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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>March 16, 2016 </span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'><img width=43 height=60 id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.png@01D17F5E.290A9DB0"></span><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>Memo To: Executive Officers, Board Members, Chapter & Division Presidents & Others<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>From: Frank Coppel, President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>Positive Note 1544 <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> Greetings Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> Saturday evening Shelley and I traveled to Bishopville where we had the pleasure of attending the Black and White Banquet hosted by the Lee County Chapter of the NFB of SC. Approximately 100 individuals were in attendance and they were treated to a wonderful meal as well as great musical entertainment provided by Doug Hudson. I was the speaker and I spoke to the audience as to how I became involved with the NFB and how this organization has played an important role in my life. Not only was the banquet successful in raising a great deal of funds for the chapter, but it also educated the sighted individuals in the audience to the philosophy and the programs of the NFB of SC. Linda Dezzly, the Lee County chapter President, did an outstanding job presiding over the banquet. It was very evident many hours were spent organizing and planning this event and Linda is commended for all of her hard work she did to make this banquet a tremendous success. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> You can now begin to make your hotel reservation for the 2016 NFB of SC State Convention which will be held at the Sand Resorts/Ocean Dunes hotel in North Myrtle Beach October 27-30. To make your room reservations call the Sands resort Central Reservations at 1-800-599-9872 and inform the reservationist you are reserving a room for the National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina state convention. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>All reservations must be guaranteed by check or credit card and received within 5 days of reservation date. Advance deposits will be credited to the last night's stay as indicated by individual reservation request. Room rates for this year’s convention are very affordable. The price of rooms including taxes are $87 per night for ocean view and $99 per night ocean front and can accommodate up to four in a room. These room rates will be available three days before or three days after the convention. Amenities include in-room safes, refrigerators, microwaves, coffee pots, irons, ironing boards, hair dryers, electronic door locks, wireless Internet connections, and telephones with voice mail in all sleeping rooms. We are expecting a large turnout of our members to attend the 2016 state convention, so I would encourage you to make your reservations early. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> The Spring meeting of the NFB of SC Board of Directors will be held at the Federation Center of the Blind on Saturday, April 9,2016. The meeting will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m. and will adjourn at 4:00 p.m. I look forward to having all board members in attendance and I strongly encourage any Federation member to come and to actively participate in the meeting. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> Jamie Allison, president of the Cherokee chapter, wishes to thank everyone who donated money to purchase awards and shirts for the SC School for the Blind Randolph's Readers Annual Braille Reading Contest. “We received $345 in donations! The student readers will be thrilled to receive their awards, thanks to your generosity! Thank you so much for standing in the gap for the students at SCSB!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day, we raise the expectations of blind people because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>dreams. You can live the life you want: blindness is not what holds you back. 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></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:15.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'> The Columbia Chapter is busily involved with preparations for their 63rd annual barbecue dinner. The first barbecue was held in 1954. Let me call to your attention some of the things which have happened since the first barbecue. In 1954 there were only two chapters, Columbia and Spartanburg. The Charleston Chapter would be organized one year later in 1956. It was two years following the first barbecue that we affiliated with the NFB in an organizing meeting in 1955 at the YWCA building. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office in 1954. Governor Donald Stuart Russell was in office at that time. The first barbecue was held in the Administration Building of what was then the Association of the Blind of SC which operated a sheltered workshop. Three or four years later the barbecue was held at the Township Auditorium for about five years with the first barbecue to be held in the Federation Center in 1962. The first year we sold 200 tickets with a profit of $100. We paid $1.00 per plate and sold it for $1.50. In 1954 there had not been a fundraiser by the chapter such as a barbecue. There was some opposition. I was chapter President in 1954 and urged the chapter with about fifteen members to try holding a fundraiser as there was only $16 in the treasury in 1954. Some members even compared selling barbecue tickets to begging but I quickly snuffed out their erroneous positions by stating that Lions Clubs sell brooms for the blind and some blind persons have engaged in selling brooms as a living including M. B. “Red” Shaw’s father , using Red as a guide. Barbecue profits were small but represented an important beginning as sales increased steadily each year. Also, $100 in 1954 was far more than $100 in today’s finances. There was no Center in 1954, there was no Bell Center, and there was no RBRCCB in 1954. The annual barbecue has continued to be served in the Federation Center since 1962 or for more than 50 years. The canvas which began about 1958 was also controversial but the success we enjoyed four years prior was sufficient to having several people to participate in the canvas which increased sales and profits. There have been canvasses every year since 1958. You can imagine the hundreds of blind South Carolinians who participated in this long running chapter project, probably one of the longest in this area. The barbecue is a major project and requires a lot of effort but its profits directly benefit the blind.</span><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#003300'>Final Thought: Which do you prefer? “If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?” ~Stanislaw J. Lec or, “What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover? A rash of good luck!” ~Author Unknown <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>