[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1614

[David Houck]

July 19, 2017 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1614

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              Shelley and I had a wonderful time attending the 2017 NFB
national convention.  This was my thirty-fifth convention and this year's
convention ranked high on my list as one of the best conventions I have had
the pleasure of attending.  We had 2,485 federationists attend this year's
convention.  South Carolina was proud to have sixty-two delegates which I
feel was a pretty good turnout considering the fact we did not charter a
bus.  The convention had many outstanding presentations which dealt
primarily with the need to have accessible technology as well as
presentations from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, two
members of Congress, and inspiring stories of blind individuals who
succeeded in transforming their dreams into reality.  During the general
sessions there was a great deal of enthusiasm and energy which was felt
throughout the ballroom.  Of course, President Riccobono's Presidential
Report and Banquet address were outstanding.  

              The highlight of the convention as always is the Banquet.  The
NFB handed out thirty scholarships and these young men and women were
extremely impressive.   The NFB national convention at times reminds me of a
large family reunion and for Shelley and I, it was wonderful to reconnect
and visit with friends we have not seen for a long period of time.  Although
I was proud of the approximately sixty plus South Carolinians who registered
for this year's convention, it was very disappointing to me to see the
extremely poor attendance from our delegation at most of the general
sessions.  One of the primary purposes of the national convention is to
become more familiar with issues facing the blind on a national level and
this is very difficult to do if you are not present at the general sessions.


              If you have not done so already, I would strongly urge you to
make your hotel reservations for the 2017 NFB of SC State Convention which
will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenville, SC, August 18-20.
Rates for this year's convention are  $99 per night for up to four in a
room.  In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present
is 12 percent.  There are still a limited number of rooms available for the
$99 rate Thursday, August 17. The deadline to make reservations is July
27,2017.  The Hyatt Regency Hotel has set aside a block of rooms for the NFB
of SC until July 27 which is only one week away!  If you wait until after
July 27, to make your hotel reservation, the hotel may not have an available
room for you and you may be required to pay the standard room rate of $189
per night.  If you pay in advance, your reservation will be guaranteed;
however, you will not have to pay as long as you arrive by 6:00 p.m.  Any
amount you pay, of course, will be applied toward your bill.  You can make
your room reservations by calling the Hyatt Regency reservation telephone
number 402-592-6434 and inform the reservationist you are reserving a room
for the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina state convention.


              Also, I would strongly encourage you to pay your $80
preregistration fee for this year's State Convention to the Federation
Center of the Blind, 119 S. Kilbourne Rd. Columbia, SC 29205.  All
preregistration fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.  The $80
preregistration fee will cover the reception on Friday evening, continental
breakfast Saturday morning, the luncheon, banquet, and a continental
breakfast Sunday morning.  The deadline to accept your $80 preregistration
fee is August 9.  If you wait until after the deadline of August 9, the
registration will increase to $100.  Save $20 and preregister early!  

              As I reported in last week's Positive Note, Ever Lee Hairston,
NFB National board member will be our national representative for the
convention.  I had the opportunity of speaking with Ever Lee last week at
the national convention and she was very excited about coming to South
Carolina and being a part of our state convention.  She is an awesome
speaker and it is my hope we will have an excellent turnout for the
convention as well as to hear her banquet address Saturday evening .  

              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.  

              In this week's Positive Note we are spotlighting one of the
finest chapters in the NFB of SC or anywhere in the nation.  Charlis Borodin
is the President of our Grand Strand Chapter.  She was born in the Bronx,
New York and grew up in the New York City area.  She attended the New York
City public schools and graduated from Queens College majoring in Computer
Science.  She began work as a secretary knowledgeable in shorthand and
dictation.  However, when computers began to be used in the 1070's, she
returned to school to obtain her Computer Science degree.  Charlis is
married to Paul Borodin and they celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary
on July 1.  They have a son who is a NYU graduate and a daughter who
graduated from RPI.  They also have a two year-old granddaughter who is the
love of their life.  Charlis says that her husband Paul is a great help to
her in all that she does and he deserves a lot of credit.  Paul and Charlis
moved to Myrtle Beach in 1999 and Charlis began losing her sight.  They
joined the Grand Strand Chapter seven years ago and she assumed the
Presidency two years ago.  She is quite a capable chapter president and even
brings food to the monthly meetings.  She is a strong believer in continuing
the federation in that it helps blind people to lead better and more
productive lives.  She states that blindness is a challenge but she is
making a real difference.  This year's 2017 Orlando NFB Convention was her
first national convention and she learned a lot from it.  She has attended
four state conventions and at last year's Myrtle Beach state convention the
Grand Strand Chapter and the Borodin's worked hard to design and distribute
Myrtle Beach packets to each convention delegate.  Charlis explains that her
hobbies include reading at least five talking books a week, she sends
emails, does Facebook and goes on the internet and she collects World War II
era aircraft hammered aluminum antiques.  Charlis has many talents and
together with her husband Paul, they work hard to help the blind live the
life they want.  I'm proud of the NFB Orlando Convention South Carolina
delegation although I agree with President Coppel that the South Carolina
delegation must at least attend all General Sessions.

 

Final Thought:  "Federation conventions offer much you can learn and apply
to life and in helping others.if you attend them."

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