Notaries are "kind, smart, and important".

Last year at this time a small group of Birmingham Notaries were gearing up for a big celebratory event - National Notary Public Day, on November 7th.

Perhaps you saw us - racing through town to pick up our newly designed tee-shirts.  We may have passed you on Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd as we hurried downtown to the Birmingham Library to decorate.  Or, maybe you were one of the lucky ones who stopped by the Library on November 7th to take advantage of our free notary services.  It was a big deal. Elected Officials stopped by.  Proclamations were read. Speeches were made.  Signatures were notarized.

This year, our notary group, Notaries for Alabama, is gearing up once again to bring attention to the important role notaries play, not only in Birmingham, but all across Alabama.  It's a role that carries a lot of responsibility but rarely gets much recognition.

On Tuesday, November 4th, we will host a "Notary Clinic" for 25-30 small business owners, who are notaries or employ notaries. On Saturday, November 15th, Notaries for Alabama will provide a delicious lunch to the women and children of a local shelter. We want them to know that Alabama Notaries care about them.

Are there Notaries in your office?  If so, stop by their desk or office this week and let them know you appreciate them.  A "thank you" will suffice, but if you really want to make an impression, take a few minutes and ask them how they use their Notary Commission at work.  You just might be surprised by what you learn.

Are you a Notary?  Whether you reside in Alabama, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, New York, or somewhere else, there's a good chance there are events planned for you this week.  Just check with your local notary association, or Secretary of State office.

It isn't a Holiday.  There are no gifts to unwrap or turkey to carve.  But it is an important day that recognizes important men and women, who perform a very important role in our communities.  Tell a Notary that you care.

National Notary Public Day will be recognized across America on Friday, November 7, 2014.  Events will be held beginning today through the end of the month.

*Note:  In the above photo taken 7-November 2013 (from left to right): Michelle Riley, Founder, Notaries for Alabama; The Honorable Jim Bennett, Alabama Secretary of State; Willie Osborne, Notaries for Alabama; Mr. Charles Long, Birmingham Mayor's Office, State Representative Rod Scott (55th District); and Harriette Littleton, Charter Member, Notaries for Alabama. 

It's Almost Here! National Notary Public Day 2013

On Thursday, November 7th, National Notary Public Day will be recognized across the United States.  For a mere twenty-four hours, citizens will be asked to acknowledge and thank the men and women who are commissioned Notaries in their community.

If you've been following my Blog you know that earlier this year I had an idea.  Instead of giving lip service to this Day of Recognition, why not give it...give them (the notaries) the attention, the kudos, the appreciation, the 15 Minutes of Fame (or twenty four hours, depending on how you look at it) they deserve?  What if Alabama took this day to heart and did something nice?

A few months ago I spoke with a representative from Alabama's Secretary of State office.  I was shocked - blown away - to learn that at last count, the state had more than 22,000 notaries with active commissions.  Did you hear me?  22,000!  That's....incredible!  That's a lot of notary! So...what started as an idea gave way to:

Notaries4Alabama (N4A) Birmingham's 1st Notary Public support group.  We've been meeting monthly since May 2013 at Homewood Public Library.  Just over forty men and women have joined the group.  We've invited leaders from the community to attend our meetings and talk about notary topics.  I'll Blog later about the training and mentoring that's been going on.  If you're an Alabama Notary Public and want to learn more about N4A, you can find us on Meetup.com.  You can click here Notaries-for-Alabama Support Group.

That was the icing on the proverbial cake.  Remember, the initial idea was to host a Notary Day event on November 7th for the Notaries. Well...we're doing that, too!  But instead of just doing something nice for Notaries, the Notaries are doing something nice for the community-at-large.  Check this out!

FREE Document Notarizations

 

In recognition of
National Notary Public Day

 

Thursday, Nov 7th 10am - 6pm
Birmingham Public Library (Near Courthouse)
2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL

 

Open to the General Public
Bring your un-signed forms, and Government-issue ID.

Expert Notaries will notarize your forms.
NO real estate-related documents, please.

Walk-Ups OK.  No appointment necessary.

 

Alabama Notaries can register for exciting gifts in our Notary Raffle and learn about Notaries4Alabama, a support group for Central Alabama Notaries.

 

 

For more information about this Birmingham, Alabama's #NotaryDay2013, contact Notaries4Alabama: 

 

Telephone:  (205) 626-9399

Email:  Notaries4Alabama@Gmail.com

Web:    www.NotariesforAlabama.com

Twitter:  @NotariesAlabama

Emergency Broadcasting System

When I was a little girl, growing up in Los Angeles, at least once a week, in the middle of cartoons, the tv channel I was watching would interrupt its programming to air this test.  It would show up on every channel at the same time (we only had four or five channels back then).  The Emergency Broadcasting System test was supposed to prepare everyone for the possible invasion of Communists or Aliens (I kid you not).  Fortunately, representatives from neither group never showed up and eventually, this test was replaced by something less annoying.

So what does this have to do with Notaries?  Well, the next few months will be a test of sorts for me and other Birmingham, Alabama Notaries.  As of today, thirty-one men and women have joined the ranks of Notaries4Alabama Networking Group.  Each member has indicated they are interested in forming a lasting group in support of notaries.  We will hold our third group meeting on Thursday, July 18th at the Homewood Public Library, in Homewood, Alabama.   Group leaders will be selected.  Tasks will be delegated.  Serious planning will start for our November Community Service Event (National Notary Public Day on November 7th).  There's a lot to accomplish.  This is definitely a test.

The members of Notaries4Alabama-Birmingham will find out first hand just how committed we are to this idea.  It sounds good, doesn't it?  What's not to like about notaries getting together once a month to obtain training, listen to professional speakers, meet mentors, and hear about new opportunities? It should work, right?

According to SmallBizTrends.com (http://smallbiztrends.com) small businesses in the services industry have a 47% failure rate within the first five years.  That's almost one out of every two companies.  Granted, this notary group isn't a formal business but there are similarities.  Enough similarities for me to be somewhat concerned.

Time will tell whether or not I'll be a successful leader of this group, and if the members are really up to the task at hand.  I sure hope so.  Just like most new ventures, including personal relationships, as time wears on the excitement starts to ebb just a bit.  It's easy to get distracted.  But instead of allowing these fears to overwhelm us, we should use them as motivation and inspiration. I think Dale Carnegie said it best:

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear.  Action breeds confidence and courage.  If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.  Go out and get busy".