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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><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>Welcome to the 2<sup>nd</sup> installment of Member to Member, this week we will get to know Ameenah Ghoston, from the Fairfax Chapter. Please read on and enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Last week, I made a mistake in telling everyone about John Halverson. I said John saw Marion Barry at National Convention and Marion actually spoke at the D.C. Convention. Sorry John!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I’ve been speaking with a number of members so far and let me tell you, you guys have lived! I had planned to tell everyone about four members per week but with all of the interesting bits the Membership Committee and I have received, we are going to go about this differently! We will have two installments per week, Tuesday and Thursday. Each installment will feature one or two members. The subject will always be Member to Member, let’s get to know each other! This way, if you don’t have time to read the profiles on the day they are sent, you can save them in your inbox or set up a folder to read them when you’re chilling, exercising, doing chores or whatever. The Membership Committee and I hope you enjoy reading these profiles as much as we’ve enjoyed collecting them! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Member to Member: Ameenah<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ameenah came to us via “the windy city” Chicago, IL. where she is the second oldest of six in a blended family. Ameenah was a preemie and had her retinas damaged so blindness and the NFB have been a part of her life since she was six years old.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ameenah belongs to the Fairfax Chapter and she is their Treasurer. Ameenah has been a RISE Mentor for three years now and she loves it!!One of her memorable moments was when one of her students navigated in a hotel, from the room to the meeting space by themselves. “Moments like that make it all worth it” Ameenah says! She also loves it when the students work together to figure things out and when they are out of their comfort zones.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ameenah was a part of the NFB National CORE Program where for 1 ˝ years she traveled around the United States starting new chapters and helping to strengthen existing chapters. She helped to start the Peninsula Chapter, the Prince William Chapter, chapters in Missouri, Mississippi and Florida. At one point, she visited five cities in one month! Ameenah laughs when she said “I woke up in the morning and didn’t know where I was”. She had many CORE partners during the program, including Joe Orozco. She really liked her time with the program, “it gave me time to figure out what I wanted to do next.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ameenah is a 2004 graduate of the Louisiana Center. She is also a graduate of the University of IL. Urbana Champaign where she earned her Bachelors of Arts and History with a minor in Computer Science. She recently graduated from the Dallas Theological Seminary. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>She relocated to D.C. in 2005 where she began her career with the federal government; she is currently a section 508 digital accessibility program manager for the defense health agency. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ameenah has four nephews aged 2 thru 11 who all call her Auntie. If Ameenah won $200,000 she would split it between the four of them; Ameenah, do you want to be my Auntie too?!Ameenah thinks people would be surprised to know she loves kids, especially 10 thru 13 year olds! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Beast, because he is wild and runs around the house and Grey because he is such a curmundgon are her two cat fur babies. Ameenah plays piano and has, previously directed and played in a children’s choir for 7 years. Ameenah has completed a marathon and has done fire walking! The things you learn when you take the time to chat with people, its amazing! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Check you again on Thursday! Have a good one!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Peace,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jacki Bruce<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Corresponding Secretary NFBV<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com">mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="tel:(757)291-1789">tel:(757)291-1789</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Membership Chair<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:membership@nfbv.org">mailto:membership@nfbv.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="tel:(757)354-4170">tel:(757)354-4170</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Find us on Instragram @nfbofvirginia<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Subscribe to our Youtube: NFB Virginia<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>STRONGER TOGETHER!<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>