[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1803
Jennifer Bazer
jhipp25 at sc.rr.com
Mon Mar 1 11:36:16 UTC 2021
March 1, 2021
Memo To: Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents &
Others
From: Jennifer Bazer, President
Positive Note 1803
803-960-9977
Jhipp25 at sc.rr.com <mailto:Jhipp25 at sc.rr.com>
Greetings Fellow Federationists:
Today is the first day of March where we observe Saint Patrick's Day,
national potato chip day, pie day for mathematics and the sweet treat, first
ay of spring, daylight savings time, March madness for basketball lovers,
and the Ides of March! Will March enter like a lion and leave like a lamb?
March is also Women's History Month and had its origins as a national
celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and
requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as
"Women's History Week." Throughout the next five years, Congress continued
to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women's History
Week." In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women's History
Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March
1987 as "Women's History Month." Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed
additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim
March of each year as Women's History Month. Since 1995, presidents have
issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as
"Women's History Month." These proclamations celebrate the contributions
women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements
women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
As we move toward the intersection of black history month and women's
history month, Please join me in commemorating and encouraging the study,
observance and celebration of the vital role of blind women during the month
of March on a state and national level.
The role of women in the blind movement is clear and powerful. I will begin
sharing excerpts from President Riccobono's 2018 banquet speech at the
national convention in Orlando, Florida. The entire speech can be found at
the following link:
https://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/convent/banquet-speech-2018-2.ht
ml
"At our organizing on November 16, 1940, there were sixteen blind people
from seven states in attendance, and two of them were women who both served
on the board of directors. The first was Mary McCann of Illinois, who was
elected as secretary of our organization at that first meeting but only
served for a short time. The other blind woman was Evelyn Burlingame of
Pennsylvania, who was not elected to the board in 1940 but was elected as
first vice president of the organization in 1942.
Let me pause briefly to note that Hazel tenBroek was also in attendance at
the organizing, and her notes are the most substantive record we have of the
proceedings. Although she was not blind, she was a significant force in the
early development of the Federation. Mrs. tenBroek set the standard for what
has been a proud line of deeply loved and admired sighted marchers in our
movement.
Let us return to Evelyn, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1906. After
graduating from the Overbrook School for the Blind, she worked as the lead
stenographer in the legal department for an insurance company; later she
managed a small business among other jobs. In her free time she worked to
bring together many small community-based organizations of the blind into a
statewide organization called the Pennsylvania Federation of the Blind
(which officially came into existence in 1934). It was the annual meeting of
the Pennsylvania Federation that served as the backdrop for the
constitutional meeting establishing the National Federation of the Blind.
While early Federation leaders had to expend considerable time and energy
convincing blind people that we could gain synergy by directing the future
through building our own organization, Evelyn already knew the value of
organizing, and she was prepared to make personal sacrifices for the
movement.
Evelyn's hard work, information sharing, and wise counsel to the
Federation's President were likely factors contributing to her election to
the national board. In the National Federation of the Blind we elect leaders
to speak for us, but those leaders must be able to synthesize the hopes,
dreams, and innovative approaches that the members bring forward. In that
regard, Evelyn may get credit for the Federation's first major outreach and
fundraising strategy. On November 9, 1941, she wrote to Dr. tenBroek to
propose that we approach state and national unions to enlist their support
in the Federation's cause and to give specific examples of the circumstances
in her state. This idea was developed into a significant program for making
connections and gathering financial resources for the young organization.
Evelyn's early and active participation in our movement gave credibility to
the notion that the blind can and should speak for themselves. For Evelyn
the characteristic of blindness did not hold her back, and for the
Federation the characteristic of blindness was most important to Evelyn's
leadership in our movement."
The following meetings are scheduled on the Zoom platform this
month. 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
month. All meetings are on the main Federation ID of 803-254-3777, unless
noted.
Dates & Times of meetings are subject to change.
Monday, March 1, 2021
We Care Committee meeting 6:00 PM
Fundraising Committee Meeting 7:00 PM
Presidential Release 8:00 PM
<https://www.nfb.org/libraries/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=20057&qid=4917671>
https://zoom.us/j/93850211264
Or one-tap mobile: +13017158592,,93850211264#
Or telephone; dial then enter the corresponding webinar ID:
+1 669 900 6833
Webinar ID: 938 5021 1264
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
Get Fit with Sports and Rec Division 5:30 PM
Legislative Committee Meeting 8:00 PM
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Cooking With the At Large Chapter 6:30 PM
Thursday, March 4, 2021
Palmetto Connects 6:00 PM
Darlington County Chapter Meeting 7:00 PM
Friday, March 5, 2021
Meet the Blind Committee Meeting 6:00 PM
Movie Night with the NFB of SC 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 6, 2021
Get Fit with the Sports & Rec Division 8:00 AM
Greenville Chapter Meeting 11:00 AM
Student Division Meeting 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 7, 2021
Support Group for those who have experienced abuse 3:00 PM
Support Group for recently blind members 5:00 PM
Monday, March 8, 2021
Braille Literacy Committee Meeting 6:00 PM
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Get Fit with Sports and Rec Division 5:30 PM
At Large Chapter Meeting 7:00 PM
Sumter Chapter Meeting 7:00 PM Rocky Bottom
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
Sports & Rec Division Meeting 6:00 PM
Thursday, march 11, 2021
Columbia Chapter Meeting 6:15PM
Lancaster Chapter Meeting 7:00 PM Rocky Bottom
Friday, March 12, 2021
Cherokee Chapter Meeting 1:00 PM Rocky Bottom
Saturday, March 13, 2021
Get Fit with the Sports & Rec Division 8:00 AM
Technology Training 10:00 AM - noon
Spartanburg Chapter Meeting 11:00 AM Rocky Bottom
Student Division Social 8:00 PM
Sunday, March 14, 2021
Lee County Chapter Meeting 7:00 PM
Monday, March 15, 2021
Membership Committee Meeting 7:00 PM
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Get Fit with Sports and Rec Division 5:30 PM
Diabetes Action Network Committee Meeting 7:00 PM
Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Public Relations Committee Meeting 8:00 PM
Thursday, March 18, 2021
Palmetto Connects 6:00 p.m.
Florence Chapter Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Clarendon County Chapter Meeting 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Get Fit with the Sports & Rec Division 8:00 AM
Charleston Chapter Meeting 1:00 PM
Sunday, March 21, 2021
Support Group for those who have experienced abuse 3:00 PM
Support Group for recently blind members 5:00 PM
Monday, March 22, 2021
Anderson Chapter Meeting 6:00 PM Rocky Bottom
Doing Our Fair Share Committee Meeting 7:00 PM
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
Get Fit with Sports and Rec Division 5:30 PM
Diversity & Inclusion Committee Meeting 8:00 PM
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Social Media Committee Meeting 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 26, 2021
Get Fit with the Sports & Rec Division 8:00 AM
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)
Palmetto Connects
* We will have our next palmetto connects meeting on
Thursday, March 4 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. Please encourage your
chapters, divisions, committees to attend to learn about the latest
happenings in the NFB of SC! All are welcome from everywhere!
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!
SUN Shares
Shares Unlimited NFB (SUN) is a rainy day fund. Shares are just $10 each. We
collected and others pledged toward this giving at our statewide seminar.
You can donate in increments of $10 for this rainy day fund. The Palmetto
state is currently 13 and we would love to be in the top five. You are
welcome to send checks made to NFB of SC with SUN in the memo line to the
Federation Center, 119 S. Kilbourne Road, Columbia, SC 29205. You may also
donate using our pay pal link on our page
www.nfbofsc.org <http://www.nfbofsc.org>
Please when you donate give a little extra to help cover the cost of
administration fees from pay pal, $.30 for each $10. Thank you for
considering if you can donate to this fund.
Movie Night, Friday, March 5 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern:
The National Federation of the Blind of SC will hold a movie night on
Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8:00 PM Eastern. Please gather your favorite candy
and popcorn and choice of beverage and join the Palmetto affiliate for an
audio described movie night!
NFB of SC Talent Show, March 20, Deadline for Entries, March 1
The National Federation of the Blind of SC (NFB of SC) Would like to invite
you to the 1st ever virtual talent show fundraiser benefitting the NFB of
SC!
Everyone has a talent. What is Yours?
* Singing
* Comedy
* Dancing
* Reading poetry
* Playing an instrument
The NFB of SC has an opportunity for you to show off your talent through our
2021 Virtual Talent Show!!! You will also be eligible for prizes if you
place 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the voting!
Prizes awarded
1st place: 10% of the total proceeds, and a plaque donated by Linda Dizzley,
President of the Lee County Chapter.
2nd place: 5% of the total proceeds, and a plaque donated by Linda Dizzley,
President of the Lee County Chapter.
3rd place: 3% of the total proceeds, and a plaque donated by Linda Dizzley,
President of the Lee County Chapter.
Here is how our talent show will work.
* Pay $15 to register to enter your talent via Pay Pal or other
approved method.
* Submit a 90 second video to Steve Cook at cookcafe at sc.rr.com
<mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com>
* Once your video has been approved it will be posted on the website
www.nfbofsc.org <http://www.nfbofsc.org> .
* Next, invite all of your family, friends, coworkers, former
teachers, fellow church members, doctors, mail carriers, etcetera, to watch
your video and vote for you. A $1 donation is one vote. For example, if a
person donated $25 for you, then you would receive 25 individual votes. A
person can vote for you as many times as they choose.
* When creating your video, please be sure to narrate any movement or
action, so that the blind voters will know what you are doing, especially if
it is a visual talent, such as dancing. .
* All videos and registration fees must be submitted by March 1, 2021
at 11:59 PM eastern to be considered for the contest.
* Votes will be accepted until Saturday, March 20 2021, at 2:00 PM
eastern.
* We will announce the winners on Saturday, March 20 2021 at 4:00PM
eastern.
* Each participant will be assigned a contestant number for voting
purposes. When a person makes their vote, they will have to include the
contestants number in order for the vote to count for them.
Voting and Registration
To Vote Electronically:
To pay your $15 registration fee, go to www.nfbofsc.org
<http://www.nfbofsc.org> and click on the Donations link.
Votes can be cast on the same site by clicking on the donation link. $1 per
vote. There is no limit to the number of times a voter can vote. Please
remember that a vote will not go to the contestant unless their contestant
number is included in the "for" line of the payment.
To Vote by Mail
If you would like to vote for a contestant, but are unable to access the
above electronic payment method. You can send a check or money order to the
address below. On the memo line, be sure to put "talent show contestant
number." If the contestant number is not on this line, your vote will not
count, and your donation will be greatly appreciated! Please have all
payments mailed no later than March 15th to allow for them to be received
and recorded.
Federation Center of the Blind
119 S Kilbourne Road
Columbia, SC 29205.
To register, please include the following information.
* Name
* Address
* City, State and ZIP
* Home Phone
* Cell Phone
* Work Phone
* Email Address
* NFB member? Yes or No.
* If yes, which chapter?
* If no, do we have your permission to contact you about getting
involved? Yes or No.
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 encouraged 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. All are welcome from everywhere!
Nationally:
Open House: Information for Non-Members Interested in Joining:
Please share with non-members the following: The National Federation of the
Blind invites blind people to learn more about being a member and the
benefits of membership on Wednesday, March 24, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. This is
a great opportunity to hear from active members and leaders on the myths and
uncertainties of the Federation. Sign up for the open-house gathering call
by emailing <mailto:membership at nfb.org> membership at nfb.org or calling
410-659-9314, extension 2509.
Final Thought:
"We don't have the power to make life fair, but we have the power to make
life joyful." Ever Lee Hairston from Blind Ambition , Journey to Greatness
despite Blindness TEDx
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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