[NFBofSC] Positive Note 2050

Mon Nov 24 01:18:06 UTC 2025

November 23, 2025

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

From:  Marty R. McKenzie, President

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

Positive Note 2050

Dear Federation Family,

We have just returned from the Annual Rocky Bottom Board Retreat held each
year sometime during the months of November or December. National Federation
of the Blind of South Carolina and Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference
Center of the Blind board members gathered at Rocky Bottom on Saturday,
November 22, 2025 to hold the fourth quarter meetings. The RBRCCB meeting
was held in the morning beginning at 10:00 a.m. This was one of the largest
RBRCCB meetings I have participated in as president. The vast majority of
board members were present and many guests were in the room. Among the board
members was Dr. Tom Bowen who has been unable to attend meetings for
sometime due to family medical issues. Dr. Bowen still has great connections
and brought a great deal of information to the meeting which was extremely
helpful! We are deeply appreciative of his contributions to the meeting.

Chairman Spittle had a robust agenda and the meeting lasted until 12:30 p.m.
He announced two new committees to assist different needs at the camp. The
Rocky Bottom Retreat and Conference Center of the Blind Fundraising
Committee is co-chaired by Olivia Anderson of our Anderson Chapter and First
Vice President, Lenora Robertson. This committee will do just as the title
says, work on fundraising for the camp. The Facilities and Maintenance
Committee is co-chaired by Harold Anderson of the Anderson Chapter and
Gerald McMurray of the Belvedere Chapter. The plan is to bring focused
organization to the financial and fiscal needs of the camp. The meeting was
excellent and there was a sense of excitement about the future of our
beloved camp!

The National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina board meeting was
just as exciting. Again, there was awesome participation from the board and
we welcomed Andrenia Corder, Director of Successful Transitions and others
to this meeting. Director Corder provided an update on Successful
Transitions which was appreciated by the board. Legislative Director and
Transition Specialist, Janice Bright, updated the board on happenings at the
national level regarding our advocacy efforts around the RIFs and the
request from the national office for our affiliate to seek a meeting with
Senator Tim Scott who serves on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
committee in the senate. We were unsuccessful in getting the in-person
meeting with Senator Scott, but Janice and Shannon were able to meet
virtually with a senior staffer who gave them approximately 45 minutes of
her time and received a thorough education on the issues and our position on
them. I appreciate all of the work that has gone into this advocacy effort
and there is more to come.

The contract is signed with the Doubletree by Hilton for the 2026 Annual
Convention of the NFB of SC. The convention will take place August 13-16,
2026 and room rates are as follows: singles and doubles - $134; triples -
$144 and quads - $154 plus taxes and fees. The concerns brought to my
attention were shared with the hotels attention and the staff there had
already identified most of them. Registration will open in the spring and we
will provide hotel reservation information at that time.

Andrew Adams is heading up plans for a Sweethearts Ball in February and a
Family Fun Day in June. These events are handled by the NFB of SC
Fundraising committee. There will also be a stronger focus on Midlands Gives
and the Banquet Fundraiser. Look forward to additional information in the
coming weeks!

I cannot report on everything from these meetings as you all would grow
bored with the Positive Note. I do want to thank the able kitchen Crew
headed by Lenora Robertson for a job well done! This included Lenora
Robertson, Glenda Culick, Trent Tedder, Frank Loza and Gerald McMurray.
During lunch on Saturday, Andrenia Corder also assisted where needed and we
thank her as well!

>From Marty R. McKenzie, President of the Clarendon Chapter

The drawing was held Saturday evening for the beautiful afghan made and
donated by Glenda Culick to benefit the Clarendon Chapter of the NFB of SC.
Third District Representative, Frank Loza, drew the winning ticket. The
lucky winner is Belinda Banks, president of the Spartanburg Chapter and the
Blind Merchants of South Carolina Division. Congratulations Belinda!

Pillow Auction to Benefit Federation Center of the Blind

The drawing is Thursday, December 4, 2025 at 12 noon. This
fifteen-by-fifteen inch plush pillow measures six inches deep with a soft
cushion and features a supple cloth exterior. Each of the four borders
displays a beautiful orange, green, blue and white square design. The top of
the pillow is white with the NFB logo hand-stitched into the fabric in two
each, reflective green, blue and orange "Whozits." This pillow will make a
great conversation starter on the sofa, chair or on a shelf. You will not
want to miss out on winning this fantastic Federation pillow! Oh, by the
way, inside the back flap of the pillow there is an assortment of gift cards
just in time for Christmas! Bids on this pillow will be accepted by emails
sent to nfbsc at sc.rr.com <mailto:nfbsc at sc.rr.com> . In the subject line write
Pillow.

At-Large Chapter Fundraiser

The At-Large Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of South
Carolina is holding an iPad Drawing Fundraiser to support its programs and
outreach. The prize is a new 11-inch Apple iPad with an A16 chip and 128 GB
of storage. Tickets are $10 each or three for $20. Payments can be mailed to
Ed and Julie Bible, 136 Penny Lane, Lexington, SC 29073, or sent by PayPal
to nfbofsc.atlargechapter at gmail.com
<mailto:nfbofsc.atlargechapter at gmail.com> . The drawing will take place on
Saturday, January 10, 2026, during the Statewide Seminar, and participants
do not need to be present to win.

>From Lenora Robertson

The Rock Hill Chapter is selling tickets on a beautiful hand-made quilt
quilted by Ms. Pearline Barber. Tickets are one for $5 or three for $10.
Contact Lenora Robertson at 803-984-7855 or via e-mail at
lrobertson at comporium.net <mailto:lrobertson at comporium.net> , or any of the
Rock Hill Chapter members to get your tickets. Due to increased interest,
the drawing has been moved to December 12, 2025 at the chapter Christmas
party.

Palmetto Connects

The next Palmetto Connects is scheduled for Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at
8:00 p.m. on the NFB of SC Zoom platform. The phone number is 929-205-6099
and the meeting ID is 803 254 3777#. If you are using the Zoom app on your
computer, phone or tablet, activate the Join button and enter the above
meeting ID without the # sign. The passcode is 124578 for use with these
devices. Continue to encourage members to participate in this monthly
meeting so that we can improve our attendance.

Things to Remember

*	Palmetto Connects on Tuesday, December 2, 2025
*	Federation Center drawing on December 4, 2025
*	Rock Hill Chapter drawing on December 12, 2025
*	Banquet pledges due by December 31, 2025
*	State dues due on December 31, 2025
*	Statewide Seminar on January 10, 2026
*	At-Large drawing on January 10, 2026

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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