[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1605

[David Houck]

May 17, 2017 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1605

Greetings Fellow Federationists: 

 

              Congratulations to Bob Parsons, member of the Sumter chapter,
who was selected to receive a Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship which will allow
him to attend this year's national convention in Orlando.  The Kenneth
Jernigan Scholarship is designed to financially assist individuals to attend
a national convention for the first time.  I remember attending my first
national convention in 1977 in New Orleans, and how that experience made a
great difference in my life as a federationist.  I am certain Mr. Parsons
will take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity and I am confident he
will return to South Carolina filled with a great deal of energy and
enthusiasm for the federation.  

              If you have not done so already please 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.  Room rates are very
affordable.  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 will also be a limited number of rooms
available for the $99 rate Thursday, August 17, for those individuals
wanting to arrive at the hotel a day prior to the official start of the
convention.  The deadline to make reservations will be July 27, 2017.  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.  The Hyatt Regency hotel has also made available
a dedicated website to book your hotel rooms online. Reservations can be
made starting immediately at this web address: 

https://aws.passkey.com/go/natfedblind.

              We are now accepting your $80 preregistration fee for this
year's State Convention.  Please send your $80 preregistration fee to the
Federation Center of the Blind, 119 S. Kilbourne Rd. Columbia, SC 29205.
This year the NFB of SC board of directors voted to offer a discount for
families with children regarding the preregistration fee.  Parents will pay
the $80 preregistration fee and each child eight teen years of age and
younger will pay $20.  All preregistration fees are nonrefundable and
nontransferable.  As in past years, 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!  

I am also in the process of starting to plan the program for the convention.
If you have any suggestions for agenda items you would like to see covered,
please feel free to contact me at (803) 796-8662 or you can email me at,
Frankcoppel at att.net.

              We have a request from Carry Burriss, a longtime member of our
Anderson chapter.  Kerry Burris is looking for a Braille and Speak. He is
also looking for someone who repairs Braille watches. Kerry can be reached
at 864-225-2065.  

 

              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 seems in recent weeks we have had a number of deaths
involving both blind and sighted individuals associated with the federation.
I was especially saddened over the death of my lifelong friend Tommy Ingle
as reported in last week's Positive Note.  Phil Marett of Anderson and a
member of the RBRCCB Advisory Board, faithfully reads the Positive Note.
Occasionally he will comment on a particular issue which gets his attention.
Lasst week Phil wrote the following, "Tommy was always at the blind fishing
event and he even went to the North Carolina Outer Banks tournament twice.
He was a remarkable man as well as a God fearing, God loving person and told
everyone he came in contact with about his love for Christ."

              Three or four days ago our very good friend and longtime
worker for the blind, Marshall Ticker, notified us about the death of Maxine
Sullivan.  Maxine-84-died on Thursday, May 11, the date the Columbia Chapter
held its meeting.  Maxine was a longtime member of the Telephone Pioneers.
The Telephone Pioneers wee noted for repairing talking book machines and
they were also noted for raising funds by selling Pioneer cookbooks.  Maxine
Sullivan was involved in one of the two groups of Telephone Pioneers who
provided monthly meals for the Columbia Chapter meetings each month for
several years.  She also worked on the quarterly free BINGO for Columbia
Chapter members and labeled the original BINGO cards used by the chapter in
braille.  She was also active in the Florence Chapter of the NFB of SC as
Maxine was originally from Turbeville.  An active but quiet person, she
assisted many blind persons with reading, transportation and even took them
to lunch from time to time.  On at least one occasion Maxine invited Betty
and me to dinner at her residence which was a very pleasant experience.  She
assisted people like Padgett and Emily McKenzie, Hilda Graham and several
others but preferred not to seek any attention for doing so.  To all who
knew her, she will be well remembered.  She was a member of the Washington
Street United Methodist Church in Columbia.   We wish to express our
appreciation to Marshall Tucker for his help in providing information for
this issue of the Positive Note.

 

Final Thought:  Raising Expectations:  It is much better to aim high and
catch a butterfly than to aim low and get the caterpillar.

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