Sunday, April 28, 2013

National Notary Public Day - November 7th


About a month ago the manager where I work asked me if I wanted to contribute some money towards the cost of buying gifts for the support staff in the office, in recognition of Administrative Professionals Day, on April 24th.  I did and was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of gifts that my donation helped to purchase.  While researching the origins of Administrative Professionals Day, I stumbled upon this Internet site:

Notary Public Day

Being the curious person that I am, I wanted more information.  Who is the most infamous Notary Public?  Are there notaries in foreign countries? If so, how do they differ from us in America?  Who was the first female Notary?  Unfortunately, I didn't find much more information, but, that's when the imaginary wheels started turning in my head.

A little background

Some of you may not know that I'm an Alabama Notary Public.  From 2006 - 2010 I ran a small, but successful mobile notary business in North Alabama (d/b/a Huntsville Mobile Notary).  It was hard work but fun and rewarding.  I received calls from attorneys, mortgage companies, parents, and principals requesting my services. What made me a little different from my peers was that I was mobile.  I drove to my customer's location.  Most of the time it was simply a convenience factor.  Other times, it was required.  On numerous occasions, I was called to a person's bedside who was either hospitalized or under hospice care.  There was no way the individual could go out and get a form notarized.  Those days were most memorable and gave me the most satisfaction.

As the owner of Huntsville Mobile Notary, I gained a better understanding about the work notaries perform, and the importance of having them in every community.

Fast forward to 2013

So, why don't more communities recognize November 7th as Notary Public Day?  I can't remember anyone ever wishing me a Happy Notary Day.  I don't even recall seeing or hearing the governor of the state declaring it Notary Public Day.  Do public officials even know about the day?   I doubt it.

So...this blog will chronicle my efforts to help organize the State of Alabama's 1st Annual Notary Public Day event.  In addition to recognizing and thanking Notaries, it could serve as another way to educate/inform the community at large about the role of the Notary Public. I've got seven (7) months to organize an event.  That's plenty of time, right? Right?!

Next steps

Going it alone is rarely fun or as effective as teamwork, so I'm looking for help from other notaries and legal professionals. I really don't care if you're a resident of Alabama or not. If you have constructive feedback or ideas, I welcome your comments.

I created a MeetUp group as one method of connecting with others:   Meet-Up with Notaries for Alabama .  This will be one way for me to communicate with interested parties.

Why Me? Why Now?

I know that this project may not be easy-peazy.  It will take a lot of time and it will require some money.  However, when I reflect on what I'm doing in life right now, so much of my time & effort are centered around one person..me.  I haven't worked on a community service project in ages.  That's unacceptable to me.  Because, I'm so passionate about notary work,  I believe whatever the November 7th event turns out to be, it will benefit someone other than myself.  That'll be good start, right?

In the upcoming weeks and months, when I'll feel overwhelmed and question myself for doing this, I hope I'll remember this quote from Norman Vincent Peale:

Believe in yourself!
Have faith in your abilities!
Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers
you cannot be successful or happy.