[NFBofSC] positive Note 1984

Mon Aug 19 01:36:50 UTC 2024

August 18, 2024

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

From:  Marty R. McKenzie, President

Positive Note 1984

843-939-8091  president at nfbofsc.org <mailto:president at nfbofsc.org>  

Dear Federation Family,

One hundred ninety-two enthusiastic Federationist gathered at the Embassy
Suites Hotel by Hilton located at 200 Stoneridge Drive, in Columbia, South
Carolina for the 68th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the
Blind of South Carolina. Included in our guest list was our National
Representative, Jessica Beecham of Colorado, Brandon Werner of Michigan,
Allen Chao of Navada and Jay Salene of New Jersey. It was exciting to have
so many from out of state represented at the NFB of SC State Convention.

Friday began with the At Large Chapter and division meetings. This year,
there was a Youth Track designed by Sonia Timmons, Andrenia Corder and
others. The students had arts and crafts all Friday afternoon with the
Pelican Snowball truck sandwiched in the middle. Derique Simon led one of
the most upbeat SC Association of Blind Students meetings I ever remember
attending. The students were enthusiastic and competitive, seeking to serve
on the SCABS Board of Directors. Each student took time to share why they
wanted to serve and what they would bring to the table if elected. Trenton
Smith was elected as the new SCABS president and we can look forward to
great things from this team.

The convention kicked off Friday evening with the reception which had a
fairytale theme and Federationist embraced this idea! There were prizes
throughout the evening and everyone enjoyed the music and comradery
generated by being together as the NFB of SC family. The SC Association of
Blind Students, under the direction of Successful Transitions staff and the
leadership of outgoing President, Derique Simon, showed up and showed out
for the weekend. During the Friday evening reception, several musical
selections were rendered by students and it was enjoyed by everyone!

The students continued to participate in the convention by providing the
invocation and National Anthem Saturday morning during the opening
ceremonies. The Saturday morning agenda was filled with the National Report
by Jessica Beecham, reports from the SC Commission for the Blind, the SC
School for the Deaf and the Blind and the SC State Library Talking Book
Services. Other topics of interest included Dr. Tina Herzberg's report on
Orientation and Mobility Training Program: A Journey to Success. The morning
concluded with the Presidential Report by Marty R. McKenzie. In this report,
I reviewed the year and the accomplishments that took place. The importance
of "Stronger Together" was also discussed in this report.

The Saturday afternoon session included information about the benefits of
the Palmetto Able Savings Account, reflections from Janice Bright on the
Kenneth Jernigan Leadership in Service Pilot Program, information on DART,
PUP and VTRIP from Ali Ruegamer from Able SC and a final report from Dr.
Tina Herzberg on Filling Your Transportation Toolbox, a camp conducted this
summer by Drs. Herzberg and Rosenblum. Federation Center and Rocky Bottom
reports were also provided by David Houck, Ed Bible and Thom Spittle.

One of the most exciting presentations was AI: What It Can Do for You by
Steve Cook and Sarah Massengale. Steve and Sarah demonstrated how ChatGPT
can describe images, provide written thank you notes within parameters and
provide a brief history of the Federation. Additionally, Steve Cook
demonstrated the descriptive capability of JAWS PictureSmart which can
describe pictures in significant detail. There are many other things that
can be done with AI and this just scratches the surface.

The highlight of the Banquet was the wonderful banquet speech given by
Jessica Beecham which focused on the Federation family table. Jessica
reminded us that we do not have to settle for the scraps, we can have the
entire gourmet meal. She provided examples from her personal experience of
how things do not always work as they should. Yet, she purposed in her heart
to be successful and she discussed how the National Federation of the Blind
is a part of her success.

Scholarships were awarded to Alena Hamlin, Patrick Ordonez and Elijah Taylor
totaling almost $6,800. This is the largest amount awarded in scholarships
in recent years! A huge "thank you" to everyone who donated to this very
important program in the South Carolina affiliate.

Many deserving awards were given during the banquet. Below is a list of
these awards and their recipients.

*	Midlands Gives Award presented to Linda Dizzley as the District 5
representative in recognition of the district that raised the most money
during Midlands Gives.
*	The Educator of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Mary Robbins for
her high expectations of students who are blind or have low vision along
with her willingness to go the extra mile to ensure that her students
receive the best possible instruction.
*	The Donald C. Capps Award was presented to Shannon Cook in
recognition of her decades of service to the blind of South Carolina.
Shannon serves as secretary of the NFB of SC, Rocky Bottom and the
Federation Center along with many other roles that she plays in this big
program of service to the blind.
*	The newly established Betty R. Capps Award was presented to Diana
Singleton in recognition of her more than two decades of service to the
blind on the local, state and national levels. Diana is willing to do her
fair share and then some.
*	The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Catherine Williams
for her more than three decades of service at the local, state and national
levels. Catherine can be found in any location doing what needs to be done.
She prefers to remain in the background and serves with passion and high
expectations.
*	The highest recognition presented to a blind Federationist is that
of the Presidential Citation. President Marty McKenzie presented this award
to Vice President Lenora Robertson for her 45 years of service to the Blind
of South Carolina. Lenora joined the South Carolina affiliate in 1979,
became a chapter president in 1986 and has served on the executive board for
more than 30 years. Additionally, Except for two years, she serves as the
door prize chairman and masterfully distributes many door prizes during
conventions. She also is responsible for food preparation for the annual
board retreat at Rocky Bottom and for many other events. Lenora is able to
secure contributions when needed and does an excellent job for the NFB of SC
affiliate.

The banquet fundraiser was one of the most successful ever this year! In the
space of about 35 minutes, Approximately $11,300 dollars was donated or
pledged to the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina to help
fund the state's programs.

Sunday morning brought Remembering Those Who Went Before Us: A Memorial led
by Melinda Jones and her team. It was a beautiful memorial service which had
a poem including those who went before us and a musical selection by Thom
Spittle.

The Legislative and Advocacy Committee co-chairs provided an update on
Washington Seminar and H. 3127 which is the Homestead Exemption Act. We are
lobbying to have this increased by $50,000 to $100,000. While not successful
in the last legislative year, plans are already underway to push this bill
forward. There was also a report from Frank Coppel on PAC SUN and the Dream
Maker's Circle. The NFB of SC does an excellent job with contributions to
our National Office and we must continue this good work.

There was a healthy discussion about charter bus transportation for upcoming
national conventions. The cost of a charter bus for travel to New Orleans in
2025 is estimated to be approximately $17,000. After discussion from
individuals who are for and against continuing this program, the convention
voted to discontinue the use of charter buses at this time.

Two resolutions were passed in convention assembled this year. Resolution
2024-01 discussed the importance of the Homestead Exemption Act and the NFB
of SC's commitment to see the amount raised to $100,000. Resolution 2024-02
addressed the inaccessibility of the www.Midlandsgives.org
<http://www.Midlandsgives.org>  website and encouraged the Central Carolina
Community Foundation to reach out to the NFB of SC for partnership and
guidance on resolving these accessibility issues.

Elections were held with the following results:

*	President - Marty McKenzie
*	First Vice President - Lenora Robertson
*	Second Vice President - Debra Canty
*	Secretary - Shannon Cook
*	Treasurer - Valerie Warrington
*	District 2 - Andrew Adams
*	District 4 - Demetrius Williford
*	District 6 - Sarah Massengale
*	At Large - Thom Spittle 
*	At Large - Janice Smith
*	Unexpired At Large - Belinda Banks

Congratulations to new board member Belinda Banks as well as all of the
board members who were re-elected. We also extend our appreciation to
Derique Simon for his time on the NFB of SC Board of Directors.

I want to take a moment to extend my sincere appreciation to everyone who
assisted in any way at all to make the 68th Annual Convention of the
National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina  the huge success it was!
No one person can do this and it takes a village to put on a convention. So
many people gave of their time, money, door prizes, gift cards, gifts and
many other items. Our volunteers were awesome and we appreciate them for all
of their hard work! There are individuals who do so much behind the scenes
and we extend our appreciation to them as well! I will not call names as I
will clearly leave someone out. The convention belongs to all of us just as
does the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina.

The 68th Annual Convention of the NFB of SC was something very special!
Having the students sitting directly in front of me as I presided over the
convention was an absolutely wonderful thing and I appreciate their
attendance and participation so much! The family atmosphere, love that
flowed among members and visiting guests and the excitement in the air is
invigorating for members! There were many new members of the NFB of SC and
several first-time convention attendees. Elijah Taylor said it best when he
said, "I have found my tribe!" With love, hope and determination, let's go
build the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina!

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

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

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