<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"></span><div><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><img width="186" height="184" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D24124.A963E510" align="left" hspace="16" vspace="16" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1" id="image003.jpg@01D24124.A963E510"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </b></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </b></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </b></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </b></p><p class="Default" align="center" style="text-align: start; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </b></p><p class="Default" align="center" style="text-align: start; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b></span></p><p class="Default" align="center" style="text-align: start; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b><br></b></span></p><p class="Default" align="center" style="text-align: start; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>THE NEW Great Lakes BRAL Contest IS HERE!</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </b></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The National Federations of the Blind of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York have joined together to offer the first annual Great Lakes regional Braille Readers Are Leaders contest for kids, grades K-12. Contestants compete to read the most Braille pages, going against other kids in similar grades across all eight states. The contest runs for 7 weeks, encouraging kids to be proud of their Braille reading ability and to work to improve their skills -- while possibly winning prizes in the process. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A thumbnail sketch of the contest: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• A certifying official (parent, teacher, etc.) should fill out and submit a registration form. This can be done as early as November 1, 2016, and as late as <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://1" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">January 20, 2017</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• Kids enter in one of five grade categories: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, & 9-12. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• Record Braille pages read between <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://5" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="5" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">December 1, 2016</a>, and <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://6" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="6" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">January 20, 2017</a>, on a reading log. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• The certifying official should submit the reading log form by <a href="x-apple-data-detectors://7" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors-result="7" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824);">February 1, 2017</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• Prizes in each grade category are: first, $25; second, $15; third, $10. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• Every contestant, whether a winner or not, will receive a goodie bag at the end of the contest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• To get the complete contest rules, registration form, and the reading log form, visit the website, <a href="http://www.nfbofillinois.org/great-lakes-bral-contest" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="11">http://www.nfbofillinois.org/great-lakes-bral-contest</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="text-indent: 0px; margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">• Both the registration form and the reading log form should be submitted by email as attachments to <a href="mailto:dkent5817@att.net"><span class="Hyperlink0">dkent5817@att.net</span></a>. Please put BRAL in the subject line. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 5pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If you have questions, contact the contest administrator:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Deborah Stein<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Email: <span class="Hyperlink0" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="mailto:dkent5817@att.net" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="link" x-apple-data-detectors-result="14">dkent5817@att.net</a></span> Please put BRAL in the subject line. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Default" style="margin: 0in 0in 5pt 0.5in;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Phone: <a href="tel:773-203-1394" dir="ltr" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="15">773-203-1394</a></span></p></div></div><blockquote type="cite"><font color="#000000"></font></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>