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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form
Thank you for your support of the Dr. Jacob Bolotin Awards program.
Please complete the form below to submit your letter of recommendation in support of the award nominee. Recommendations cannot exceed 800 words. You will not be able to submit your recommendation if the maximum word count exceeds 800 words.
Please note that recommendations should come from someone other than the person who nominated the candidate. Please note that required fields on this form are indicated by an asterisk (*).

* Nominee Name:
* Your First Name:
* Your Last Name:
* Your State:
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* Your Relationship to Nominee:

Please enter your letter of recommendation in the text area provided below: Attention Jacob Bolotin Awards Committee: Please consider recognizing the National Beep Baseball Association for being a positive force in the lives of blind people. Both my younger brother and I dealt with vision loss in our teens and competing in this innovative sport changed our lives. For the last ten years beep baseball has introduced me to blind mentors who have helped develop my confidence and inspired practice in independent living and employment readiness skills. All of this while achieving seven consecutive World Series championships with my team-mates in Indiana. In 2014, at fourteen-years of age, my family was given a beep baseball by Ron Brown--a longtime leader in the NBBA. My brother and I decided to join a primarily adult traveling beep baseball team in Indianapolis. We learned how to play beep baseball that summer, but more importantly we became more confident using our canes in public, and connected with an organization that empowered a better view for our future. Blind athletes were married, parents, working, and in college. We thought that was cool. Danny Fopiano—one of beep baseball’s all-star veteran players mentored me in studying to become a personal trainer and wellness coach. I currently work at a YMCA coaching one-on-one/group strength training, and I do massage for a physical therapy senior center. I’m grateful to the career role models in the National Beep Baseball Association. Thanks to the World Series of Beep baseball and the National Beep Baseball Association my blind brother and I have been able to achieve seven championships. Our sighted family members support the team in various rolls. I think it’s pretty cool to say that my mom is also a world champion in beep baseball—as her roll coordinating our defense the last few seasons. Awarding the NBBA would help us continue building up the confidence of blind athletes and sharing wins on and off the field. Sincerely, Eric Rodriguez
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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form