[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1921

Mon Jun 5 11:00:36 UTC 2023

June 5, 2023
Memo To:  Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents & Others
From:  Marty R. McKenzie, President
Positive Note 1921
843-939-8091  marty2music at outlook.com

Dear Federation Family,

The Houston drawing for the hotel room expense and dinner for two took place on May 30, 2023.  Congratulations to Mable Preston of the Sumter chapter who won the grand prize and Thereyarn Pressley, Jr. of Meridian, Idaho on winning the $100 prize for purchasing $30 in tickets. The fundraiser is a lot of fun and brings attention to the NFB of SC each year. Our appreciation to Debra Canty and Andrew Adams for all they do on fundraising for the affiliate!

The NFB of SC Board is currently working to reorganize the Charleston chapter. The re-organizing meeting will take place on June 10, 2023 at Calvary Lutheran Church located at 1400 Manor Boulevard, Charleston, SC 29407 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Interested persons should reach out to Loretta Green, Marty McKenzie or any member of the state board. Interested persons may also call David Houck at the Federation Center at 803-254-3777. Letters went out to several zip codes in the Charleston area this week from the SC State Library Talking Book Services.

Scholarship season is upon us, and we need your assistance. Please share information about the NFB of SC scholarship program with high school seniors and current post-secondary students. Scholarships are generous, and we want to recognize those blind students who demonstrate academic excellence along with the other criteria the scholarship committee uses. The scholarship application closing date is June 20, 2023. For more information, please visit the web site at www.nfbofsc.org<http://www.nfbofsc.org> or reach out to Shannon Cook at coffeequeensc1 at sc.rr.com<mailto:coffeequeensc1 at sc.rr.com>.

The Embassy Suites is now accepting reservations for the NFB of SC State Convention, which will take place August 18-20, 2023. Rooms can be booked at $112 plus tax and any applicable fees for singles, doubles, triples and quads for August 17- 20, 2023. You may call the Embassy Suites at 803-252-8700. Members are not being charged the first night's room; instead, a hold is placed on your card until check-in. The Thursday night room block has been increased and we are assured that we can get additional rooms if needed.

Registration for the NFB of SC State Convention is now live!  The cost is $85 for adults, $55 for students and $25 for children under eighteen. These prices all adjust upward after August 4, 2023. Parents must register all children under 18 years old at the cost of $25 per person.  Please visit www.nfbofsc.org<http://www.nfbofsc.org> to register online. If you need assistance submitting the online form, please contact me and someone will assist you. We are working on a print form for those who may need it.

Important Things to Remember:

*        NFB of SC scholarship applications are due by June 20, 2023

*        State Convention hotel reservation deadline is July 27, 2023

*        State Convention early registration deadline is August 4, 2023

If you need additional information about any of the items above, please contact David Houck at the Federation Center at 803-254-3777. You can also contact me as shown above.

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.

Back to the future - Like our NFB pledge states, low expectations hold us back but high expectations will allow us to succeed.

Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference Center of the Blind began  in 1979 with only a few run down facilities, weeds and snakes. Once the property was acquired by the blind, there was much to do with no funding. Needless to say, Dr. Capps, Bob Bell, Bob Oglesby and others set to work to clean up the property and raise funding to renovate facilities. One by one, the swimming pool, the Osterneck Cottage, Lawton Hall, the Old Dining Hall, Oglesby Cottage, the Conference Center (which cost $500,000 to construct), and the Ellenburg Lodge were paid for and constructed. It took much planning, grant research, corporate funding and a significant amount of funds raised by the blind.

These are all examples of high expectations being put to work. I believe with such forward looking planning, we can place our complex in first class shape, and fully funded. Then we can plan for our future use and construct new facilities to accommodate education, recreation and training of the blind. Let's build on what we have been given from previous generations of blind leaders! What high expectations do we have for our future?

Marty

Marty R. McKenzie, President
National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina
119 S. Kilbourne Road
Columbia, SC 29205
Phone: 803-254-3777
Mobile: 843-939-8091
Web Site: www.nfbofsc.org<http://www.nfbofsc.org>

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