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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>NFBF HISTORY PROJECT</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Greetings fellow Federation members, </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>The National Federation of the Blind was founded almost 80 years ago. If you have been a member of the NFB for any length of time at all, you know that the organization has has a long and eventful history, and that the organization celebrates that history. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>We members of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida share that history, of course, but we also have a truly fascinating and engaging history of our own. We want to preserve that history for the years and decades to come. But, to do that, this history must first be captured and recorded and displayed for all to see. This is a project to which we can all contribute.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>The National Federation of the Blind of Florida was founded in 1970. Tlhat means, when we all attend the 2020 NFBF State Convention, the affiliate will be 50 years old. Think of it – fifty years of the National Federation of the Blind of Florida. A lot of people have been involved with our organization through all of those years. Some of them have passed on. But many of us are still here and we all have stories to tell. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>NFBF President Denise Valkema has tasked me with creating a presentation of or NFBF history for our 50th annual convention in 2020. This is an exciting project, but I cannot do it alone. I will need your help. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>I believe that the model that best suits the preservation of our story is the oral history. Our project will mostly be in written form, but the model still describes what we hope to accomplish. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>What I wish you to contribute are your memories, your stories, and your accounts of the NFBF. Think back to your experiences with the organization. Try to put a date on it and then write it up, short or long, in your own style. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>You can send them directly to me at: </span><a href="mailto:history@nfbflorida.org"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#1155CC'>history@nfbflorida.org</span></a><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> or </span><a href="mailto:danjhicks@gmail.com"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#1155CC'>danjhicks@gmail.com</span></a><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> or you can post them to: </span><a href="mailto:NFBF-L@nfbnet.org"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#1155CC'>NFBF-L@nfbnet.org</span></a><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> or reply to this post. Whichever addresses you use, please put the word “history” (without the quotes, of course) in the subject line to make sure I see it. Try to give your memory a date, either precise or approximate, so we know about when it took place. If you are not sure, we can probably figure it out. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>I don’t want to limit your ideas or submissions, but start thinking about writing paragraphs on such topics as:</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I first heard of the NFB (or the NFBF) when….”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“The first time I met [person] was [where] and [when]...”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“My first chapter meeting was…”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I thought, These NFBF people must be crazy until…”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“The first time the NFBF helped me achieve a goal was…”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“The first time I was able to help another blind person do something was…”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“My first NFB (or NFBF) convention was in [year] and / or [city] and these were my first impressions…”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“The first NFB (or NFBF) banquet speech that really got to me was…”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>“I knew the NFBF was my kind of organization when...”</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Again, you don’t have to start with any of these, or you can use several of them. It is up to you. We just need you to share your memories. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>If you have pictures, videos, or sound files, please attach them or send a link also. (If attaching a file, it is best to send your memory to </span><a href="mailto:history@nfbflorida.org"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#1155CC'>history@nfbflorida.org</span></a><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'> or </span><a href="mailto:danjhicks@gmail.com"><span style='font-size:18.0pt;color:#1155CC'>danjhicks@gmail.com</span></a><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>, as I think the email list may scrub them.)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Once your memories start coming in, we will put them in some kind of order and post them to a blog so that everyone can see what everyone else has done. This should trigger even more memories from more and more people, including accounts of individual events that differ in perspective. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>If you have any questions, please address them to one of the email addresses listed above, and, again, include “History” in the subject line. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>I look forward to your submissions and your memories. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Dan Hicks</span><o:p></o:p></p><p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>NFBF History Project Chairperson</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>