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<DIV>Greetings to all!</DIV>
<DIV>Please read and share with others.</DIV>
<DIV>Joe </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>**</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV
style='FONT-SIZE: small; TEXT-DECORATION: none; FONT-FAMILY: "Calibri";
FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY:
inline'><B>From:</B>
<A title=lindamelendez220@gmail.com
href="mailto:lindamelendez220@gmail.com">Linda Melendez</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt tahoma">
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #f5f5f5">
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 21, 2020 6:23 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=nfbnj1@verizon.net
href="mailto:nfbnj1@verizon.net">Joseph Ruffalo</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> New Jersey NFB Book Club, Sponsored by the Sports and
Recreation Division</DIV></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Joe:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Can you please distribute this invitation for all to participate in
the</DIV>
<DIV>next quarters New Jersey NFB Book Club, Sponsored by the Sports
and</DIV>
<DIV>Recreation Division</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Linda Melendez, President</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>NFBNJ Sports and Recreation Division</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>732 421 7063</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>lindamelendez220@gnail.com</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Are you interested in reading books that explain and promote the
National</DIV>
<DIV>Federation of the Blind philosophy of raising expectations and living
the</DIV>
<DIV>lives we want? This year, the Sports and Recreation book discussion
group,</DIV>
<DIV>sponsored by the NFBNJ Sports & Recreation Division, read and
talked
about</DIV>
<DIV>three such books by conference call. In 2020, we’re looking forward
to</DIV>
<DIV>another year of book club meetings and all are invited.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Want to learn more about the National Federation of the Blind? Well
you</DIV>
<DIV>can by participating in the New Jersey NFB Book Club, sponsored by
the</DIV>
<DIV>Sports and Recreation Division. Jane Degenshein, our book moderator
will</DIV>
<DIV>host quarterly conference calls to discuss books from our recommended
NFB</DIV>
<DIV>reading list. Our goal is to learn about the Federation and our
members</DIV>
<DIV>through reading, discussions and sharing. All Are Welcome!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So that we have a general idea of who to expect, please complete the
Book</DIV>
<DIV>Club Registration Form. The meeting will take place on April 15th
at</DIV>
<DIV>6:00pm. To access the call, please dial 515 604 9570 and then use
the</DIV>
<DIV>access code of 612068 followed by the pound sign. Please dial in 10 to
15</DIV>
<DIV>minutes prior for roll call and follow our conference call etiquette
listed</DIV>
<DIV>in the registration form’s confirmation email.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This quarters book is:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Title: “Life without sight: my journey into the world
of
the sighted and</DIV>
<DIV>the blind”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Author: Agnes Allen</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>NLS Book Number: DBC01887</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Reading time: 3 hours, 18 minutes</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Book Description: A memoir of a blind woman’s road to success
in</DIV>
<DIV>overcoming life’s obstacles.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>About The Author</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Agnes Allen was born on the 18th of January 1924, the sixth and last
child</DIV>
<DIV>born to Mary and Louis Stone. When she was just five years old, she had
a</DIV>
<DIV>terrible fall off a porch swing. The doctors told Agnes’ mother she had
six</DIV>
<DIV>months to live. She obviously survived but the accident left her
totally</DIV>
<DIV>blind. Agnes thrived at the Pittsburgh School for the Blind where
she</DIV>
<DIV>learned to love education. The school taught Agnes many things but most
of</DIV>
<DIV>all it enabled her to be independent, confident, capable and
optimistic.</DIV>
<DIV>After graduating from the Pittsburgh School for the Blind, Agnes became
the</DIV>
<DIV>first blind graduate of Mount Mercy College. She graduated Suma Cum
Laude.</DIV>
<DIV>The formation provided by the Mercy Sisters is rarely found in
education</DIV>
<DIV>today. They taught their students that a life of service is a life
well</DIV>
<DIV>lived. Agnes took this instruction to heart and strived to obtain
this</DIV>
<DIV>virtuous life.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The only member of her family to graduate high school and college,
Agnes</DIV>
<DIV>had the opportunity to attend graduate school at the University
of</DIV>
<DIV>Pittsburgh. Upon finishing her Master’s degree in English, Agnes
embarked</DIV>
<DIV>on a career of teaching. She instructed blind and deaf blind
students,</DIV>
<DIV>young children and adults to accept their impairment and tackle
any</DIV>
<DIV>obstacle that stood in the way of achieving independence. She
taught</DIV>
<DIV>Braille, English, math, music, and many other necessary life skills.
Her</DIV>
<DIV>dedication to the advancement of blind persons is evident in the fact
that</DIV>
<DIV>she was still tutoring blind students after her 90th birthday. Agnes
has</DIV>
<DIV>been a long-standing member and served as an officer of both the New
Jersey</DIV>
<DIV>and Connecticut chapters of the National Federation of the Blind. Agnes
has</DIV>
<DIV>a grave concern for blind individuals that cannot read braille and
raised</DIV>
<DIV>awareness through her many Braille Literacy campaigns and events. Her
book,</DIV>
<DIV>“Life Without Sight” was written to encourage all blind persons and
their</DIV>
<DIV>families to make the most out of the life they were given. Agnes’
message</DIV>
<DIV>to all is “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
She</DIV>
<DIV>also held positions as a Social Worker for the Division of Family
Services,</DIV>
<DIV>a proofreader, and a salesman.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Agnes Allen is the mother of three daughters and the grandmother of
nine</DIV>
<DIV>grandchildren. Her example of generosity, love of neighbor and her
joyful</DIV>
<DIV>positive attitude has been a great blessing to her family. She is
dearly</DIV>
<DIV>loved.</DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>