[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1510

[Vicki Phillips]

July 22, 2015
Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents &
Others
From:  Parnell Diggs, President
Positive Note 1510
Greetings Fellow Federationists:
 
              As I write this, I am in Baltimore, MD, where I have assumed
the duties of Director of Government Affairs for the National Federation of
the Blind.  I will handle the responsibilities of the Presidency between now
and the end of the State Convention, which (as you know by now) is scheduled
to take place during the weekend of August 21 through 23 in Columbia.  After
that time, however, I will be succeeded by Frank Coppel.
I observe that our room block has been maxed-out, which is a delightful
problem to have.  There are about five rooms available right now, but they
simply will not last until July 31, the cut-off date.  I am sorry about
that, but if you have not made your reservations, you need to get on the
phone immediately because the rooms will be gone if you wait.  Indeed, you
have an advantage if you are able to receive the Positive Note via email.
Please call 803-771-7000 to reserve your room.
We are putting the program together as we speak, and I would welcome your
input as far as suggesting program items.  You can reach me at 843-267-2018.
I am asking Frank Coppel to assist me in handling convention matters between
now and August.  Thus, you can also reach out to Frank by calling
803-796-8662.  We cannot promise to put your suggestion on the agenda but we
will do our best with the time available to us.
Let me thank our Columbia Chapter for its work on the Friday evening
Reception, as Tiffany Mitchell and her team coordinate the massive
undertaking that the Reception is from year-to-year.  The food will be
plentiful I am told and will be well worth the price of the pre-registration
fee of $70.  Speaking of which, I would ask that those who are planning to
attend the Convention please get your pre-registration in so we can plan for
meals etc.
Each year, we lose money because we cannot easily predict the number of
meals to purchase from the hotel, and we are obligated to meet our
contracted guarantees for food and beverage service for the Convention.  It
is not too early to take care of this detail.  Also, it is time to begin
thinking of Banquet pledge amounts for chapters and individuals.  I always
give, as I would not ask others to do what I am not willing to do.
I am very proud of the Grand Strand Chapter, under the leadership of Charlis
Borodin, which is planning to make a substantial contribution at the
Banquet.  For its size, the Grand Strand Chapter will be making a very
generous gift at the Convention Banquet.  I hope other chapters and
individuals will step up to the plate and support the programs of the NFB of
SC.
I have made my reservations at Rocky Bottom for the Labor Day Fun Day event
as well, and I hope you have too.  If not, please get in touch with Dr.
Capps at 803-787-0462 or David Houck at 803-254-3777.  One of the highlights
of the Fun Day event is the auction, which will take place on Saturday
afternoon.  Please see if you   can procure some auction items, which will
be of interest to audience members, as this will help generate the funds we
need to support our programs at Rocky Bottom for the next year.
Loretta Green has asked that I remind you that the SUN fund is our emergency
fund to support the National Federation of the Blind if we have some type of
event that we would consider an extraordinary circumstance.  Please think of
supporting this effort to protect the Federation for the future.  We talk
about stewardship each year at the State Convention, and Lenora Robertson
has suggested that we discuss our various funds once again in 2015.
Of course, she would also like you to remember door prizes for the 2015
Convention.  Lenora is once again handling our door prizes, and the more we
collect, the more we will give away during the sessions, luncheon, and
banquet.  The Convention is just one month away!  Let’s get ready.  And
finally, we need scholarships.  If chapters are thinking of giving
scholarships in 2015, this would be a good time to let Chairwoman Shannon
Cook know about it.  Please reach out to her at 803-254-0222 or shoot her an
email at cookcafe at sc.rr.com.  She will want you to send a check to our State
Treasurer to cover the scholarship amount.
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.  oining me for comments in this
Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC.  Here is Dr.
Capps.
The annual NFB of SC state convention is only four weeks away.  This
certainly is the main attraction of the year sponsored by the NFB of SC.
Since the state convention is seemingly later than usual, the annual RBRCCB
Labor Day Fun Day Festival is just six weeks away and only two weeks after
the NFB of SC convention.
The annual Fun day Festival is the highlight of RBRCCB and always attracts a
large turnout.  As a matter of fact, RBRCCB has received a sizeable number
of reservations for Fun Day and if you plan to be assured of a reservation,
you need to contact the state office promptly.  You will not want to put
this off.  The annual Fun Day Festival is the only fundraiser RBRCCB has
during the year and, therefore, we need to support that important project.
Some time ago, each chapter and division president received $5 Fun Day
tickets for their members to sell.  Remember, if you sold the ticket which
is drawn at Fun Day, you will receive $50 and the buyer gets $500.  If you
bought your own ticket, you will receive $550!  If your chapter sells the
most tickets, that chapter receives $300 for its treasury!  We need to do a
much better job this year in selling $5 Fun Day tickets than we did in 2014.
To the best of my knowledge, the NFB of SC is the only state affiliate of
the NFB which has its own recreational and educational facilities available
year round to the state’s blind.  However while we enjoy this privilege, we
must also help fund the cost of the day-to-day operation of RBRCCB.  The
principle cost for the operation of RBRCCB is the cost of electricity which
has been occurring between $25,000 to $35,000 a year.  For example, if a
group used all of the facilities of RBRCCB, the electrical cost per day is
about $100.  Thus, electrical costs for a two day weekend is about $200.
For some time we’ve been working with Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative to
reduce these charges.  Speaking of the statewide membership coming to
RBRCCB, we can help reduce operating costs by securing items for the
auction.  While the Fourth of July is now history, our RBRCCB Resident
Manager, Brooke West represented the NFB of SC in the Fourth of July parade
which is a main attraction for the Rocky Bottom community.  Our
distinguished Advisory Board member Mr. Billy Singleton has been sponsoring
the annual Fourth of July parade for many years.  Here is what Brooke said
about the Fourth of July parade, “The parade was very patriotic with golf
carts covered with red, white, and blue streamers and American flags.  The
children even had their bicycles decorated and had a great time. The
fireworks display was the highlight of the evening and it was by far the
best display I have seen in years. It was just a wonderful night and Mr.
Singleton and his family were gracious hosts.”  Final Thought:  ”Design is
not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works” – Steve
Jobs
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