<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
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150%;font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;color:#2152A8">Blind Students
organize A Day Of Service<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
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</v:shape><![endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Helvetica;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span>On
January 18, 2010, the members of the Georgia Association of Blind Students
(GABS), a division of the national federation of the Blind of Georgia,
organized a local food drive to support the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
In addition to collecting non-perishable food items, GABS is also raising money
to assist in the Haiti relief effort. The funds raised will be donated to
Yele Haiti. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><img height="269" width="207" src="cid:F9B2042E-19E8-46DF-9E62-864984CAFA06"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;
line-height:150%;font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Stopping
people passing by asking for a moment of their time is harder than it looks,
but the GABS students are committed to engage and educate the public as they
pass by the table setup in the lobby of the Decatur Court office building were
the NFB of Georgia office is located. What they are doing may seem small,
but it is making a tremendous difference in the lives of others.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
.5in;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">Mr. Isaiah Wilcox,
President of the Georgia Association of Blind Students, and a Junior at
Morehouse College believes that it is important to commemorate this day in the
tradition of Dr. martin Luther king, Jr., by committing to a day of
service. “GABS works to empower blind students with the attitude that we
can be competitive with our sighted peers,” says Mr. Wilcox. “Part of
being competitive is being engaged as active participants in civic events that
help those less fortunate. Furthermore,” says Mr. Wilcox, “it is a great
outreach opportunity to recruit new members of the Georgia Association of Blind
Students.” The Georgia Association of Blind Students is a volunteer group
of blind students that provide mutual support and advocate for the rights of
blind students to receive a quality education. An integral part of a
National Association of Blind Students, there are currently over 50 Georgia
members of this organization consisting of blind high school and college
students. For more information about Georgia Association of Blind
Students, visit: WWW.NFBGA.ORG/GABS/</span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
.5in;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">The National Federation
of the Blind of Georgia, (the Georgia affiliate of a national organization of
50,000 members) is a non-profit volunteer organization of blind people
committed to the provision of instruction in the alternative skills of
blindness, training in the use of assistive technology, and promoting positive
personal and public attitudes about blindness. “So often, Blind people are
thought to be the beneficiaries of the public good will,” says Mr. Anil Lewis,
President of the NFB of Georgia. “I am extremely proud of our students
for organizing this event and demonstrating that blind people can be viable
contributing members of our communities.” For more information about the
National Federation of the Blind of Georgia, visit: <a href="http://WWW.NFBGA.ORG/"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:
none;text-underline:none">WWW.NFBGA.ORG/</span></a></span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Helvetica;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"> </span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:Helvetica;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">Partnering with the Atlanta Community Food
bank, and Yele Haiti, the Georgia Association of Blind Students is truly
changing what it means to be blind. Their goal is to fill two barrels
with non-perishable food items that will be used to meet the needs of families
in the local community. The barrels are located in the lobby of the
Decatur Court office building at 315 West Ponce de Leon Avenue. </span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
.5in;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">The Atlanta Community
Food Bank fights hunger by educating, empowering and engaging our
community. They are currently distributing almost 2 million pounds of
food and other donated grocery items monthly. For more information visit:
WWW.ATLANTACOMMUNITYFOODBANK.COM.</span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;
mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-indent:
.5in;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;line-height:150%;
font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:Helvetica">Yele Haiti is a
grassroots movement inspiring change in Haiti through programs in education,
sports, and the arts and environment. Yele Haiti has pulled together a
group of like minded organizations and first responders in order to help
coordinate delivery of emergency services and materials needed by victims of
the earthquake in Haiti. For more information on Yele Haiti visit:
WWW.YELE.ORG. </span><span style="font-family:Helvetica;mso-bidi-font-family:
Helvetica"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<!--EndFragment-->
<div apple-content-edited="true"> <div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div>Isaiah Wilcox</div><div>Georgia Association. of Blind Students, President</div><div>National Association of Blind Students, Board Member</div><div>Phone: (678) 568-9527</div><div>E-mail: <a href="mailto:iwilcox2011@gmail.com">iwilcox2011@gmail.com</a></div></div></div> </div><br></body></html>