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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>August 9, 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 1617<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> As I reported in last week’s Positive Note, the annual Rocky Bottom Fun Day Festival will take place Labor Day weekend, September 1-4. If you would like to make a reservation for the weekend you can contact me at (803) 796-8662 or call the Federation Center at (803) 254-3777. We have already begun to receive requests for sleeping accommodations, so I would strongly encourage you to call and reserve a room at Rocky Bottom as soon as possible. During the past week, I have received a few calls regarding the cost for the meals during the weekend. I can assure you the price for the meals will be very affordable and this price will be determined at the Rocky Bottom Board of Directors meeting Friday afternoon, August 18. I hope you are continuing to sell your $5 Fun Day tickets as this greatly contributes to the overall profits of the Fun Day Festival. Remember, the seller of the winning ticket will receive $50 and $500 to the buyer of the winning ticket. if you purchase your own ticket, you will receive $550. The chapter selling the most tickets will receive $300 for its treasury! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> We have an announcement from Jennifer Bazer, RBRCCB fund raising chairman regarding the Fun Day Festival. “Hello NFB of SC,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> As the chair of the fund-raising committee for Rocky Bottom, Fun Day is right around the corner--Labor Day weekend! The committee needs your help to make Rocky Bottom's biggest fund-raiser a success!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> We are looking for items for the live auction. Currently, we have items from Carolina and Clemson and a few other exciting opportunities to bid. New items are welcome as well as gift cards or other new in box items that you may not have used; we will be happy to take them off your hands. Even if you believe your item is small, please submit it to the committee to be used in a gift basket with other items.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Also, we will have the country store which will have baked goods, homemade jams and jellies, homemade crafts and other items you may wish to contribute.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> We have so many talented members in the NFB of SC. Please consider donating an item, a gift card, a baked good, or a craft to Fun Day!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Items can be mailed or dropped off at the Federation Center at 119 S. Kilbourne Road, Columbia, SC 29205 or given to one of the committee members at the state convention. Also, if you have ideas about activities to be held during the weekend, please let me know.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Please contact me with any questions or to make a donation to the auction or country store by calling me at 803-960-9977 cell, 803-661-6622 home or emailing me at jhipp25@sc.rr.com.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Thank you for considering how you can help make Fun Day a success at Rocky Bottom!” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> The NFB will conduct nationwide Cardtronics ATM testing in September and October of this year as an important part of the NFB’s settlement agreement with Cardtronics. Our affiliate is included in this testing effort and will have the opportunity to test at least eleven ATMs for accessibility. If you would like to be a tester, please contact me before August 15. You can call me at (803) 796-8662 or email me at frankcoppel@att.net. Testers will need to be able to read Braille instructions and should be comfortable using an ATM and completing an online survey. Testers will be asked to confirm that voice guidance software and other accessibility features have been added to specific, assigned Cardtronics ATMs. The tester’s role is critical to this project and I thank you for considering being involved. <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> I’m sure that all of you from time to time have experienced an annoying incident occurring just about when you are ready to take on the day. This happened to me on three different occasions just before I was getting ready to dictate the Positive Note. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> About the first thing I do each morning when I’m getting ready to take on the day is to put in my hearing aids which are essential for me to function in an adequate manner. Guess what – There were no hearing aids for my use as both my live-in caregiver and myself inadvertently allowed for these necessary items to be exhausted. To make matters worse, our caregiver was in the midst of preparing breakfast and, therefore, I had to wait longer than usual for another set of hearing aids.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Shortly thereafter a second incident occurred. About that time, our son Craig contacted us to report an error in last week’s Positive Note. This involved the following: The Positive Note read, “Upon arrival at their home, Marshall presented me with a bag of orange slices as he knows I enjoy this particular candy.” The correct sentence should have read, “Upon arrival at our home, Marshall presented me with a bag of orange slices as he knows I enjoy this particular candy.” We immediately notified Marshall and Lois of the correction. They were not as disturbed as we were over the error. Marshall was very gracious in that matter. Most of you probably know that I dictate the Positive Note to David Houck over the telephone and I think we work very well together considering telephone errors can occur somewhat more often than when you are dictating face to face.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> When I soon discovered our telephone was not working properly, I decided I should have stayed in bed as it seemed things weren’t going too well with these three instances occurring in the same morning. Upon reflection we all get too worked up over seemingly minor or non-serious incidents. For example, if I had taken the time to realize the morning had gone relatively well with a wonderful breakfast which featured bananas and cereal, fresh cherries, pineapple coconut cake, fresh juice and coffee; this alone was better than most people have for breakfast. Also, the phone seemed to straighten out without having to contact the phone company. In closing, I probably have taken up too much of your time but sometimes it seems appropriate to share with you relatively trivial matters which we should not get bent out of shape over.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Final Thought: “Happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have.”<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>