[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1659

[David Houck]

May 30, 2018 

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1659

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              Congratulations to Lavern Addison, member of our Charleston
Chapter, and Donnie Johnson, member of our Laurens chapter, who have been
selected to receive a Kenneth Jernigan Scholarship which will allow each of
them 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 am certain Mr. Johnson and Ms.
Addison will take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity and they will
return to South Carolina full of energy and enthusiasm for the federation
and share all they have learned with their fellow chapter members.  

              Between now and the beginning of August, I will be spending
much of my time planning the program for the 2018 NFB of SC state
convention.  If you have any thoughts regarding program items for the
agenda, please contact me at (803) 796-8662 or you can email me at
frankcoppel at att.net.

              Please continue to make your hotel reservations for the 2018
NFB of SC State Convention which will be held at the Marriott Hotel in
Columbia August 10-12.  Room rates are very affordable.  Rates for this
year's convention are  $109 per night for up to four in a room.  In addition
to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 14 percent.  The
deadline to make reservations will be July 15, 2018.  There will also be a
limited number of rooms available for the $109 rate Thursday, August 9, for
those individuals wanting to arrive to the hotel a day prior to the official
start of the convention.  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.  The
Marriott Hotel has given the NFB of SC a block of rooms to reserve until
July 15.  If you wait until after July 15, to make your hotel reservation,
the hotel may not have an available room for you and you will not be
eligible for the convention room rate of $109.  You can make your room
reservations by calling the Marriott toll free reservation telephone number
(800) 593-6465 or (803) 771-7000 and inform the reservationist you are
reserving a room for the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina
state convention.  

              We are also 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.  As
we did last year, we are offering 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 or younger will pay $20.  We are
also offering a discount to college students in the amount of $50 during the
preregistration period.  

              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 on Saturday and a continental breakfast Sunday morning.
The deadline to accept your $80 preregistration fee is August 3.  If you
wait until after the deadline of August 3, the registration will increase to
$100.  Save $20 and preregister early!  

              Shelley and I hope to see a large turnout of Federationists
attend the NFB of SC statewide picnic which is scheduled for Saturday, June
2, at Saluda Shoal Park from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  The state picnic
committee Chaired by Tiffiny Mitchell has done a great job planning for this
event.  Remember, there will not be any program, just food, fun and
fellowship.  Shelley and I look forward to having a great time and seeing
many of you there on Saturday.  

              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.  

              Today we spotlight a longtime member of the NFB of SC who,
along with her husband, has a distinguished career in service to the blind
and as a federation member.  I am speaking of Shannon Cook.  Shannon was
born and resided in Columbia until she was 11 months old.  Her parents then
moved to Bamberg, SC where her mom grew up.  She lived in the same house
that her mom grew up in.  She shared a room with her Nana while growing up.
She received her education at Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School, graduating 10th
in the Class of 1991, then she graduated from the College of Charleston with
a Bachelor of Sociology with a minor in psychology in 1995, later graduating
USC with a Master of Social Work in 1999.  Shannon and Steve have been
married for14 years, or 5345 days as of May 30, 2018.  Shannon began her
career at Verizon Wireless for approximately 18 months, leaving in early
2004.  She then began working at the SC Commission for the Blind as a
Counselor and Service Coordinator with the Older Blind Program after the
national convention in 2004.  July 7th will mark 14 years at the agency.
Shannon Cook was recruited into the federation by Parnell Diggs in May of
1991 by inviting her to a student division meeting.  Shannon (and Steve of
course) has attended 10 national conventions and 25 state conventions.  In
her 27 years of membership in the NFB, Shannon has been the President of the
Greater Bamberg County Chapter, Student Division President, Treasurer of the
Columbia Chapter, Secretary of the Computer Science and Technology Division,
and a member of the NFB of SC Board of Directors.  Shannon's hobbies include
being an avid reader, reading around 125-150 books per year.  She enjoys
cleaning and organizing.  Steve and Shannon also love to watch The Big Bang
Theory and Live PD.  She enjoys spending time with her husband Steve,
cuddling with their dogs, and spending time with friends.  Many people know
Shannon for making pumpkin bread in the fall.  She uses her mother's recipe.
Shannon's mother died 20 years ago, so it means a lot to her that people
like it so much.  Let's give a hearty salute to Shannon Cook who "lives the
life she wants."

 

Final Thought:   "America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is
valor." - Paul Tsongas

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