[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1532

[David Houck]

December 21, 2015

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1532

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              This time of year is a very busy time in the NFB of SC.  Not
only are we planning the agenda for the Statewide Seminar, but we are
getting ready to kick off the new year with two new fund raising
initiatives.  As I wrote in the November 4, Positive Note, we will be
selling an insulated sixteen ounce NFB of SC coffee thermos for the price of
$15.  These coffee thermoses are very attractive and should be very easy to
sell to federation members as well as the general public.  We will have the
thermoses on display for purchase at the Statewide Seminar.  The second
initiative being planned by the NFB of SC's fundraising committee  is a
Sweetheart dance which will be held February 12, 2016 at the Federation
Center from 6:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.  The evening promises to be a fun and
enjoyable experience with a professionally catered dinner, music, door
prizes, and dancing.  Tickets to this event will only be $25 and we will
begin selling them at the Statewide Seminar.  If you purchase your ticket at
the Seminar, your name will be placed in a drawing for a very special prize
which will be conducted during the dance.  All tickets must be purchased by
February 4.  We are also planning to reserve a block of rooms at a nearby
hotel for those of you who live outside of Columbia and would like to attend
the dance.  So let's bring our "Sweetie" and have a wonderful time at the
NFB of SC Sweetheart dance on February 12!  

Speaking of the Statewide Seminar which will be held on Saturday, January 9,
2016, I am very excited about some of the agenda items on the program.
Please remember to fill out the form at the end of the Seminar letter and
return it to the state office by December 28, in order for us to purchase
the correct amount of food for lunch.  Also, remember we will be conducting
an auction throughout the day to raise money for the Federation Center.  Be
sure to bring items for the auction such as, cakes, pies, cookies, gift
baskets, and electronics.  Let's make this auction a tremendous success!  

The Christmas season is a very beautiful and special time of the year.  I
especially enjoy listening to Christmas music, being with family and
friends, eating wonderful food, and watching our grandchildren opening their
gifts on Christmas morning.  Shelley and I would like to take this
opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and
let's all of us remember the "Reason for the Season".  

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future.  Every day, we raise the
expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams.  You can live the life you want:
blindness is not what holds you back.  Joining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.  

              It's just a four letter word L-O-V-E, but it speaks far more
effectively than either hate or indifference.  It was love for his fellow
blind that caused Dr. Jacobus tenBroek to establish the National Federation
of the Blind.  It was love that caused Dr. Sam Lawton to create the NFB of
SC (Aurora Club) in 1944.  It was for love that the Red Cross and Salvation
Army created these wonderful organizations.  I have worked very closely for
more than 30 years with David Houck and I'm positive that love is the basis
for his outstanding daily service to the blind of the state.  

Pardon me for a personal reference but I have experienced tremendous
accomplishments in the NFB because of my love for my fellow blind.  My
lifelong friend Jim Armstrong recently died and because of his love for the
federation, his obituary requested that living memorials be made to the
Federation Center.  At this time living memorials in the memory of Jim
Armstrong to the Federation Center total $325.  The year was 1946 and I had
graduated from Mullins High School and made my way to Columbia to further my
education.  Jim Armstrong had also moved from Fountain Inn to Columbia to
further his education.  I met him in a rooming house on Bull St. where many
students stayed.  Jim and I from the beginning liked each other and this
acquaintance resulted in a 70 year relationship.  We shared an apartment
together and when Jim married he arranged for me to have a bedroom at his
new residence on Pickens St.  Jim was a very good businessman.  He was
successful in several different businesses.  When the Federation Center was
completed in October 1961, Jim equipped the kitchen as a gift.  Over the
years Jim purchased hundreds of BBQ tickets.  He was always seen on the day
of the BBQ.  Jim helped me personally as he insisted that I not only
continue with my job at Colonial Life and he convinced me that I should heed
his persistence.  Because of him Betty and I got started in a small way by
purchasing a four room house and later selling it for more than we paid for
it.  It was a small beginning but it developed into a larger real estate
venture which Betty operated for some 25 years.  Today Jim's persistence
seemingly helps us support our retirement.  There are many stories I could
write about my good friend Jim Armstrong and truly love and respect for each
other was the basis for this relationship.  

Finally, without love there would be no Christmas.  I sincerely hope that
all of you across the state have a very merry Christmas!

 

Final Thought:  Representation of the Candy Cane:  

The most obvious symbolism used in the candy cane is its shape. Turned one
way, it looks like a "J" for Jesus. Turned the other way, candy canes remind
us of the shepherd's staff.  The first people to hear of Christ's birth were
shepherds guarding their flocks at night. Jesus called Himself the Good
Shepherd. The hardness of the candy reminds us that Jesus is our rock of
refuge. The whiteness of the candy brings to mind the Virgin Birth and the
sinless life of Christ. The traditional candy cane has 3 small stripes honor
the Holy Trinity while the larger stripe reminds us of the one true God.
The Peppermint reminds us that Jesus is our Passover Lamb.

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