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</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 style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>From Tracy Soforenko, President<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>In the 2022 Presidential Report, President Riccobono referenced <span style='color:black;background:white'>our Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) initiatives intended to help bridge the gap of unemployment and underemployment among the nation’s blind. This includes the launching of our <i>Where the Blind Work</i> webinar series, featuring blind professionals in a wide range of jobs and careers. We seek your help to identify blind individuals in your network and/or affiliate. </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'>We want to highlight blind workers in blue collar jobs in our upcoming segment. If you know people who are mechanics, machinists, carpenters, hair stylists, wait staff, hospitality, or other crafts and labor jobs, we want to hear from them. We are also looking for a range of blind people working in all sorts of interesting jobs and careers, so please join our efforts to feature them in our <i>Where the Blind Work</i> series by contacting Maurice Peret, coordinator of career mentoring and employment programs, at </span><a href="mailto:mperet@nfb.org"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue;background:white'>mperet@nfb.org</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white'> or at 410-659-9314, extension 2350.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Ideally, if you can also carbon copy our Project RISE team when you contact Maurice, that would help. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'><a href="mailto:rise@nfbv.org">rise@nfbv.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:.25in;line-height:115%'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Thanks for helping us to highlight the broad diversity of careers for our community.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.25in'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Tracy Soforenko<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>President, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>202 285-4595<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:Tracy.soforenko@gmail.com">Tracy.soforenko@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfb.org">www.nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbv.org">www.nfbv.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>National Federation of the Blind. Live the Life You Want<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>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></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>