[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1873

Mon Jul 4 01:58:41 UTC 2022

July 4, 2022

Positive Note 1873

President Jennifer Bazer

803-960-9977

  Jennifer.H.Bazer at gmail.com <mailto:Jennifer.H.Bazer at gmail.com> 

          Greetings Fellow Federationists:

I am currently in New Orleans, Louisiana for our national convention, the
largest gathering of blind people along with approximately 30 members from
the Palmetto affiliate. Opening ceremonies will be Friday, July 8 beginning
at 9:30. Cannot wait to hear the cheers for SC! Before opening ceremonies,
we will attend division and committee meetings, preconvention activities
planned by the host affiliate, and enjoy reuniting with old friends and
meeting new ones! We look forward to sharing highlights when we return after
July 11th! The Positive Note will be delayed for next week!

Independence Day

"Taxation without representation!" was the battle cry in America's 13
Colonies, which were forced to pay taxes to England's King George III
despite having no representation in the British Parliament. As
dissatisfaction grew, British troops were sent in to quell the early
movement toward rebellion. Repeated attempts by the Colonists to resolve the
crisis without military conflict proved fruitless.

On June 11, 1776, the Colonies' Second Continental Congress met in
Philadelphia and formed a committee whose express purpose was drafting a
document that would formally sever their ties with Great Britain. The
committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger
Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, who was considered the
strongest and most eloquent writer, crafted the original draft document (as
seen above). A total of 86 changes were made to his draft and the
Continental Congress officially adopted the final version on July 4, 1776.

The following day, copies of the Declaration of Independence were
distributed, and on July 6, The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first
newspaper to print the extraordinary document. The Declaration of
Independence has since become our nation's most cherished symbol of liberty.

Bonfires and Illuminations

On July 8, 1776, the first public readings of the Declaration were held in
Philadelphia's Independence Square to the ringing of bells and band music.
One year later, on July 4, 1777, Philadelphia marked Independence Day by
adjourning Congress and celebrating with bonfires, bells and fireworks.

The custom eventually spread to other towns, both large and small, where the
day was marked with processions, oratory, picnics, contests, games, military
displays and fireworks. Observations throughout the nation became even more
common at the end of the War of 1812 with Great Britain.

In June of 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Roger C. Weightman,
declining an invitation to come to Washington, D.C. to help celebrate the
50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last letter
that Jefferson, who was gravely ill, ever wrote. In it, Jefferson says of
the document:

"May it be to the world, what I believe it will be . the signal of arousing
men to burst the chains . and to assume the blessings and security of
self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free
right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes
are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. .For ourselves, let the annual
return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an
undiminished devotion to them."

- Thomas Jefferson
June 24, 1826 Monticello

Congress established Independence Day as a holiday in 1870, and in 1938
Congress reaffirmed it as a paid holiday for federal employees. Today,
communities across the nation mark this major midsummer holiday with
parades, firework displays, picnics and performances of "The Star-Spangled
Banner" and marches by John Philip Sousa.

Let Freedom Ring. Enjoy time with friends and family. No matter what you are
doing, a picnic, a parade, cookout, swimming, or enjoying the cool of the
inside, please be safe and we will see you for the next Positive Note after
our national convention!

Keeping in Mind

A few things to keep in mind.

Make your hotel reservations at the North Charleston Marriot for our state
convention. The number for central reservations is

888-236-2427. The room block with our current rates is guaranteed until
August 5. After that date, the rooms will be released to the general public.
It is important that we try very hard to book 166 nights which would be 80%
of our contracted 207 nights. This will insure we do not pay for rooms we do
not use. It is not the number of rooms, but the number of nights. For
example, if I book three nights and Mickey Mouse books 5 nights, that is a
total of 8 nights. We currently have 134 nights booked. In order to save
money on your registration costs for the NFB of SC state convention,
register and pay for the event by 11:59 PM EDT on July 15 for early bird
rates. After that date, registration costs go up.

July Birthdays!

Happy birthday to the following members who have birthdays in July!

RANDY shackelford          1

Lee Singleton     2

Marty McKenzie               4

Rachel I Alexander          4

Denise Wigfall Nelson    5

Jim Jackson         6

Carey Davis         7

Jan Lewis             8

Patricia Anthony              9

Earl Carper          11

Mike Sutton       12

Larry Wilson       13

Josh Head            14

Glenda Mae Culick           14

Amr Eid 14

Luanne McKinnon            15

Mallorie Murray               15

Patricia Smith-Jenkins    15

Constance Miller.             16

Kevin Henderson skinner              17

Timothy Frank Gilstrap   17

Barbara Martin  19

Jackie Cousar     20

Rosa Lee Wells  20

Rogers Nelson   21

Franklin Johnson              21

George Johnson               22

Mary Rose Hagan             22

Katherine Loza  23

Collette Bradley 23

Frank Loza           24

David Rebocho  25

Edwin Gerace    25

Albert Graham  28

Bernice Thames Wheeler              29

Valerie Warrington          29

Susanne Bryant 30

Taiwan Johnson 31

Kerry "Butch" Thompson              31

Palmetto Convention Grant

The NFB of SC board voted to award three Palmetto Convention Grants in the
amount of $200 each. If you are a current NFB of SC member and you have not
attended a state convention and wish to attend our state convention August
25-28, please contact Shannon Cook, chair of this committee to obtain an
application. Both sighted and blind members are eligible.

Sports and Rec Division Fundraiser 50/50 Drawing 

The Sports and Rec Division is having a 50/50 Drawing  

Prizes:

*       First prize is half/50% of the cash raised in ticket sales. 

*       Second Prize is a gift basket.

The drawing will be held during the banquet at the NFB of SC State
Convention on August 27, 2022.  .  You do not have to be present to win.
Tickets: 1/$5, 3/$10, 7/$20.

To purchase in advance of the state convention, you can pay via our Sports
and Rec PayPal. The info is below. Please put in the memo line the money is
for the S & R 50/50 Drawing.

https://www.paypal.me/sportrecnfbsc

If you have any questions, please email the Sports and Rec Division at
srnfbsc21 at yahoo.com <mailto:srnfbsc21 at yahoo.com> 

Thank you all. 

Sports and Rec Division 

National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina 

Braille Afghan Fundraiser

Do you or a family member read, write, or just simply have an appreciation
for Braille? If so, the Braille Literacy Committee, in partnership with the
NFB of SC Fundraising committee and the NFB of SC have a special
announcement! A special Braille-themed Afghan has been  lovingly created by
our very own Glenda Culick, featuring yarn from the personal collection of
our beloved late Ellen Taylor. This one-of-a-kind, handmade item features a
white background with hunter green Braille dots that are visual and
touchable and a hunter green border. The Afghan is large enough to cover a
twin size bed, but would also look great as an overlay on a full or queen
sized bed. Coincidentally, the color scheme matches with that of the School
for the Deaf and Blind, which has many alumni in the area. The cost to enter
will be $10 per entry or you may purchase 3 entries for $25. The drawing to
determine the winner will take place during the late fall season. If you'd
like to examine the piece, it will be on display at the NFB of SC table
during the state convention in August. The Braille Literacy Committee wishes
to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Glenda for taking the time to create such
a beautiful piece and to the fundraising committee, along with the NFB of SC
for partnering with us to extend this special opportunity statewide. 

 You may enter the drawing by using Pay Pal on our affiliate website and
please insure you put Braille Afghan in the comment section. You may also
mail a check to the Federation Center made out to NFB of SC and write
Braille Afghan in the memo line. One entry for $10 or three for $25.

Lee County Chapter Invites You to Bowl!

The Lee County Chapter of the national Federation of the blind of South
Carolina Will be hosting it's second "Bowling Day Outing "  on Saturday,
July 16 at 1:00 PM. Afterwards, we will gather together at a local
restaurant to have a great Meal. The cost of bowling will be $10, which will
include your shoe rental, bowling ball, and two hours  of bowling  . The
meal is a separate expense.  In order to reserve a room large enough to
accommodate everyone, please let me, or any member of the Lee County Chapter
know, if you plan to attend. There will be a van leaving from Columbia. you
may call 803-459-4585 or you may email Linda Dizzley at ldizzley at hotmail.com
<mailto:ldizzley at hotmail.com> >

we hope to see you there!

NFB of SC State Convention Registration is Open

Exciting News!

Registration is open for the National Federation of the Blind of South
Carolina's 66th State Convention! This year's state convention will be held
at the North Charleston Marriott 4770 Goer Drive, North Charleston, SC
29406.  The phone number is 843-747-1900. The dates are August 25, 2022
through August 28, 2022. Below is the link to the registration form for the
state Convention. Just a reminder that your registration is non-refundable
and non-transferable. Once you fill out the 2022 NFB of SC state convention
registration form. You will need to also submit your payment in order to
complete the registration process.

Acceptable payment methods include NFB of SC PayPal. Please  put in the
message field "State convention registration" and include the names of those
whose registration you are paying. You can also make a check payable to the
NFB of SC and mail it to the Federation Center of the Blind (see below) and
include the same info as stated above. 

Registration Rates:

Standard Registration: Pre-register for $85 until July 15, 2022 at 11:59 PM
EDT. Then the cost goes up to $100.

Student Registration: Pre-registration is 55 until July 15, 2022 at 11:59 PM
EDT. Then the price goes up to $60.  This includes college, graduate or
doctoral students.

Children's and Youth Registration: Pre-register for $25 until July 15, 2022
at 11:59 PM EDT. Then the cost goes up to $30. This rate is for people 18
and under.

Click here for the 2022 State Registration Form

We look forward to seeing you there!

Door Prize Collection:

It is time to begin gathering door prizes to distribute during the general
sessions of the convention. Names for door prizes will be drawn
electronically like last year. We are keeping consistent with our NFB
national as they also draw electronically.  We like for the prizes to be
worth $10 or more.  Only new items please.  Keep in mind that men, women,
blind, and sighted all will be in the running to receive them, so a variety
of prizes is greatly appreciated. If you will be at the convention, you can
bring them with you.  If not,

You can send them with someone or mail them to the Federation Center.
Address is provided later in the Positive Note.   If anyone has questions,
please contact Steve and Shannon Cook who are coordinating door prizes again
this year.  Their info is below.  Home: (803) 254-0222; his cell: (803)
260-1292; her cell: (803) 605-4250; email: cookcafe at sc.rr.com
<mailto:cookcafe at sc.rr.com> . 

Exhibit Hall Registration

Forms are available for exhibiting on August 26-28 at our 66th annual state
convention in North Charleston. For non-members, agencies, businesses and
other organizations, the cost is $125 per table. The cost for members,
chapters and divisions is $40 per table. The forms are on our NFB of SC
website, have been sent out on the list serve, or can be obtain from David
Houck or me, Jennifer Bazer. We look forward to many reserved tables in our
exhibit hall at this convention.

Sponsorships for State Convention

It is time again to seek sponsorships for our NFB of SC state convention
held August 25-28 at the North Charleston Marriot. The chapter or division
with the most money in sponsorships will receive 10% of the total
sponsorship money raised. Last year, we raised over $6,200, the largest
amount of sponsorships for one convention. Let's see if we can reach
$15,000! All funds raised will help defray the cost of a $25,000 to $30,000
convention. Thank you to the Sumter chapter who obtained the first
sponsorship.

You may obtain an electronic sponsorship letter from the convention planning
committee by contacting Melinda Jones or Andrew Adams or contacting me
directly. If you need printed copies mailed, please contact David Houck at
the Federation Center. Sponsorships should be paid using our NFB of SC pay
pal link on our site.  Individuals or companies may also mail a check made
payable to NFB of SC with "state convention sponsorship" in the memo line
and mailed to the Federation Center. We had a large number of White Cane
level sponsors last year at $100 from individuals in our own affiliate,
chapters, divisions and other individuals in the community. Let's work
together to exceed last year's goal!

          Zoom Events for the upcoming Week!

          Below are the events scheduled this    week for the NFB of SC.
Chairs and co-chairs, please make sure your agenda for the committee is on
the list serve before your meeting. Also, starting now, chairs and co-chairs
of committees along with presidents of chapters and divisions will be
responsible for sending out meting reminders to the listserv along with the
agenda. Thank you! Someone will need to send out the daily reminder, agenda
and Zoom information for the meeting.

There will be no division, chapter or committee meetings July 4 through July
10 due to national convention!

Do you have a smart phone or tablet? How would you like to be able to look
at your calendar on your smart device for upcoming events for the NFB of SC?
Well, we have something that you will really like! Below is a link to the
NFB of SC Google Calendar that you can subscribe to for upcoming events
without having to visit our fabulous NFB of SC website to check the Events
Calendar. Below is the link in which you will need to subscribe to the
Events Calendar on your smart phone or computer.

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/nfbsouthcarolina%40gmail.com/priva
te-4df60c862f41a1d9bf2e25ed4a6af1f2/basic.ics

          Federation Center Zoom Info

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

Meeting ID: 803 254 3777 Passcode: 124578

One tap mobile +19292056099,,8032543777# US (New York)

          Rocky Bottom Zoom Info

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8648789090?pwd=QTVQd2RzN3l6QnNmZ0FmSnp6NG8vQT09

Meeting ID: 864 878 9090 Passcode: 124578

One tap mobile +19292056099,,8648789090# US (New York)

FCB Address:

Federation Center of the Blind

119 S Kilbourne Road

Columbia, SC 29205

NFB of SC PayPal:

Go to  <http://www.nfbofsc.org> www.nfbofsc.org and  click on the "Donate
with PayPal" button.  Enter the required info.  PayPal charges a 3% fee.  To
ensure that the total amount you are paying is received, kindly add 3 cents
for every dollar that is being paid.  We thank you for your support. 

The following information was voted on and approved by the NFB of SC board
on April 9, 2022:

State Convention Registration Rates:

Registration rates for this year's convention are the same as last year's.
They follow.

Registration: Pre-register for $85 until July 15, 2022 at 11:59 PM EDT. Then
the cost goes up to $100.

Student Registration: Pre-registration is 55 until July 15, 2022 at 11:59 PM
EDT. Then the price goes up to $60.  This includes college, graduate or
doctoral students.

Children's and Youth Registration: Pre-register for $25 until July 15, 2022
at 11:59 PM EDT. Then the cost goes up to $30. This rate is for people 18
and under.

The deadline to pre-register for the state convention, with both the
registration form and the payment being received, is July 15, 2022 at 11:59
p.m. EDT.

Early registration drawings:

The board voted to have two drawings as was done last year.  One was in May
for $100.  Those pre-registering between June 1, 2022 at 12:00 a.m. EDT and
June 30, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EDT, will be entered into a drawing for $50.
There will not be a drawing for making reservations at the hotel.

State Convention Badges:

This year, name badges at the state convention will be very clear as to who
is able to vote and who is not.  The colors chosen for the badges will be
noticeably different, such as blue and yellow, purple and green, black and
white, etc.  Colors have not been decided.  This will make it much easier
for counters to know who to give voting cards to and those to skip when
voting takes place.

NFB of SC State Convention Board Meeting:

Because of the increase in the number of divisions and committees, it is
much harder to fit everything in on Friday, and still include time for the
reception.  The board decided to have its meeting on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. 

State Convention Voting:

Voting for the state convention will be in person only.  If someone wants to
register and arrive at the hotel on Sunday for voting, the board decided
that will be acceptable.  This will keep the spirit of the in person voting
intact, and will help to accommodate those who may wish to lessen their
face-to-face interactions.   As a side benefit, it could give more
transportation options to members across the state for returning to their
respective homes.

Voting Cards:

Everyone who votes at the state convention will receive one index card in an
envelope. Once they make their selection, and tear the card accordingly,
they will put the card back in the envelope for it to be collected.  This
will give a higher level of secrecy to the votes.  Only the counters will be
allowed to see the cards.  They will not know who gave which card.

          Joke of the Week -

Name three consecutive days without saying Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Answer: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

       Fascinating Fact of the Week -

By a remarkable coincidence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two
signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States> presidents
of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the
50th anniversary of the Declaration.  Although not a signatory of the
Declaration of Independence,  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Monroe>
James Monroe, another
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States>
Founding Father who was elected president, also died on July 4, 1831, making
him the third President who died on the anniversary of independence.  The
only U.S. president to have been born on Independence Day was
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge> Calvin Coolidge, who was
born on July 4, 1872.

       Final Thought -

"And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I
won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me."  Lee Greenwood

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."

NFB of SC PSA

Click here to view the National Federation of the Blind of SC 2021 PSA!

More NFB of SC Information

          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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