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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Good Evening Fellow Federationists:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I write this evening with more news from the Iowa Commission for the Blind board. Joe Van Lent has resigned as a commissioner due to continuing health issues. A search for Joe’s replacement is already underway, and applications are due by the end of February. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Joe has served the blind of Iowa well for many years. He has been a strong force in the business Enterprise program in Iowa, a champion for the rights of the blind in so many ways, and a dedicated federationist for many years. Most recently, his work on the commission board has only helped to further the respect many of us have had for him. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> As a personal story, I first met Joe some 25 years ago when I was a student at IDB’s Adult Orientation and Adjustment center. From the moment I met him, I knew he was someone I should get to know on a personal level and later, as a colleague in the blindness movement. When I joined the federation in 2010, he was one of the first people I reached out to for guidance as I began to learn what it was like to be a federationist.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Today, Joe’s legacy continues to be formed, and his story continues to be written. While you are not on the board anymore, Joe, you are still a powerful voice in the movement. The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa wishes you all the best today, and in the days to come. We can only hope that those who serve on the commission board after you will have the same love, hope, and determination to help turn the blind of Iowa’s dreams into reality.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Scott Van Gorp, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of Iowa<br>Phone: 515-720-5282<br></span><a href="mailto:svangorp@nfbi.org"><span style='color:#0563C1'>Email</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://www.nfbi.org/"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Website</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/National-Federation-Of-the-Blind-Of-Iowa-372681823082570/posts"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Facebook</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br></span></i><a href="https://twitter.com/nfb_iowa"><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#0563C1'>Twitter</span></i></a><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'> <br>Live the life you want.<br></span></i><br>The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa 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></div></body></html>