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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>September 3, 2014<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Memo To: Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents & Others<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From: Parnell Diggs, President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Positive Note 1464<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Dear Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Last week was one of the busiest I have ever experienced. For example, I found myself spending the night in five different cities in a row last Monday through Friday. I was at home on Monday, then I traveled to Columbia on Tuesday for a campaign Reception and stayed in a Columbia area hotel, I returned home on Wednesday, but then traveled to Spartanburg on Thursday before winding up at Rocky Bottom on Friday for the Fun Day event.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thus, I found that I was in five different beds on five successive nights. I can tell you that it requires lots of energy to maintain that type of schedule. It also requires a lot of adjusting to get accustomed to five different cities in five nights. On Saturday morning, I was up early to prepare for the 2014 Fun Day auction. The auction itself began at 11:00 AM, but you don’t simply walk in and start auctioneering.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>My reward for last week’s efforts was spending time with fellow Federationists from across the state during the weekend. This Fun Day was well-attended with very few no shows. All of the buildings were filled to capacity with more than a dozen members having to be on a waiting list due to the level of interest in the 2014 Fun Day festivities. Lots of members pitched in and made this Fun Day a huge success.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In particular, I want to thank Isaiah Nelson, John Nelson, and Anthony Nelson for their hard work in taking care of various items which needed attention throughout the weekend. I also appreciate Lenora Robertson, Ellen Taylor, Elizabeth Farr, and all of those who worked in the kitchen to serve the delicious meals enjoyed by the more than fifty participants from Saturday through Labor Day.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Congratulations to our Columbia Chapter on winning the $300 prize for selling the most $5 Fun Day tickets and to Greenville Chapter member, Ruth Jordan for selling and buying the winning ticket and hitting the jackpot for $550. In addition to the many Federationists who spent the weekend at Rocky Bottom, we were pleased that some chapters brought members to Fun Day on Saturday and Monday to stay for the day and participate in a time of fun and fellowship.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have been speaking with some of our chapter leaders around the state about revitalization efforts taking place this fall in the National Federation of the Blind across the nation. In the NFB of SC, we are working in Columbia, Summerville, and York County in the next thirty days or so, and there will be other efforts thereafter. October will also see a number of revitalizing activities as we continue the 75 Days of Action initiative. The 75 Days of Action initiative is a nationwide effort to build the Federation by organizing new chapters and revitalizing existing ones, and it starts this week!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Let me call your attention to an important scheduling matter, which will need several mentions so that members will be able to make the adjustment. As you know, members are accustomed to having the Statewide Seminar in early January; however, because we moved the Christmas Board Retreat to mid-December, it seemed prudent to move the Statewide Seminar to the end of January to allow sometime between NFB of SC events. Accordingly, the Statewide Seminar will occur on January 31, 2015. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We will have until January 31 to sell the $1 bus tickets. As you make your plans, please adjust your schedule to reflect this change in the Statewide Seminar date. State dues should be in by this time, and plans for the state and national conventions will be in the works. We may find that late January is a great time to hold this important meeting, which is the largest NFB of SC gathering between conventions. Joining me for comments in this Positive Note is the President Emeritus of the NFB of SC. Here is Dr. Capps.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> The 2014 Labor Day Fun Day Festival had a record breaking turnout from across the state. There were some last minute drop outs but more than 50 persons participated. Some of the chapters represented included Columbia, Newberry, Greenville, Spartanburg, Laurens, Cherokee, Rock Hill, Grand Strand, Conway, Loris, Upper Dorchester, Belvedere, Lancaster, Sumter and Clarendon County. Forgive me if I have missed some of the chapters through inadvertence. The federation spirit was very apparent as everyone had a good time. I’m grateful for the wonderful cooperation which was prevalent throughout the Labor Day weekend. My gratitude is extended to everyone who pitched in and did an excellent job. While we have every reason to believe that the final profits will be very good, we are not able to furnish a breakdown of the events during Fun Day in this Positive Note but in next week’s Positive Note you will be given complete results. We can tell you that the auction and the food service generated the greatest profits. Our state President Parnell Diggs with assistance from Gwen Ellenburg conducted an excellent auction. To put icing on the cake, when David returned to the state office Monday morning, in the mail was a $2,000 contribution by a Virginia foundation. Incidentally, Gwen Ellenburg has secured a $1,000 contribution from Sam’s Club for the Fun Day Festival. Ruth Jordan was the winner of the $5 Fun Day ticket drawing receiving $550 as Mrs. Jordan purchased and sold the winning ticket. The Columbia Chapter was the winner of the $300 for selling the most tickets. As many of you know, Mrs. Jordan sponsors a scholarship for a deserving blind college student. She is a member of the Greenville Chapter. I first met Mrs. Jordan in 1982 at the state convention held in the Clemson House. She had personally read a newspaper article about Rocky Bottom and made a contribution of $1,000 solely on the strength of the article. Mrs. Jordan’s mother was blind and was a teacher whose name was Carrie Lee Cox and the Library in the Conference Center is named in her memory. Parnell Diggs played his guitar before a large gathering on the new deck of the Conference Center while using his singing talents. I was pleasantly surprised when my nephew Laurens Sanders and his wife Susan drove to Rocky Bottom from their residence in East Flat Rock, NC and paid us a visit. In previous years Laurens had worked with the Senior Camp program. While in Columbia he was also a dedicated member of the Columbia Chapter. As mentioned in previous Positive Notes notices were sent to the members of the Rocky Bottom community as several community members had lunch with us Saturday. This included a distinguished Rocky Bottom board member, Dr. Tom Bowen and his lovely wife Caroline. Our longtime Rocky Bottom resident Mark Brody also joined us for Saturday lunch. Our special appreciation to Lenora Robertson who did a magnificent job with the food service and she along with other persons involved deserve our appreciation.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Final Thought: “With good strategy, marketing, cooperation and hard work, profitability happens.”<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>