Positive Note you will be given complete results.
We can tell you that the auction and the food service generated the greatest
profits.  Our state President Parnell Diggs with assistance from Gwen
Ellenburg conducted an excellent auction.  To put icing on the cake, when
David returned to the state office Monday morning, in the mail was a $2,000
contribution by a Virginia foundation.  Incidentally, Gwen Ellenburg has
secured a $1,000 contribution from Sam's Club for the Fun Day Festival.
Ruth Jordan was the winner of the $5 Fun Day ticket drawing receiving $550
as Mrs. Jordan purchased and sold the winning ticket.  The Columbia Chapter
was the winner of the $300 for selling the most tickets.  As many of you
know, Mrs. Jordan sponsors a scholarship for a deserving blind college
student.  She is a member of the Greenville Chapter.  I first met Mrs.
Jordan in 1982 at the state convention held in the Clemson House.  She had
personally read a newspaper article about Rocky Bottom and made a
contribution of $1,000 solely on the strength of the article.  Mrs. Jordan's
mother was blind and was a teacher whose name was Carrie Lee Cox and the
Library in the Conference Center is named in her memory.  Parnell Diggs
played his guitar before a large gathering on the new deck of the Conference
Center while using his singing talents.  I was pleasantly surprised when my
nephew Laurens Sanders and his wife Susan drove to Rocky Bottom from their
residence in East Flat Rock, NC and paid us a visit.  In previous years
Laurens had worked with the Senior Camp program.  While in Columbia he was
also a dedicated member of the Columbia Chapter.  As mentioned in previous
Positive Notes notices were sent to the members of the Rocky Bottom
community as several community members had lunch with us Saturday.  This
included a distinguished Rocky Bottom board member, Dr. Tom Bowen and his
lovely wife Caroline.  Our longtime Rocky Bottom resident Mark Brody also
joined us for Saturday lunch.  Our special appreciation to Lenora Robertson
who did a magnificent job with the food service and she along with other
persons involved deserve our appreciation.

 

Final Thought:  "With good strategy, marketing, cooperation and hard work,
profitability happens."

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