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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>July 11, 2017 <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: Frank Coppel, President<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Positive Note 1613<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Greetings Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> When you receive this edition of the Positive Note, Shelley and I will be in Orlando, Florida attending the 2017 NFB national convention. We are arriving in Orlando Sunday afternoon, July 9, and our plans are to attend the National Seniors Division seminar and the NF-BE Healthy fair on Monday, July 10. On Tuesday July 11, we are planning to pick up our convention packet and spend the remainder of the day in the Exhibit Hall. If you are planning to arrive to the convention later this week, and you did not pre-register, please be sure to register for the convention which is necessary to receive the special hotel rates and any other possible assistance. I will provide you with more details regarding the convention next week; so stayed tuned! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> If you have not done so already, I would strongly urge you to go ahead and make your hotel reservations for the 2017 NFB of SC State Convention which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Greenville, SC August 18-20. Room rates are very affordable. Rates for this year’s convention are $99 per night for up to four in a room. In addition to the room rates there will be a tax, which at present is 12 percent. There are still a limited number of rooms available for the $99 rate Thursday, August 17. The deadline to make reservations is July 27, 2017. The Hyatt Regency Hotel has set aside a block of rooms for the NFB of SC until July 27 which is only two weeks away. If you wait until after July 27, to make your hotel reservation, the hotel may not have an available room for you and you may be required to pay the standard room rate of $189 per night. If you pay in advance, your reservation will be guaranteed; however, you will not have to pay as long as you arrive by 6:00 p.m. Any amount you pay, of course, will be applied toward your bill. You can make your room reservations by calling the Hyatt Regency reservation telephone number 402-592-6434 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></p><p class=MsoNormal> Also, I would strongly encourage you to go ahead and pay your $80 preregistration fee for this year’s State Convention to the Federation Center of the Blind, 119 S. Kilbourne Rd. Columbia, SC 29205. For the 2017 state convention, we are offering families with children a discount regarding the preregistration fee. Parents will pay the $80 preregistration fee and each child eight teen years of age and younger will pay $20. All preregistration fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. The $80 preregistration fee will cover the reception on Friday evening, continental breakfast Saturday morning, the luncheon, banquet, and a continental breakfast Sunday morning. The deadline to accept your $80 preregistration fee is August 9. If you wait until after the deadline of August 9, the registration will increase to $100. Save $20 and preregister early! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> I am very pleased to announce Ever Lee Hairston, NFB national board member and state president of California, will be our national representative for our state convention this year. Ms. Hairston is an extremely outstanding and dynamic individual and we in South Carolina are very fortunate to have her as our national representative. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> 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 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></p><p class=MsoNormal> Much of our federation family is in Orlando this week attending the NFB Convention. Perhaps this is a good time to share with you information concerning some of my extended family. In the federation, one of the most highly recognized of my family members is Betty Capps’ brother, Gene Rogers. For decades he has assisted the federation in a variety of legislative and legal efforts, one of the most remarkable being the suit which resulted in the stoppage of set-aside fees and the refunding of such fees to the vendors from 2004 to 2006, representation of the blind in cases involving child custody, discrimination concerning blindness and in several other cases. He has spoken before the state convention and he served as a member on the Federation Center’s Advisory Board for many years and he assisted in barbecue sales over the years.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Another close relative is my nephew, John “Laurens” Sanders. He drove the Columbia Chapter van and he was active in the annual barbecues. Laurens also drove the chapter van to the Washington Seminars on occasion. He was very active with Senior Camps at Rocky Bottom and participated in Fun Day activities. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Linwood Capps, Grace Capps and Loretta Capps-Collins all participated in the federation by giving financial contributions. They helped to fund the annual Dr. Sheila S. Breitweiser Scholarship among other projects. Craig Capps, our son, was always interested in the federation and moved from New York City to Columbia to be of service to his parents as well as to the federation in several ways. We cannot forget our grandson, Michael Holdcraft who was instrumental in obtaining 20 mattresses and box springs from Mattress Firm for quite a discount which were placed in the Ellenburg Lodge bedrooms. Of course, my wife Betty Capps has always been my right hand in all aspects of the federation since the beginning of my service to the blind. She has made all my work in the federation a success by being there for all I have accomplished over 50 plus years. While I wish everyone to have a good time in Orlando, please be careful including safe travels.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Final Thought: “Education is the gathering of information. Experience is the application of it.”<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>