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<h1><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASe</b></h1><br><br>
<br><br>
<b>CONTACT:<br>
</b><br>
Chris Danielsen<br><br>
Director of Public Relations<br><br>
National Federation of the Blind<br><br>
(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br><br>
(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><br>
<font color="#0076CC"><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">
cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br>
</font><br>
<div align="center"><h1><b>National Federation of the Blind Welcomes the
Hope Bus Tour</b></h1><br><br>
</div>
<br>
<div align="center"><h1><b>Hope Bus Tour Will Visit 50 Charities in 50
Days</i></b></h1></div>
<b>Baltimore, Maryland (September 28, 2009):</b> The National Federation
of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest organization of blind people
in the United States, will welcome the Hope Bus Tour to the NFB Jernigan
Institute in Baltimore on September 29. The Hope Bus Tour is
visiting fifty pre-selected charities in fifty days, raising public
awareness of charities that are doing exceptional work in their
communities to improve the lives of people who are in need.<br><br>
<br><br>
Dr. Marc Maurer, President of the National Federation of the Blind, said:
“We are truly honored to be one of the fifty charities that the Hope Bus
Tour has chosen to highlight. The occasion could not be better
timed, as the National Federation of the Blind has undertaken the largest
Braille literacy campaign in history this year. Nine out of ten
blind children in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />America’s
public schools do not know and are not being taught how to read and write
using Braille. The education of tens of thousands of blind children
across the nation and the successful rehabilitation of adults who are
losing vision depend on our success, and the exposure from the Hope Bus
Tour will certainly help us reach out to members of our community and
beyond.”<br><br>
<br><br>
Congress authorized the minting in 2009 of 400,000 Louis Braille
Bicentennial Silver Dollars to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the
birth of Louis Braille (1809–1852) and to support the efforts of the
National Federation of the Blind to promote literacy among blind
Americans. This unique and beautiful commemorative coin is the
first U.S. currency to feature tactile, readable Braille. These
coins will no longer be available after December 31, 2009. A
portion of the money from sales of the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial
Silver Dollar will be used to support the NFB’s “Braille Readers are
Leaders” campaign, a national initiative created to double the number of
blind children learning Braille by 2015, improve certification standards
for teachers of Braille, and conduct innovative programs to support
Braille literacy.<br><br>
<br><br>
Those interested in ordering a Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar
should visit
<a href="http://www.braille.org./"><font color="#0076CC">
www.braille.org</a></font> or call 1-800-USA-MINT (872-6468). For
more information about the National Federation of the Blind and the
Braille Readers are Leaders campaign, visit
<a href="http://www.braille.org/"><font color="#0076CC">
www.braille.org</a></font>. <br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
<div align="center"><b>###<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><b> <br>
</b></div>
<br>
<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br>
</b><br>
With more than 50,000 members, the National Federation of the Blind is
the largest and most influential membership organization of blind people
in the United States. The NFB improves blind people’s lives through
advocacy, education, research, technology, and programs encouraging
independence and self-confidence. It is the leading force in the
blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind. In
January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the Blind Jernigan
Institute, the first research and training center in the United States
for the blind led by the blind.<br><br>
<br>
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