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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Good morning!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I just wanted to share the below press release, which I’ve also attached, announcing the three winners of the inaugural Holman Prize. I was honored to serve as a member of the committee that selected the winners. This is just year one, so I encourage everyone to start dreaming of the adventure they’d like to take, and start working on those applications for next year! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Brian Miller<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President, Greater Alexandria Chapter of the NFB<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Blind Ambition: International Award for Visually Impaired Adventurers Announces First Three Winners<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired Announces First ‘Holman Prize’ Winners from Uganda, the United States and the United Kingdom<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Avenir Next"'><img width=624 height=347 id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D2F0A8.EDF2A5C0"></span></i><i><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Image: Ojok Simon, Penny Melville-Brown and Ahmet Ustunel, from left to right, are the winners of the first-ever Holman Prize for Blind Ambition, awarded by The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Francisco.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>SAN FRANCISCO – June 29, 2017 –</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'> This fall, three exceptional blind individuals will set off around the world on adventures they never imagined possible, thanks to a new award called </span><a href="http://www.holmanprize.org/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>The Holman Prize for Blind Ambition</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Created by the </span><a href="http://www.lighthouse-sf.org/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'> in San Francisco to honor “blind ambition” in all its forms, the annual $25,000 awards will spring-board future generations of entrepreneurs, adventurers and ambassadors in the blindness community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/announcing-the-2017-holman-prize-finalists/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>With over 200 applicants from 27 countries</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>, The Holman Prize saw stiff competition in its first year. All applicants were required to upload 90-second YouTube videos to pitch their idea for a dream project with a $25,000 budget, and later asked to submit formal proposals.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>The three winners, </span><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/meet-ahmet-ustunel-blind-kayaker-and-holman-prizewinner/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Ahmet Ustunel</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>, </span><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/meet-penny-melville-brown-blind-baker-and-holman-prizewinner/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Penny Melville-Brown</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>, and </span><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/meet-ojok-simon-blind-beekeeper-and-holman-prizewinner/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Ojok Simon</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>, were announced Thursday morning after a rigorous judging process that narrowed down the applicants to eleven highly competitive finalists. Each winning project embodies its own sense of adventure and ambition – whether it takes the winners around the world or allows them to build and foster social impact in their immediate community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Named after the </span><a href="https://www.holmanprize.org/jamesholman/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>19th century explorer James Holman</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'> (known around the world as<b> </b>“the blind traveler”) The Holman Prize aims to launch worthy projects that will change the public perception of blindness for years to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>“We are thrilled to support these three individuals,” LightHouse CEO Bryan Bashin noted Thursday with the announcement. “They are all incredibly ambitious in different ways, and their projects will have a real effect on the way blindness is perceived globally. I think about Ahmet’s determination, Penny’s cultural savvy, and Ojok’s entrepreneurial spirit – this is what blindness looks like today. These three will change minds about what blind people can accomplish.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>The 2017 Holman Prize Winners</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>The Three Holman Prizewinners will fly to San Francisco in September 2017 for a week-long orientation before starting their projects on October 1. Once they land in San Francisco, the winners will not only meet and learn from each other, but they will engage with other blind teachers, technologists and leaders from LightHouse’s extended network. The winners will also create comprehensive plans to document and share their experiences along the way through video, audio, writing and other storytelling mediums.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Ahmet Ustunel</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>’s project has a clear, unprecedented goal: to kayak solo, without eyesight, from Europe to Asia. With potential for a dramatic climax and high stakes, Ustunel’s proposal to cross the 3-mile Bosphorus Strait caught the attention of the Holman Prize Committee and proved to be a compelling and unprecedented undertaking. By training in California and working to develop a suite of non-visual guidance technology to thrive on his own in the water, Ustunel hopes to join the ranks of other great blind outdoor heroes such as Erik Weihenmayer, Lonnie Bedwell and others.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/meet-ahmet-ustunel-blind-kayaker-and-holman-prizewinner/">Learn more about Ahmet.</a></span><span class=MsoHyperlink><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Penny Melville-Brown</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'> has a project with a universal focus: food.<b> </b>With a deep belief in the power of food to connect people, Penny’s project is a bid to claim a place at the stove for blind chefs everywhere.<b> </b>Penny’s intentions are less about competition and perfection and more about connecting with others through culture and shared experience. Maybe she’s the blind Julia Child – or the blind Anthony Bourdain – either way, as Penny documents her travels and successes in her series, “Baking Blind,” the world will follow along with her.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/meet-penny-melville-brown-blind-baker-and-holman-prizewinner/">Learn more about Penny.</a></span><span class=MsoHyperlink><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Ojok Simon</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'> will take on a drastically different kind of project than his fellow winners. Simon seeks to raise employment rates for blind and partially sighted individuals in rural regions of his home country of<b> </b>Uganda. His method? Teach them a very specialized and somewhat unlikely skill: beekeeping. For decades, Simon has been a passionate beekeeper finding ways to tend bees in nontraditional and non-visual ways. Simon wants to impart his warm attitude and entrepreneurial spirit on other blind individuals in Africa and abroad, rather than seeing them relegated to poverty and reliance on charity.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/meet-ojok-simon-blind-beekeeper-and-holman-prizewinner/"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Learn more about Ojok</span></b></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Interviews and images available upon request. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Holman Honorees: </span></b><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/announcing-the-2017-holman-prize-finalists/"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Meet this year’s finalists.</span></b></a><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'> </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/blog/holman-committee-meet-the-blind-judges-selecting-our-inaugural-prizewinners/"><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Meet the blind judges who picked the winners.</span></b></a><span class=MsoHyperlink><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><a href="http://www.holmanprize.org/donate">Support the Holman Prize</a></span></b><span class=MsoHyperlink><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>The LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, is actively seeking sponsorships and support for the 2018 Holman Prize, including donations of equipment for the winner’s projects. To offer your support, contact </span><a href="mailto:holman@lighthouse-sf.org"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>holman@lighthouse-sf.org</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>. Individuals may donate any amount using </span><a href="https://secure.qgiv.com/for/thp"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>LightHouse’s secure form</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>. For sponsorship inquiries, email us or call +1 (415) 694-7333.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>About LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Founded in 1902, San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired promotes the independence, equality and self-reliance of people who are blind or have low vision. LightHouse offers blindness skills training and relevant services such as access to employment, education, government, information, recreation, transportation and the environment. LightHouse also pursues the development of new technology, encourages innovation, and amplifies the voices of blind individuals around the world. To receive services, volunteer or make a donation, visit </span><a href="http://lighthouse-sf.org/"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>lighthouse-sf.org</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Press contact:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>Will Butler, Director of Communications<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>+1 (415) 855-1642<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'>press@lighthouse-sf.org</span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><br><br><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Avenir Next"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>