[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1798

Mon Jan 25 11:40:38 UTC 2021

January 25, 2021

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

From:  Jennifer Bazer, President

j <mailto:Jhipp25 at sc.rr.com> hipp25 at sc.rr.com

803-960-9977

Positive Note 1798

Greetings Fellow Federationists:

This past Saturday afternoon was  a perfect day to walk the neighborhood and
sell Girl Scout cookies. As I stood at the end of the driveway listening to
my daughter Kaylin as she knocked on each door and recited her sales pitch,
I thought about our interaction with perspective members and how it relates
to Kaylin's dialogue with neighbors about cookies. Most folks will support
Kaylin and the Girl Scouts; however, there are times when folks will say, "I
don't have the money", and Kaylin quickly thinks on her feet, "you can pay
when the cookies come in." Or, if they say, "I only have a credit card", she
says, "we take cards." Other folks may say, "I am not interested", and
Kaylin promptly says, "Just one box to help me reach my goal?" Do we make
the best effort to ask individuals to join our NFB family? What happens when
they give us reasons why they cannot or don't want to? Do we just let the
moment pass, instead of, delving deeper? do we try to fully answer all their
questions so they can make an informed decision? Do we ever revisit the
person to find out if they have changed their mind? do we make excuses as to
why we do not ask them to be a part of our family? What holds us back? Just
like Kaylin's enthusiastic attitude about asking everyone to purchase
cookies to meet her goal, let's each one of us have that same fearless
approach and speak to everyone about joining the NFB and being a member of
our family. If they are  hesitant about joining, find out the reason and try
to answer all their questions and direct them to someone who can help them.
If they decide they do not want to join at this time, ask them again later
and maybe, just maybe, the answer will be yes. If they join our family, do
not forget about them. Mentor them, reach out to them, be a friend to them
and help them along the way. Just like Kaylin, once the cookie sale has been
closed, she will deliver with a smile and thank them for supporting her
goal, Girl Scouts, and Troop 3395!

Speaking of members, if you have not paid for your 2021 state dues, January
31 is approaching fast and will be here super soon! You may pay by sending a
check made to the NFB of SC and mailed to the Federation Center, 119 S.
Kilbourne Road, Columbia, SC 29205 or you may pay with our online membership
form by visiting

www.nfbofsc.org <http://www.nfbofsc.org> 

If you need assistance with paying online using Pay Pal, please call Steve
Cook at 803-254-0222 or email him at

cookcafe at sc.rr.com <mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com> 

The NFB of SC must have this information to the national office very soon
after January 31 so please make a huge effort to get these dues to our sate
office as soon as possible.

If you are a chapter or division president or serve on the Federation Board,
NFB of SC board, or Rocky Bottom board and these dues are not paid by the
end of January, you will not be able to serve in that capacity. This also
goes for other elected offices in chapters and divisions around the state.

2020 State Convention Pledges

If you have not fulfilled your 2020 state convention pledge, please get
those pledges met by January 31 by sending a check to the Federation Center
and made out to NFB of SC and 2020 pledge in the memo line, 119 S. Kilbourne
Road, Columbia, SC 29205, or, you can pay through Pay Pal on our site at

www.nfbofsc.org <http://www.nfbofsc.org> 

You may call Steve Cook at 803-254-0222 or email him at 

cookcafe at sc.rr.com <mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com> 

if you need assistance using Pay Pal on the NFB of SC site.

              SC/Palmetto Connects

              We will have our next SC connects meeting on Thursday,
February 4, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. Please encourage your chapters, divisions,
committees to attend to learn about the latest happenings in the NFB of SC!

              Leadership Seminar:

              Our next leadership seminar will be April 10, 2021 at the
Federation Center. All presidents of divisions and chapters along with
Federation Center board members, Rocky Bottom board members and NFB of SC
board members are required to attend in-person or through zoom. Others who
are interested are welcome to attend via zoom or in-person as well.

              If you notify David Houck by April 5, 2021 whether you plan to
attend on zoom or in-person, your name will be entered into a $50 gift card
drawing. You must be present to win. There will be additional door prizes
throughout the seminar; only individuals who notify David by calling
803-254-3777 or emailing nfbsc at sc.rr.com <mailto:nfbsc at sc.rr.com>  about
your zoom or in-person attendance will be entered into the $50 gift card
drawing.

              The following meetings are scheduled on the Zoom platform this
week. You are welcome to attend any of these meetings, even if you are not a
member of the chapter or committee.  All Committee meetings are open to the
public for listening. Contact President Bazer if you would like to be added
to any NFB of SC committee so that information stays current on our website
and membership list.  Here is what is coming up on Zoom for the next two
weeks. All meetings are on the main Federation ID of 803-254-3777, unless
noted.

Monday, January 25, Anderson Chapter Meeting, 6:00 p.m. Rocky Bottom ID
864-878-9090

Monday, January 25, Doing Our Fair Share Committee, 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 26, Merchants Division, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 26, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, January 28, Social Media Committee, 7:30 p.m.

January 29, Spartanburg chapter Meeting, 4:00 p.m.

Monday, February 1, We Care Committee, 6:00 p.m.

Monday, February 1, Fund Raising Committee, 8:00 p.m.

Monday, February 1, 8:00 p.m. Presidential Release see listserv or Positive
Note for zoom info

Tuesday, February 2, Legislative Committee, 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 4, Palmetto Connects, 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 4, Darlington County Chapter, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, February 5, Meet the Blind Committee, 6:00 p.m.

Friday, February 5, Movie night with the NFB of SC, Ground Hog Day, 8:00
p.m.

Saturday, February 6, Greenville Chapter Meeting, 11:00 p.m.

Saturday, February 6, Student Division Meeting, 8:00 p.m.

              NFB of SC Federation Center is inviting you to a scheduled
Zoom meeting.

Topic: NFB of SC Chapter and Committee meetings

Times are in  Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8032543777?pwd=QTVQd2RzN3l6QnNmZ0FmSnp6NG8vQT09

Meeting ID: 803 254 3777

Passcode: 124578

One tap mobile

+19292056099,,8032543777# US (New York)

Cooper River Bridge 5K

The Cooper River Bridge 5K will be held September 27, 2021 in Charleston,
SC. This is one of the largest runs in the country. If this is on your
bucket list, please contact President Bazer at 803-960-9977 or email her at
jhipp25 at sc.rr.com <mailto:jhipp25 at sc.rr.com>  if you wish to participate.
Cost is $60 to enter and participate in the race plus the cost of housing
the night before. We would love the NFB of SC to have a team and race with
team shirts showing our unity. The Sports and Rec division will be heading
this project up for the Palmetto state!

SUN Shares

Shares Unlimited NFB helps the NFB during a rainy day. It is $10 per share.
We raised 69 shares or $690 during our statewide seminar this month. If you
made a pledge for SUN, please have those donations in to our state office by
January 31. You may mail a check to the NFB of SC and include SUN in the
memo line and send to the Federation Center, 119 S. Kilbourne Road,
Columbia, SC 29205. You may also pay online at

www.nfbofsc.org <http://www.nfbofsc.org> 

using Pay Pal. Call Steve Cook at 803-254-0222 or email him at

cookcafe at sc.rr.com <mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com> 

if you need assistance. Successful Transitions will match any donations that
arrive at the center or via Pay Pal dollar for dollar by January 31. Let's
put SC back in the top 10 for SUN!

Washington Seminar

We are getting ready for the Washington Seminar 2021 which will be virtual
this year February 8-11. The great gathering in will be February 8 at 5:00
p.m. We are currently scheduling appointments with our legislators. We will
have zoom meetings regarding NFB of SC at Washington Seminar during the week
of February 1.

Fun Friday Nights

              Our  Name that Tune night on January 15, was a huge success.
We had 35 participants including members from NC, HI, NM, FL, SC and other
affiliates. We will be having a fun Friday night twice per month hosted by
the NFB of SC to include: audio described movie on the first Friday and an
interactive activity like Family Feud, Trivia, and more on the third Friday
of each month.. Our next fun Friday night will be Friday,  February 5, at
8:00 eastern as we watch Ground Hog Day in audio description! All are
welcome, come join your Palmetto affiliate!

>From Thom Spittle, Chairman of Rocky Bottom:

Do you remember your days as a camper or councilor at Children's camp?

Do you have fond memories of visiting Rocky Bottom with your Chapter or
family?

If so, come spend a weekend with some of those same people, both sighted and
blind, as we put together a reunion weekend at Rocky Bottom during Memorial
Day weekend in May 2021. This will be a great time to catch up with others,
and hear some stories of other's experiences from camp.

If you are interested, please contact Thom Spittle via email
RockyBottomInfo at gmail.com <mailto:RockyBottomInfo at gmail.com> , or call
803-331-3344.

We will try to get a transportation plan in place if you can not get to the
camp on your own.

There will be a $100 per person cost for food and other entertainment
expenses.

If you would like to bring a spouse or your immediate family, we should be
able to accommodate that. 

I hope to hear from you,

Thom Spittle

Chairman

Board of Directors

Rocky Bottom Retreat & Conference Center of the blind

              PAC Plan Challenge:

              We will be running a contest from December 5, 2020  through
May 31, 2021 for our NFB of SC affiliate. We are currently 13 and would like
to be in the top 10 or higher. One of our members would like to see us as an
affiliate contribute $1,500 to PAC each month between chapters, divisions,
individuals and our NFB of SC affiliate. If you join PAC, your name will be
entered into a drawing for a $100 visa gift card. If you increase your PAC
donation, your name will be entered into a different $100 visa gift card
drawing. I have a list of chapters, divisions, and individuals who are on
PAC at this time. On June 1, I will ask the national office for another list
which I will use to have the two drawings on June 1. There are many ways to
give. Below, is a little about PAC.

              Thank you for your interest in the National Federation of the
Blind's Pre-Authorized Contribution (PAC) program. This program allows you
to contribute to the NFB through recurring monthly donations. These can be
direct withdrawals from a checking account or charges to a credit card.
Please contact pac at nfb.org <mailto:pac at nfb.org>  with any questions. Thank
you for your generosity.

              You can go to https://www.nfb.org/pac to complete the online
form.

              You may also call the national office at 410-659-9314
extension 2622 or email PAC at nfb.org <mailto:PAC at nfb.org>  with questions.

              There are several chapters and divisions within our state who
are on PAC and we are grateful for those contributions. There are
individuals who are on PAC and we are appreciative of those members who give
each month. As an affiliate, we are averaging $17.41 per person and less
than 10% of our members are on PAC. Let's see if we can increase those
percentages to over $20 per month and have at least 20% of our members on
PAC. I appreciate you considering to get on the PAC plan or increasing your
donation each month!

              Support A Local Vender

              Would you like to support a local vender and the National
Federation of the Blind of SC (NFB of SC) at the same time? Well, here is
your opportunity to do both! When you purchase items from any of the below
venders, be sure to mention the NFB of SC in order for a percentage to be
donated to the NFB of SC. 

              If you know of any venders that are willing to donate a
percentage of each purchase to the NFB of SC and have their information
listed on www.NFBofSC.org <http://www.NFBofSC.org> , have them contact
Jennifer Bazer and Steve Cook at the below Email addresses.

jhipp25 at sc.rr.com <mailto:jhipp25 at sc.rr.com> 

cookcafe at sc.rr.com <mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com>  

              To access a list of venders, please go to www.nfbofsc.org
<http://www.nfbofsc.org>  and then click on the support a local vender link.
Your support of the local vender and the NFB of SC is greatly appreciated!

              From Steve Cook

              The upcoming weekly Zoom events can now be found on Newsline!
The article list the date, name of the event and the time. Also, listed is
the information you will need to call in using your phone. Thank you to MS.
Cummings for speaking out about a challenge she was having knowing when all
the zoom events took place. Since she does not use a computer and used
Newsline on her phone, we created a solution that will hopefully assist
others.

              Recipe Group via Email  From Steve Cook

              Do you have a favorite recipe that people always ask you for?
Do you enjoy learning about new recipes? Do you enjoying trying new food?
Here is your opportunity to all of the above an more! I have created a group
for people to Exchange Recipes and the discussion of recipes. Below is the
Email address for you to subscribe To this new group. Just a friendly
reminder to also put the word subscribe in the subject line. 

RecipeExchange+subscribe at groups.io
<mailto:RecipeExchange+subscribe at groups.io> 

>From Frank Loza

              Support the Federation Center by buying a jacket with our
national logo on the back of the jacket and under that it says National
Federation of the Blind and under that it says, live the life you want.  On
the left upper part of the front it says, NFB of SC.  There is two kinds of
material you can get them in.  One is microfiber and the other one is
polyester blend.  The microfiber costs $80.00 and the polyester blend cost's
$75.00.  The microfiber comes in blue or black and the polyester comes in
blue, black and gray.  If you can call Frank Loza at 803-617-8016, with your
information, such as color and size.  Join  your fellow Federationists and
get your jacket.  It will show unity when your chapter has a function.

Nationally:

Scholarship Program-Applications Open:

              Every year, the National Federation of the Blind awards more
than $120,000 to blind scholars across the fifty states, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico in recognition of their achievements and
professional aspirations. Each scholarship winner is awarded based on their
academic excellence, community service, and leadership. The application
process is open and we encourage students to start the process now. Review
the scholarship application checklist and the scholarship program FAQs.
Share this opportunity that invests in the future of blind people. Learn
about the eligibility and requirements of the 2021 scholarship program

>From John Olson, 3-DPhotoWorks

Tactile Images and its parent company 3DPhotoWorks, are proud to announce
their partnership with Getty Images and the National Federation of the
Blind. Our goal is to make a vast variety of tactile image displays
available to the blind community. To help us, please join the movement and
provide your feedback! Please take a moment to fill out the survey at the
link below to vote for the people, places, and historical events that you'd
be most interested in seeing as traveling tactile exhibitions.

 <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tactileimages>
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tactileimages

Final Thought:

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are
attainable. ~ Thomas Foxwell Buxton

NFB Pledge - I pledge to participate actively in the effort of the National
Federation of the Blind to achieve equality, opportunity, and security for
the blind; to support the policies and programs of the Federation; and to
abide by its constitution.

NFB One Minute Message - "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." 

If this message was forwarded to you and you would like to receive it
directly in your inbox, as well as, receive messages regarding the National
Federation of the Blind of South Carolina, please email Steve Cook at
cookcafe at sc.rr.com <mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com> .

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