[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1597

[David Houck]

March 22, 2017 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1597

Greetings Fellow Federationists: 

 

              On Thursday, March 16, Shelley and I traveled to Rocky Bottom
where we joined the missions team from Mt. Hebron United Methodist Church in
a very productive work weekend at our facility.  Approximately 35
individuals were in attendance for the weekend.  Also in attendance were
Vice Chairman of the RBRCCB Board of Directors, Ed Bible, his wife, Julie,
Jennifer Bazer, and David Bundy who are members of the church and who played
an instrumental role in asking the team to consider RBRCCB as a missions
project.  We were pleased to have Barry Chavis, member of the Advisory Board
of RBRCCB and his cousin Carolyn Phillips who is also a volunteer at Senior
Camp to join us for the weekend.  The missions team worked on such tasks as
repairing leaks around the chimneys at Osterneck Cottage and the Conference
Center, cleaning gutters on all the buildings, painting three rooms in the
Ellenburg Lodge, planting flowers and replacing light bulbs around the gate
of our property, and organizing closets just to name a few of the tasks
which were completed.  Throughout the weekend it was amazing to watch the
efficiency, organization, and effort put forth by the missions team.  It was
very evident the members of the missions team loved Rocky Bottom and were
willing to do whatever they could to make RBRCCB a more beautiful place.
Plans are being considered for this wonderful group of individuals to return
to Rocky Bottom in the very near future.  

              The RBRCCB Board is in the process of looking to fill the
position of Resident Manager.  Individuals who would like to apply for this
position need to contact David Houck at the Federation Center (254-3777) and
request and fill out a RBRCCB job application.  All applicants will be
subject to a background check.  Applications must be returned to the
Federation Center by 5:00 p.m. April 14 2017.  

              The spring meetings of the Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference
Center of the Blind Board of Directors and the NFB of SC Board of Directors
will be held at the Federation Center of the Blind on Saturday, April 22,
2017.  The RBRCCB Board of Directors meeting will begin promptly at 10:00
a.m. and will adjourn at 12:00 noon.  The NFB of SC Board of Directors
meeting will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. and adjourn at 4:00 p.m.  I look
forward to having all board members in attendance and I strongly encourage
any Federation member to come and to actively participate in both meetings.


              Congratulations to the members of the Columbia Chapter and its
President Tiffany Mitchell, for holding a very successful breakfast fund
raiser on Saturday, March 18.  The breakfast was held at the Federation
Center from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. and net proceeds were approximately $466.  

              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.  

              The NFB of SC is a strong participant in the annual NFB
conventions.  Throughout the years we have ranked in the top five or ten in
state rankings.  On a couple of occasions we have ranked number one at NFB
conventions.  We consider it very important to support high attendance at
both state and national conventions.  However, there was one occasion where
I was embarrassed at the low NFB of SC attendance at an NFB convention.
Last week I wrote about the 1970 NFB convention.  That particular convention
was very disappointing to me.  When the Roll Call of States was called, I
noted that we only had ten from South Carolina, giving the NFB of SC a very
low ranking.  This was particularly concerning as the national convention
had voted me in the office of First Vice President just two years earlier.
No doubt that was notable to the NFB convention.  Upon my return from the
1970 NFB convention, I determined we would have a better attendance in 1971.
As President of the NFB of SC it was my principle responsibility of
generating as much participation as possible.  Officials of the NFB of SC,
after much consideration, decided to secure a bus which we felt would
generate greater participation which proved to be the case.  We worked hard
to generate funding including the cost of a 56 passenger bus which was
needed to transport our members to Houston where the 1971 NFB convention was
to be held.  To the best of my memory it was the first time a bus was
secured for transportation.  The bus was filled to capacity.  We increased
our attendance from ten attendees in 1970 to forty-six in 1971 making a
respectable state ranking.  Incidentally, the Houston convention featured a
large swimming pool (unlike the 1967 swimming pool which was drained just
for the NFB convention); the blind enjoyed the Houston swimming pool just
like everyone else.  It was the Shamrock Hotel in Houston and I'll never,
never forget longtime NFB member Jim Omvig who climbed atop the diving board
and proceeded to dive into the pool and my heart momentarily stopped.  

              At the Columbia Chapter meeting on Thursday, March 9, I was
assigned barbecue tickets just like everyone else to sell to the general
public.  This will be the 64th annual barbecue - the first being in 1954.
I've attended all of the barbecues except for a couple because of my
illness.  Speaking of national convention attendance, a substantial amount
of these barbecue funds will be used to help deserving members to attend
state and national conventions.  Let's give this upcoming barbecue our best
effort.  Finally, I am very impressed and thankful for the Mt. Hebron
Missions Team and RBRCCB officials who are doing excellent work at Rocky
Bottom.

 

Final Thought:  Raising Expectations:  "If you have ever flown in a plane,
just think, you have accomplished greater things than anyone else in all of
history before the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk!" 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20170322/6a6dd5d1/attachment.html>