<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hey NFB Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What a Convention that was! A full week of fabulous programming. I’m not at all biased when I say the Virginia Affiliate ROCKS…we have it going on! If you agree, raise your hand, that would be *9 if you’re on your phone, wait, wait, the Convention is over! It is over, right? Yes, it is over for this year and Tracy gave thanks in his closing remarks and Joe Orozco, as Convention Operations, did a phenomenal job thanking people who made this year’s Convention such a success and I wanted a moment of your time to give a special thank you to the people who helped me personally, the people behind the curtain. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We had a great turn out this year, in part, because Karin Jernberg, Thomas Vann, and Jenny Blinsmon<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Took the time to call all of last year’s Convention Registrants and Chapter Presidents to encourage them and help them, if needed, to register this year. Lisa Kavitz, my current Vice President, called our Chapter Members to help them to register also. My warmest thanks!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>Thank you to the Goods, from AZ. For their tips and plethora of sound bites and music clips. Thanks to Mike Fish for technical advice and how to’s to keep zoom running smoothly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>Much appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>Hats off and much thanks to Sean McMahon, John Bailey and Mary Durbin for making Friday night’s Game Room so much fun by running the Who Said That and Family Feud Games. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>THE Zoom Team, Wow! Greg Chittum, thank you for your unwavering calm and get it done attitude. Becky Keller, thank you for your kind and considerate stedfastness in completing each meeting. Kris Foley, thank you for your caring and professional way you handle each task. Sarah Bloomberg, thank you for your laid back way of doing things. Collin Bruce, thank you for always, always being there and this time, for filling the blank spaces. Wayne Williams, thank you, thank you, you were my right hand man. You went above and beyond any expectations, your work ethic, and dedication has been amazing, thank you for everything.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>Tracy Soforenko, my President, thank you for being the type of leader I can only hope to become. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity, for your trust and for believing in me. You make me want to do better, you make me want to be better! Thank You!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>Thank you, my NFB Family for attending the Virginia State Convention. You are why everything works! I hope each person enjoyed the week as much as I did. Now it’s time for sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><br>Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Jacki Bruce<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Corresponding Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia<br><a href="mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="tel:(757)291-1789" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>tel:(757)291-1789</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="http://www.nfb.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>www.nfb.org</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="http://www.nfbv.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>www.nfbv.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Follow us on Twitter @NFBVirginia<br>Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Live the life you want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>