[Nfbofsc] Positive Note 1696

[David Houck]

February 13, 2019

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

From:  Frank Coppel, President

Positive Note 1696

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

 

              Happy Valentine's Day!  Speaking of Valentine's Day, I hope to
see many of you at the fourth annual Sweetheart Dance which will be held at
the Federation Center of the Blind on Saturday, February 16, from 5:00 to
9:00 p.m.  The evening promises to be a fun and enjoyable experience with a
catered dinner, door prizes, music and dancing.  Tickets to this event will
only be $25 per person.  Please make checks payable to the NFB of SC and
please note the memo line for Sweethearts Dance.  You can purchase your
tickets for the dance at the door Saturday evening; however, if you are
planning to do this, we ask that you contact David Houck at (803) 254-3777
prior to the event to confirm your reservation.  Please contact Jennifer
Bazer at (803) 960-9977 or at jhipp25 at sc.rr.com if you would like to
contribute a door prize.   If you have any questions regarding this
fundraising event, please contact  Debra Canty, NFB of SC fundraising
Chairperson, at 803-775-5792 or via email at debra.canty at frontier.com.
Remember, this is a fund raiser for the NFB of SC so let's do all we can to
support our state affiliate and have a large turnout this Saturday evening.


              On Saturday, March 16, 2019 the NFB of SC will host a
Leadership Seminar at the Federation Center of the Blind from 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m.  Lunch will be provided.  All members are encouraged to attend and
there will be no charge for the seminar.  Come and learn about the
importance of effective communication, the role and purpose of Protection
and Advocacy, developing good fund raising skills, and any general chapter
issues you would like to discuss.  If you are planning to attend the
seminar, please notify David Houck at the Federation Center of the Blind
either by reply card, phone (803-254-377) or email (nfbsc at sc.rr.com) no
later than March 13.  We need to have this information so that we can have
an accurate head count for lunch.  

              You can now begin to make your hotel reservations for the 2019
NFB of SC State Convention which will be held at the Marriott Hotel in
Columbia August 9-11.  Room rates are very affordable.  Rates for this
year's convention are $112 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, 2019.  There will also be a
limited number of rooms available for the $112 rate on Thursday, August 8,
for those individuals wanting to arrive to the hotel a day prior to the
official start of the convention.  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.  At
this year's state convention, , we will be celebrating the seventy-fifth
anniversary of our organization.  We are planning activities throughout the
weekend to commemorate this wonderful milestone.  We are expecting a large
turnout for this convention so you may want to make your hotel reservations
early.  This will be a very special and historic convention you do not want
to miss!  

              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.  

               Ralph M. Ellenburg, Sr. of Easley is a wonderful friend.
Recently we received a telephone call advising us that Ralph Ellenburg
wanted to see and visit with me in Columbia.  If you don't know Mr.
Ellenburg, you can't be familiar with Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference
Center of the Blind.  Last Thursday, February 7 we held a meeting in the
board room of the Federation Center of the Blind.  We both expressed our
mutual friendship spanning 40 years.  In early 1980 we began to secure as
many Advisory Board members as possible.  Dot Hudson was the daughter of
Mrs. Hudson who was blind and lived in Easley.  She was consulted and
advised me that if we could possibly get Mr. Ellenburg to accept a position
on our Advisory Board, this would be a giant step forward.  However, I was
given little encouragement but managed to contact Mr. Ellenburg at that time
to enlist his board participation.  I was jubilant that Mr. Ellenburg agreed
to serve.  By the way, Mr. Ellenburg and I have something in common - we
both have reached our 90th birthday with Mr. Ellenburg having reached his
97th birthday.  We both are pretty alert and appreciate our longevity.  One
of the visits that Mr. Ellenburg and I made was to an Easley business to
request their assistance.  Before arriving at the business Ralph and I
discussed our request in raising $75,000 needed to renovate the historic
chapel that was housed on the former 4H Club camp property.  I suggested we
ask for $25,000 but this was immediately rejected as Ralph felt we needed to
ask for the entire amount of $75,000.  In speaking to the President of the
business Ralph asked for the $75,000 which was promptly approved by the
business executive.  This certainly demonstrated that Ralph Ellenburg could
get the job done.  For a number of years Ralph served as Chairman of the
Advisory Board of RBRCCB.  However, due to illness, Ralph stepped down a few
years ago.  He also set up an Endowment Fund for RBRCCB which has served the
camp well over the years.  Ralph was not only generous in his financial
giving but he also made other types of contributions.  It was not uncommon
for Ralph to be in Rocky Bottom to make repairs on equipment which he
determined needed immediate handling.  Ralph would call on professional
plumbers, etc., that could handle larger situations and he could make
equipment purchases at a large discount to RBRCCB.  Ralph was extremely
helpful in raising money to erect the Conference Center which was dedicated
in July 1991.  It was determined that there was a need for a new overnight
accommodation. Since Ralph had given much of his time, energy and resources,
it was decided to name this new facility the "Ralph M. Ellenburg, Sr.
Lodge."  I recall there was a board meeting in which Ralph explained that
about $50,000 was needed to complete the funding for the new Ellenburg
Lodge.  There were about ten attending the board meeting and Ralph suggested
if these ten people gave $5,000 each, this would complete the funding.  The
ten rooms were named in honor or memory by these ten contributors.  At the
conclusion of the Ellenburg Lodge construction a chandler was hung from the
ceiling.  When my wife Betty saw it she explained it needed to be a high
quality chandler.  Ralph suggested the sum would be higher but Betty felt it
was needed for such a fine facility.  Ralph agreed and the matter was taken
care of.  In May of 1999 the Ralph M. Ellenburg Sr. Lodge was dedicated
which has continuously served the blind for 20 years now.  It is the most
requested facility of all our facilities by those visiting RBRCCB.  A large
sign was also erected in front of the Lodge which bears Ralph Ellenburg's
name.  

 

Final Thought:  Thursday is Valentine's Day - Give the gift of love and
kindness.

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