[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1890

[Marty McKenzie]

October 31, 2022
Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents & Others
From:  Marty R. McKenzie, President
Positive Note 1890
843-939-8091  marty2music at outlook.com

Dear Federation Family,

October 31, 2022 is celebrated as Halloween, or All hallows Eve in many cultures.  It is a time for children to move about their communities and "trick or treat," collecting candy and other delicious items. It's also a wonderful time celebrating the fall season, bringing cooler weather.  There are many fall festivals taking place, and it is wonderful to know that the holiday season is rapidly approaching.

The NFB of SC proudly embraced Blind Equality Achievement Month!  There were many events taking place at various times across the Palmetto state. Thank you to every chapter and division who participated in these activities! Your hard work reminds the public blind people can live the lives we want, blindness is not what holds us back!

Chapters and divisions are now holding elections and collecting dues for the 2023 calendar year. Members are asked to pay their dues in a timely manner, so that all information can be reported by December 31, 2022. There is work for chapter membership coordinators to do, and we appreciate everyone paying prompt attention to requests for dues. A memo regarding membership and dues guidance was released on October 24th,2022 and discussed fully on Palmetto Connects on October 25, 2022. Steve Cook, Co-chair of the Membership and Mentoring committee, sent every chapter and division president a spreadsheet with the list of members on file in the state office. If membership coordinators need assistance, reach out to Thom Spittle, Chair of the Membership and Mentoring committee,  at (803) 331-3344 or via e-mail at nfbsc.lab.4 at gmail.com<mailto:nfbsc.lab.4 at gmail.com>, and he or another member of the Membership and Mentoring committee will assist you. This is a new process, and we expect some unforeseen challenges along the way.

You are invited to tune in to President Riccobono's Presidential Release on Thursday, November 3rd, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. Thanks to all who have reposted this information on the NFB of SC listserv. There is always interesting information in the Presidential release, as well as a time for questions and answers.

Lastly, many pledges were made to the NFB of SC at the State Convention in Charleston on August 27, 2022 at the banquet. Those who pledged are asked to submit their donations to the state office by December 31, 2022.

Here is David Houck's Federation fun fact for this week! Let's continue to read and learn together about our rich history in South Carolina.

There are some obscure individuals who had a great influence on the NFB of SC. Hubert E. Smith was one of them. Founder of Ways and Means for the Blind of Augusta, Georgia, he was affectionately known to many as "Babe" Smith and his portrait hangs in the Administrative Office of the Federation Center of the Blind today. A tragic gun accident took his sight at the age of 16 but he began a business in Augusta with only $100 he had saved up during the Great Depression. Babe Smith was a farm boy who won a trip to Washington DC to see the Inauguration Ceremony of Woodrow Wilson. In 1927 he opened a workshop as a training center for the blind and it gained much publicity as a "Little shop with big ideas." Ways and Means for the Blind, Inc. was then formed. It made interest free loans to blind persons to purchase their homes. It also distributed adaptive devices for the blind. Babe Smith invested heavily in real estate which proved profitable. Concerning the Aurora Club, Mr. Smith provided office equipment, had the Columbia Chapter's bus painted, used $300 to establish a vending facility in the Richland County Courthouse in 1957, gave a $1,000 bond to the NFB at its 1969 convention (which was the 4th gift he presented to the NFB), and at Aurora's 1959 convention he was given lifetime honorary member status. A $1,100 gift was given to furnish the office after the Aurora Center's dedication. He had a saying:  "Every dog has his day, Is a fact well known to man, Except the one with a broken tail, and he has his 'weak-end'!"

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