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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>February 5, 2020<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 1747<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> I am very pleased to announce the NFB of SC will be hosting a Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday morning, February 19, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. in room 112 of the Solomon Blatt building. Kudos to Ed Bible, NFB of SC Legislative committee Chairperson, and his committee for securing this date as the NFB of SC has not hosted an activity of this nature for a number of years. Although it would be great to fill the room with blind people, room space is limited and therefore, only members of the state Board of Directors, the Legislative Committee and other designated leaders of the NFB of SC have been invited to participate in this event. Written invitations to the state legislature and the state constitution officers were mailed last Thursday. It would be very helpful if all of us personally contact their House and Senate members and invite them to our Legislative Breakfast on February 19. If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact Ed Bible at (803) 796-1954 or email him at ebible@sc.rr.com. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> In the November 6, 2019 edition of the Positive Note, an announcement was made regarding the NFB national scholarship program. “Note from Cayte Mendez, Chairperson of the NFB national scholarship committee: Every year, the National Federation of the Blind awards more than $120,000 to blind scholars across the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in recognition of their achievements and professional aspirations. The scholarship program is our commitment to academic excellence and leadership among blind students, and each winner is awarded on the basis of academic excellence, community service, and leadership. The application process opened Friday, November 1, 2019. Review the scholarship application checklist and the scholarship program FAQs. Share this opportunity that invests in the future of blind people. Learn about the eligibility and requirements of the 2020 scholarship program.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> I am sure All of us in the NFB of SC can remember the feeling of excitement and pride at the 2019 national convention in Las Vegas when Derique Simon receive a NFB national scholarship. I would like to again strongly encourage many of our students from South Carolina to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and make the effort to apply for one of these national scholarships. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> We have an announcement from Phil Marett regarding the upstate blind fishing. “ATTENTION, LIONS BLIND FISHING HAS BEEN MOVED TO THE 29th and 30th of May. WE WILL STILL START AT ROCKY BOTTOM AND FISH IN LAKE KEOWEE, BUT AT A LATER DATE!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> The dates are Friday May 29th and Saturday, May 30th. This year, there is a change: If you register and do not show up, you will be fined $10.00. If you fail to show up and fish and do not pay the fine, you will be dis-qualified the following year. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> We will be fishing from Keowee Keys and we will send the address asap. The reason for this is obvious, the food cost and we prepare for the number registered. In addition, we have to have so many boats for the tournament and if we have ten boats and only 16 fishermen, someone has gotten up early, prepared their boat but has to go home without the joy of having blind fishermen for the day. In addition, if you win the trip to the Outer Banks and cancel after the cancelation date, you will be fined $85.00 or the cost of registration. The cancelation date will be two (2) weeks before the tournament at Outer Banks, N.C. If you cancel in time, we can get the next fisherman on the list of winners to go, but they will need time to make plans for the trip. If you fail to cancel, you will not be allowed to fish with us next year. The board of directors for Lions Blind Fishing regret having to make these rules, but it has cost us money we do not have when this happens, so we had to make some penalty rules. The areas that we have used to board the pontoons are undergoing repairs and the bath rooms are under construction, so we have to make a change. An’t life exciting?”<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. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Final Thought: Transforming our dreams into reality: “If you find a turtle on top of a fence post, there’s one thing you can be sure of; it didn’t get there by itself. Who is your mentor?”<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>