[NFBofSC] Positive Note 1956

Mon Feb 5 02:52:18 UTC 2024

February 4, 2024

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

From:  Marty R. McKenzie, President

Positive Note 1956

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

Dear Federation Family,

February 1, 2024 began what is recognized as Black History Month. This
recognition began in 1976 and continues today. Other countries around the
world celebrate Black History Month though it may occur at different times
during the year. There are many black leaders throughout history who did
remarkable things but were not recognized because of discrimination. The
National Federation of the Blind of south Carolina takes pride in our black
leaders and their many accomplishments and we celebrate those who lead with
excellence in this big organization that serves the blind!

The NFB of SC has many talented black leaders in it that do so many
wonderful things each day to assist the blind of our state. Our Second Vice
President, Debra Canty, also serves as president of the Sumter Chapter and
chairs the Oversight Committee for Successful Transitions. She garners
tremendous media coverage on behalf of the organization. Linda Dizzley is
the long-time Lee Chapter President and serves as the Fifth District
representative on the NFB of SC Board of Directors. Linda participates in
every opportunity to move the causes of our organization forward and most
recently attended the Washington Seminar where she has a strong relationship
with Congressman James E. Clyburn. Other leaders such as Second District
representative Andrew Adams, and At Large representative Derique Simon, are
also making their mark in our organization and work tirelessly to move their
areas of interest forward. These are only a few of the black leaders that
lead the blind in South Carolina. The NFB of SC is proud of its SC
Association of Black Leaders and the excellent work they are doing!

>From Anna Price Regarding Washington Seminar

Washington seminar was once again an incredible success!  The team scheduled
meetings with both of our senators and three representatives and had very
productive conversations! All staffers seemed excited about the legislation
we are bringing forward and said that they would speak to the respective
congress person on our behalf.  Though we could not meet with four
representatives,  we still were able to visit their offices for a few
minutes and leave an information packet discussing the NFB of SC and our
legislative priorities.  This year we had three pieces of legislation to
present.  These were the Medical Device Non-Visual Accessibility Act, Blind
Americans Return to Work Act and Websites and Software Applications
Accessibility Act .  I think everyone on our team would agree that this year
was great!  Thank you for the support and encouragement myself and the 2024
Washington seminar team received from the affiliate.

>From Andrew Adams and Debra Canty, Co-chairs of the Fundraising Committee

The National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina Fundraising Committee
invites you to the Sweethearts Ball on Saturday, February 10, 2024 from 5:30
to 9:30 p.m. at the Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center, Located at
1107 Williams Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Tickets are $30 per person or $240
for a table of eight. Dress attire is semiformal and you will enjoy food,
music, dancing and good fellowship. Tickets can be purchased through PayPal
at  <http://www.nfbofsc.org> www.nfbofsc.org and click Donations or you can
send a check or money order to 119 S. Kilbourne Road, Columbia, SC 29205.
You must put Sweethearts Ball in the Notes block on the website or the Memo
field on the check. Ticket sales will close on February 8, 2024. For more
information, contact Andrew Adams at 803-269-3803 or Debra Canty at
803-775-5792.

>From Lori Anne Coley, President, Sports and Recreation Division

The NFB of SC Sports and Rec Division is Sponsoring a Saint Patrick's Day
jackpot, where the winner will have a chance at $750.  This drawing will
help to fund a sports camp for the blind of SC, and make equitable access to
sports a reality.  Tickets can be purchase for $20 each via 

PayPal:   <https://www.paypal.me/sportrecnfbsc>
https://www.paypal.me/sportrecnfbsc or by sending a check to the Federation
Center.

Chapters and Divisions should have received their $5 Rocky Bottom Retreat
and Conference Center raffle tickets. Chairman Thom Spittle gave an overview
of the many capital projects needed at Rocky Bottom at the November Board
Retreat and at the recent Statewide Seminar. It is important that we sell as
many of these tickets as possible! The buyer of the winning ticket will
receive $500, the seller will receive $50 and the chapter or division
selling the most tickets will receive $300 for its treasury. All
Federationist are asked to put forth a special effort this year on this
fundraiser. The drawing will take place on March 23, 2024 at the Statewide
Leadership Seminar.

There are several e-mail address changes to take note of for communication
within the NFB of SC. Please see the current list below. I will provide
additional updates as they occur. Thanks to Steve Cook for making this
happen! It is something our affiliate needed in place.

Marty McKenzie, President             <mailto:president at nfbofsc.org>
president at nfbofsc.org 

Shannon Cook, Secretary               <mailto:secretary at nfbofsc.org>
secretary at nfbofsc.org 

Valerie Warrington, Treasurer         <mailto:treasurer at nfbofsc.org>
treasurer at nfbofsc.org 

Theresa Jenkins, Assistant Treasurer
<mailto:assistanttreasurer at nfbofsc.org> assistanttreasurer at nfbofsc.org 

Thom Spittle, Membership and Mentoring Chair
<mailto:membership at nfbofsc.org> membership at nfbofsc.org 

Theresa Jenkins was recently appointed as Assistant Treasurer of the NFB of
SC. Theresa can be reached at the e-mail provided above. When contacting
Theresa to request any disbursement of funds, you must copy Valerie and
myself. As Theresa moves into this role, I will share other responsibilities
that she will take on in the coming months. We welcome Theresa to this new
role!

Applications Are Open

The 2024 online scholarship application is available at
<https://nfb.org/scholarships> https://nfb.org/scholarships. All
applications and supporting documentation must be submitted no later than
March 31, 2024. A list of eligibility requirements, as well as documents
containing answers to frequently asked questions, a submissions checklist,
and other supporting material can also be found on the scholarship webpage.
Throughout the application period, reminders and information about the
scholarship program will appear in the Braille Monitor, on our website, and
will be shared via social media. Please share!

Things to Remember

*	Sweethearts Ball on February 10, 2024
*	NFB of SC Board meeting on February 17, 2024 in-person only
*	Statewide Leadership Seminar for Chapter and Division Presidents and
NFB of SC board members on March 23, 2024 in-person only
*	Rocky Bottom Fundraiser Raffle drawing on March 23, 2024 - You do
not have to be present to win
*	National Scholarship Applications due by March 31, 2024

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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