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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p>Federation Family,<o:p></o:p></p><p>Below is information about our 2023 Week in Annapolis. <o:p></o:p></p><p>1. WE are looking for volunteers to attend meetings with the Maryland General Assembly during our NFBMD Virtual Week In Annapolis. <o:p></o:p></p><p>2. We are also looking for volunteers to serve as Zoom hosts for those meetings. <o:p></o:p></p><p>3. We are sharing information about issue training meetings so participants can prepare to talk about our legislative priorities for the 2023 General Assembly. <o:p></o:p></p><p>4. We are explaining when each geographic area will have the bulk of its meetings.<o:p></o:p></p><p>5. We are providing the Zoom information for the Issues Training meetings.<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><p>This year, instead of our usual Day in Annapolis, we will be holding a Week in Annapolis. Our Week in Annapolis dates are January 19 – 26, 2023. <o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><h2><span style='font-weight:normal'>1. Seeking Volunteers to Participate in Legislative Meetings<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p>We will specifically have meetings on January 19, 24, 25, and 26. We have broken down the 188 appointments by geographic area, and so we do need volunteers to participate in those virtual meetings. We’d like people to attend the meetings for their particular district (and we’ll try to make that happen) and also the general geographic area surrounding their district. But there are also districts with few NFBMD constituents, so we are also looking for folks who can attend any district meetings on any day. More information about the geographic breakdown later on this page. Meanwhile, if you are available to participate in any of the days January 19, 24, 25, or 26 for our NFBMD 2023 Week in Annapolis, please let Sharon Maneki and Ronza Othman know. You can email them at Nfbmdsm@gmail.com and President@nfbmd.org or call them at 410-715-9596 or 443-426-4110. Please let them know by the end of the day Friday, January 13, 2023 if you can participate. Be sure to tell them your name, how they can best reach you (email is preferred but not required) to share Zoom information, your state legislative district, if you know it, and your county.<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><h2><span style='font-weight:normal'>2. Seeking Zoom Hosts for Legislative Meetings<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p>We are also in need of folks who are comfortable hosting Zoom meetings. If you are able to perform the duties of a Zoom host, please contact Ronza Othman to let her know what days you are available. You do not need to provide a Zoom account for us to use to be a host. Please email Ronza Othman at President@nfbmd.org by Friday, January 13, 2023.<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><h2><span style='font-weight:normal'>3. Training on Issues<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p>We will also be holding meetings to prepare for the Week in Annapolis and go over the issues, teams, and assignments. Team Leads will attend a separate meeting in addition to the issues meetings. The two issues meetings will take place at 7:30PM on Monday, January 16, 2023 and at 7:30PM on Wednesday, January 18, 2023. All those who plan to participate in the Week in Annapolis should plan to attend at least one of the issues meetings. The access information for the meetings can be found at the bottom of this message.<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><h2><span style='font-weight:normal'>4. Schedule of Meeting Broken Down by Geographic Area<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p>We have tried to organize constituent meetings by geographic location<o:p></o:p></p><p>Thursday, January 19 – Ann Arundel, Howard, Carrol, and Frederick Counties<o:p></o:p></p><p>Tuesday, January 24– Western Maryland, Eastern Shore, Southern Maryland (Tri-county area), and Harford County<o:p></o:p></p><p>Wednesday, January 25 – Baltimore City and Baltimore County<o:p></o:p></p><p>Thursday, January 26 – Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties<o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><h2><span style='font-weight:normal'>5. Zoom Call In Information for Issues Training Meeting<o:p></o:p></span></h2><p><a href="https://zoom.us/j/6248138327?pwd=eTZlYUgwR3ZQVVl1dXBLSHcrbml1QT09"><span style='color:#0782C1'>Join Zoom Meeting</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We will provide the Fact Sheets once they are available.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Ronza Othman, </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>President</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind of Maryland<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>443-426-4110<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pronouns: she, her, hers<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind of Maryland 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></div></body></html>