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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hello everyone,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>State convention is fast approaching. I hope to see many of you in Ocean City November 8-10. Please make sure you get your room reservations in at the Carousel. Their number is 410-524-1000. The deadline is October 7. Also, make sure you take advantage of early registration fees by registering on our website at<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbmd.org">http://www.nfbmd.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The deadline for early registration is October 11. If you need any help with registration, please contact Sharon Maneki at 410-715-9596.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I am writing to let all of you know about some fantastic opportunities this year during convention hospitality. Unfortunately, we will not be having our usual talent show this year. Fortunately, I believe what we do have planned will make our hospitality more fun than ever! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> As always, our hospitality will begin at 8 PM. This year we have a game theme. We will have playing cards and other games available. Also, we would love for all of you to bring a favorite game to share. Pull together a group of your friends, or, even better, strangers, and teach them your favorite game. Or, challenge a group in a fun card game. Free snacks and nonalcoholic drinks will be provided.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> Then, at 9 PM, the ice rink at the Carousel will be taken over by NFBMD skaters! We are going to play some games of ice hockey! Yes, that’s right, ice hockey! Youth—middle school aged and younger—will have the ice from 9-9:45 to strut their stuff. Then, high school students to adults will have the ice from 9:45-10:30 to do the same. I am so excited about this event, but we will need help in the following ways to make sure it is as fun and successful as I believe it can be.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>We need participants! If you are interested in getting on the ice for some hockey action, please contact Maurice Peret to let him know you are interested. Maurice can be reached at 804-928-4015, or via email at <a href="mailto:mauriceperet@gmail.com">mauriceperet@gmail.com</a>. No experience skating? No experience playing hockey? No problem! You can actually begin skating any time during the evening in order to get the hang of it. Also, there will be some practice time before each hockey event so folks can learn the basics and get their hockey legs under them. Don’t be shy! Sitting is killing us! Get out there and join the fun if you are at all interested!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>We need “expert” skaters. If you know how to ice skate, and you’d like to help teach others this art, please let Maurice Peret know. It does not matter if you are sighted or blind. We need your expertice!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>3.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>We need hockey enthusiasts! If you know about hockey, how it is played, and/or would be interested in helping us reff our games, please let Maurice Peret know. I know very little about hockey, and Maurice says he knows even less, so we definitely need some help!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph style='text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>4.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>Lastly, but certainly not least, we need spectators! We will be having someone, or perhaps a couple of people, provide commentary about what is going on with the partifcipants during both the warm up sessions and the actual games themselves. This should be a very fun activity, so please join us as a spectator if you do not want to get involved in any other way.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Again, I hope to see many of you in Ocean City! This will be a convention you will not want to miss. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Melissa<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>