[Nfbofsc] FW: Positive Note 1612

[David Houck]

July 5, 2017 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1612

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              On Thursday, July 29, Ed Bible and I traveled to Rocky Bottom
to attend the Advisory Board meeting for RBRCCB.  Four Advisory Board
members were in attendance for the meeting.  It was quite apparent to Ed and
myself these four board members were extremely interested in our programs at
RBRCCB and they expressed a willingness to assist us in finding additional
funding to upgrade our facilities.  The next RBRCCB Advisory Board meeting
is scheduled for Monday, September 18, 2017 and it is hoped more board
members will be able to attend.  During our visit to Rocky Bottom, Ed and I
had the pleasure of eating lunch with the campers and staff from Children's
Camp.  There was a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement in the dining
room as many of the 32 campers had just successfully completed the 4.5 miles
walk up Sassafras Mountain.  Our thanks go to Jennifer Bazer, Children's
Camp Director, and her staff for their excellent work in this very important
program.  

              On Friday, June 30, I attended a luncheon meeting of the Board
of Trustees of the Federation Center and I am extremely pleased to report
the Federation Center appears to be financially stable for the first time in
many years.  This is a result of the Federation Center implementing over the
past two years a variety of assistive technology training programs which
have improved the quality of life for the blind and which has also brought
much needed funding into the Center.  Many thanks go to Ed Bible, Vice
Chairman of the Board of Trustees, who has worked very hard to make this
happen.  

              In the next few days, many of us will be traveling to Orlando,
Florida to attend the 2017 NFB National Convention.  I am very pleased to
announce the NFB of SC will again have a table in the Exhibit Hall at this
year's convention.  Debra Canty, Chairperson of the statewide fund raising
committee and Tiffiny Mitchell, President of the Columbia Chapter, did a
great job securing items to sell and recruiting volunteers to man the table.
Please check out the South Carolina table (a36) and help support the state
organization as well as the Columbia Chapter!  

              It is gratifying to know that many of you across the state are
making the necessary sacrifices to attend the National Convention, and we
urge all of you to participate fully, attending all sessions which are
important in our Federation growth and service.     

          If you did not pre-register, please be sure to register for the
convention on Tuesday morning, July 11, which is necessary to receive the
special hotel rates and any other possible assistance.  Let's have a great
2017 National Convention and I look forward to seeing many of you in
Orlando!  

              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.  

              We are pleased to spotlight Jim Jackson who is a very talented
member of the Federation.  Jim Jackson was born in 1963 in Prosperity, SC,
to Henry and Shirley Jackson. He attended the School for the Deaf and the
Blind where he completed the sixth grade before being mainstreamed into the
public school system at Batesburg/Leesville SC, where he grew up. Jim
graduated from Batesburg/Leesville High School.  In his Jubior year in high
school Jim Jackson was selected for the all-state course, and in his Senior
year, he was selected for the honors course. He did attend the University of
South Carolina, Columbia campus.  Jim completed an Information Technology
course through the Cisco Academy for the Visually Impaired online school for
the blind located in Australia.   Also, he completed an audio engineering
course with them as well.  Jim Jackson is a competent JAWS, voiceover user,
and he does okay with Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA). He is an assistive
technology instructor at the Federation Center, where he teaches JAWS and
Guide!

              Jim enjoys reading, listening to Old Time Radio shows and he's
a diehard Green Bay Packers fan.  He also enjoys Basketball, both college
and pro.  At the age of 6 Jim began playing around with the piano and
discovered his love for music.  He played for various churches, bands, and
on many solo endeavors.

              Jim attends Faith Baptist Church in Irmo where he is the
Minister of Music and has served in that capacity for 17 years.  He's played
for various churches in and around the Columbia area for at least 25 years.
He also plays keyboards for the duo, (two Man Tempo), with himself and a
drummer where they specialize in jazz standards.  He also volunteers at
Palmetto Baptist Hospital-Parkridge in Irmo where he plays the piano there
for one hour on Tuesdays. He considers this a way of giving back and being a
blessing to others.  Jim Jackson is a longtime member of the Columbia
Chapter and is very involved in service to the blind.  He just returned from
a week of being a Counselor at Children's Camp as well.  We very much
appreciate the excellent work Jim performs which improves the quality of
life for the blind.

              

 

Final Thought:  "Freedom is not free; independence must be fought for;
liberty works best with good values.  All three are to be cherished or they
will slip away."

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