[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1723

[David Houck]

August 21, 2019

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1723

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              As I have been reporting during the last few weeks in the
Positive Note, the thirty-eighth annual Rocky Bottom Fun Day Festival will
take place Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 1.  If you would like to
make a reservation for the weekend you can contact me at (803) 796-8662 or
call the Federation Center at (803) 254-3777.  We have already begun to
receive requests for sleeping accommodations, so I would strongly encourage
you to call me or the Federation Center and reserve a room at Rocky Bottom
as soon as possible.  We need to have your reservation no later than
Tuesday, August 27.  This information is extremely important as we need an
accurate head count as to the amount of food we need to purchase for the
weekend.  Four meals will be served including three on Saturday, August 31,
and breakfast on Sunday morning, September 1.  Adults will be charged $30
and children will be charged $15 under twelve years of age to cover all four
meals including the lunch on Saturday.  Those individuals who are only
attending the Fun Day Festival Saturday will need to pay Valerie and Larry
Warrington $10 for lunch.  I hope you are continuing to sell your $5 Fun Day
tickets as this greatly contributes to the overall profits of the Fun Day
Festival.  Remember, the seller of the winning ticket will receive $50 and
$500 to the buyer of the winning ticket.  If you purchase your own ticket,
you will receive $550.  The chapter selling the most tickets will receive
$300 for its treasury!  Thus far, we have only sold 130 tickets statewide.
I know we can do much better, so let's get busy and do what we can to sell
as many tickets as possible during the next ten days!  We also need to bring
new items for the auction which will take place on Saturday afternoon August
31, at 12:00 noon.  Let's have a great turnout for the Fun Day Festival as
Rocky Bottom very much needs our financial support!  

              We have an announcement from Shannon Cook, Chairperson of our
NFB of SC Scholarship committee.  "On behalf of the 2019 NFB of SC
Scholarship Committee, we would like to extend heart-felt congratulations to
the three scholarship winners.  Sarah Massengale, 3rd place, was awarded
$675.  Matthew Duffell-Hoffman, 2nd place, was awarded $1,125. Casey
Eubanks, 1st place, was awarded $1,725. We also want to thank the chapters
who contributed to the scholarships, including Belvedere, Chesterfield,
Columbia, Grand Strand, Greenville, and Sumter.  Additional thanks go to the
donors of the Dr. Sheila Breitweiser scholarship, and the Bernard Kline
scholarship provided by the Federation Center. The Cherokee Chapter opted to
give their scholarship to Clinton Davis at a separate meeting, but we did
not want to go without congratulating him as well.  If anyone has any
suggestions for our committee, we welcome the input.  Thanks also go to the
scholarship committee members whose experience and expertise have helped to
improve the standards by which our winners are chosen."

              A few weeks prior to this year's state convention a request
for a Proclamation acknowledging the seventy fifth anniversary of the NFB of
SC was submitted to the Governor's office with the intention of it being
presented and read during the opening session of our convention.  Although
we did not receive the Proclamation in time for the state convention, we
appreciate the Governor's Office honoring our request with a proclamation
celebrating our seventy five years of service to the blind of this state.
Here is the Proclamation;

State of South Carolina

Governor's Proclamation

 

Whereas, established in 1944, the South Carolina Aurora Club of the Blind
became a vehicle for collective action to promote the economic, social and
spiritual well-being of blind South Carolinians; and

Whereas, in its charter as a statewide organization with chapters in
Spartanburg, Columbia and Charleston, the Aurora Club became an affiliate of
the National Federation of the Blind in 1956 and began doing business as the
National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina; and

Whereas, over the past 75 years, the Federation's advocacy has led to the
enactment of over 40 pieces of legislation, including the creation of the
South Carolina Commission for the Blind, the adoption of the Model White
Cane Law guaranteeing blind South Carolinians the right to access public
roads and facilities in the state, the adoption of the South Carolina Blind
Persons Right to Parent Act, and has improved the quality of life for blind
South Carolinians; and

Whereas, through its local chapters and statewide divisions, the National
Federation of the Blind of South Carolina has provided economic, social and
spiritual enrichment to blind South Carolinians on an individual basis; and

Whereas, the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina is holding
its Diamond Anniversary Convention during the weekend of August 9-11in the
city of Columbia, South Carolina.

Now, therefore, I Henry McMaster, Governor of the Great State of South
Carolina, do hereby proclaim August 9-11as

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND OF SOUTH CAROLINA

75th ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND

Throughout the state and encourage all South Carolinians to congratulate the
National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina and its members on the 75
years of work, both individually and collectively, to improve the quality of
life of blind individuals in the Palmetto State.

Henry McMaster, Governor, State of South Carolina

 

              I am saddened to report that Mary McNeil, a longtime member of
the Columbia Chapter passed away on Saturday, August 17.  The Federation
family should keep Mary McNeil's friends and family in our thoughts and
prayers.

              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.  

               Recently I read the book on the Titanic which was supposed to
be unsinkable.  However, in 1912 the Titanic was struck by an iceberg which
resulted in some 1,500 passengers and crew perishing.  Only some 700 managed
to survive.  No doubt this was the greatest tragedy of its type.  In 1989
Betty and celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary and we booked a voyage on
the QE II.  In 1989 on the QE II voyage we ran into a storm in the North
Atlantic which resulted in the QE II being slightly damaged with beds other
things including dishes and silverware being moved around.  As I read this
book, that experience reminded me once again of our 1989 incident.  A year
earlier in 1988, we traveled by air to Madrid, Spain to attend the meeting
of the World Blind Union.  I learned that the Rotary Club was closed in
Madrid by the dictator Franco because he felt the Rotarians would oppose his
side of the Spanish civil war.  Incidentally, Rotarians met on the QE II and
some of the members from around the world I found to be very interesting.
In 1992 I was privileged to attend the World Blind Union in Cairo, Egypt.
We were concerned with the taxi drivers taking us completely out of the way
as I talked with the driver as best as I could.  Later at the hotel the
manager advised us there were others who also had been taken advantage of by
taxi drivers.  The five-star hotel was very nice and we enjoyed the dining
area.  After returning home there was a report that a day after we left the
hotel, criminals invaded the dining room holding several exactly where we
were seated.  Following the World Blind Union meeting in Cairo we traveled
to Tel Aviv, Israel which is just a short trip by air.  We took a cab from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to spend a few days there which we enjoyed.  We stayed
in a hotel just across the street from the King David Hotel which we did not
use because of the expense.  We did attend a Rotary meeting at the King
David Hotel which we found interesting.  The speaker was giving a 30 minute
speech on the importance of the Golan Heights explaining its importance to
Israel.  A gentleman from Texas was present and very kindly kept me up to
date on what the speaker was discussing.  I've enjoyed our trip but it was
good to get back home.

              

Final Thought:   Transforming our dreams into reality:  "Your mind is like a
parachute - it only works when it's open."

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