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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Nice! Put a positive spotlight on this illegal and discriminatory
activity!<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Roxanna Mann being given and accepting the Capitol and Anderson
facilities is wrong and illegal because it violates the law as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>It violates Public Act 260 of 1978;<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<ol style='margin-top:0in' start=1 type=1>
<li class=MsoNormal style='mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>A licensee can only have one facility;<o:p></o:p></span></font></li>
</ol>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>2. Roxanna should have had herBEP license revoked,as she is
not yet cafeteria certified, far beyond the 3 year requirement to become certified,
which the law requires license revocation.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>3The Anderson and Capito facility should be bid out according
to the law. Didn’t NFB successfully prosecute a lawsuit over this exact issue
less than two years ago? Where is NFB?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Roxanna Mann should be really excited to take over and operate
this facility, as the taxpayers are picking up the tab and paying the employees
wages! How can this be fair to all of the other struggling BEP licensed operators?
Where is the justice? When will there be justice?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Will NFB or ACB fight against this further corrupt illegal activity?
The EOC has been bought, Roxanna Mann has been bought, and is NFB too? <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Life without sight a risk-taking adventure for Mann <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> Rachel Greco, rgreco@lsj.com <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>8 a.m. EDT May 17, 2015 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>roxanna_mann_4 <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>(Photo: Rod <st1:City w:st="on">Sanford</st1:City> | <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Lansing</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">State</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
Journal) <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>DIMONDALE – <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> Roxanna Mann doesn’t like the word “can’t.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>In high school declining vision should have stopped her from playing
volleyball and cheerleading. Doctors warned her parents that Roxanna’s
vision would eventually deteriorate and any blows to the head would jeopardize
what sight she had. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>She did both anyway. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Now 51 and legally blind, Mann has carved out a life for herself as a
risk taker. On a Monday morning the <st1:City w:st="on">Charlotte</st1:City>
resident walks purposefully into <st1:State w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State>’s
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">General</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Office</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Building</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>,
guide stick tapping the floor in front of her. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Kristina Rae’s An All-American Grill is on the first floor.
She’s run the eatery since 2011. It’s the second cafe in a state
building she’s operated. This past week she took over two more for at
least the next six months at the State Capitol and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Anderson</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">House</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Office</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Building</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Ask people who know her and they’ll talk about her energy, her
purpose and her reputation for growing a business. Only then do they comment on
the fact that she is blind. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>It’s an afterthought, said Richard Longstaff, the cafe’s
manager. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“Meeting her you don’t even realize she’s
blind,” he said. “She doesn’t let it stop her from doing
anything.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Mann admits it is a mantra she believes in. Fear exists, she said, so
you can conquer it. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“This is life,” she said. “Whatever life gives you,
you have to just run with that. If you stop, even for a day, and really
evaluate your life even if you’re in a really bad spot that doesn’t
mean that tomorrow is going to be that way. You have to go every day with
dreams. Nothing decides for me my outcome.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Driven to overcome <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Mann’s eyes have been operated on 14 times. The first surgery was
at age 23. Her sight has never been better than 20/40 and over the years it
simply became harder to see. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“I started running into things, falling down, suffering
concussions,” she said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>In 2008 the lights went out and Mann left her job as an <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Eaton</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
caseworker because she couldn’t do the job the way it needed to be done. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>But Mann knew her new reality wasn’t the end of the road and she
wasted no time adjusting. She enrolled in classes at the Michigan Bureau of
Services for <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Blind</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Persons</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Training</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Kalamazoo</st1:City></st1:place>. There, she learned how to navigate
spaces, read braille and cook. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>She and husband, Mike, started traveling too. They’ve visited 49
countries together and Mann said being blind has inspired her to be braver than
she ever was with sight. She’s been swimming with sharks, gone cliff
diving and explored caves. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>These days Mann says there’s very little a person who is blind
can’t do if they access the right resources. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“I had to embrace it,” she said. “People try to help
me all the time. I just let them but I don’t need it. I’m okay with
that. With my cane, I’m good.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Successful entrepreneur <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>At Kristina Rae’s, named after Mann’s niece Kristina Rae
Smith who died at 29 after a battle with brain cancer, she runs the business
with an open mind, a smile and purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Mann said it didn’t take long before she fell in love with it.
“I started liking what I was doing, creating food. I like using spices
and funky vegetables. I’ve always loved to cook. You would never be
hungry here a second.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>In the four years that she’s been in charge the eatery’s
menu has expanded and its catering business has grown. Mann created several
dishes herself and her staff of five puts them together. She uses an automated
“talk back” system to ring up customers and balance the books. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The site is one of several state building eateries, snack bars or
vending systems that are part of the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind
Persons’ Business Enterprise Program. Through it qualified blind <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Michigan</st1:State></st1:place> residents
receive training, are offered locations, equipment and start-up inventory. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Program staff continue to monitor the business and offer advice but
program participants are expected to make the operation successful. They run
it, hire and manage staff and make or break the business, said Mike Pemble, the
bureau’s deputy director. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>He said Mann’s real accomplishment has been growing her location.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“She’s always on top of her game,” said Pemble.
“She wants to earn her customers’ business. She’s done a
fantastic job there and her customers love her.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Pemble said Mann’s success is expected to carry over to the
locations at the State Capitol and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Anderson</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">House</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Office</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Building</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Both spots need
it. They haven’t been profitable, he said. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“I think she’ll really turn the business around and take it
to the next level,” said Pemble. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Mann said it’s a challenge she’s looking forward to. She
has plenty of ideas for both. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“I’ll have a broader audience, so it’s about looking
at the bigger picture,” she said. “It’s awesome and I’m
so ready for it.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Pemble said Mann is as determined as she seems. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“She does not want her disability to define her,” he said.
“She wants to be defined by the other abilities that she has. Every time
I’ve met with her that is the person I see.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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