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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:
* Your Phone Number:
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* Your Relationship to Nominee:

Please enter your letter of recommendation in the text area provided below: April 7, 2023 To Whom It May Concern: I am both pleased and proud to have this opportunity to nominate Aundrea Moore to receive the Jacob Balotin Award. In light of this prestigious honor being bestowed upon blind individuals facilitating significant impact in the lives of others, Aundrea is a worthy candidate indeed. She has leveraged a combination of her talents with a positive philosophy about blindness, her resilience of successfully battling breast cancer, her songwriting and comedic ability, and her intense desire to make a real difference in the world to play a major role with improving people's lives. One of her original songs, "I Chose You," was inspired by a parent who played a positive and central role in the lives of children who became a part of his Forever Family through the priceless process of adoption. In a climate in which far too many kids have moved from less-than-ideal situations to join a family to whom they are literally a dream come true, she single-handedly turned those experiences into a song that now serves as a galvanizing rallying cry to call for more people to see how families of today need not merely be defined by biology but are instead made stronger through the power of love that binds everyone closer together. In fact, the song was so well received that it was selected as part of the fundraising radiothon, entitled "WE Are WITH You," which benefited the blind of Ukraine. My understanding is that the concert raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. That successful grassroots effort was the direct result of collective action of which Aundrea was an indelible part. Broadcast and streamed all across the globe, "I Chose You" touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of people, both blind and sighted alike. This hit was the result of her own vision for impacting those who heard it. Collaborative blind musicians spent hours in dedicating their own time and talents to this endeavor, because they wanted not merely to perform a song but literally to make a difference. For countless blind people, many of whom were contemplating their own futures and raising families, this heartfelt piece still brings tears to my eyes, both as an adoptive father and as someone who fundamentally believes in the power of adoption to help ensure that each child knows that he or she is valued. Aundrea's songwriting ranges from very complicated orchestral materials, such as that which exist in the song "I Chose You," to very simple and whimsical country music materials. She is the Executive Producer of all of her musical works and has spent thousands of her own dollars to produce her music, because she is a dedicated artist who has spent years bringing to life her creativity, all the while being driven to facilitate impact. On another front, Andrea's work as a comedian is very widely known within the blind community. One of her routines was selected to be aired during laugh out loud night, which took place the night before the opening session of the last convention of the national Federation of the blind in Baltimore, Maryland. She has been asked by several blind friends, diagnosed with terminal illnesses to provide comic relief at their funerals. On at least one occasion, the humor of one of her texts enables a friend to laugh during the height of a very severe post traumatic stress disorder, crisis. According to the thank you text, sent to her by this friend, being able to read her text whenever he feels the need, has made it possible for him to stay off of medication for his post traumatic stress disorder. she performs stand-up, comedy routines, which educate sighted audiences about their many misconceptions concerning the lives of people who are blind. She uses humor to combat her own breast, cancer, and continues riding a wide variety of music, in spite of the rapid deterioration of her hearing. As is true for all of us as blind people, we each have the daily opportunity to maximize our contributions, no matter what we face. We do so, not to prove anything to anyone, but because it is our right as human beings to strive to be at our very best the way that everyone should. In Aundrea's case, having lived a rich life which includes in a career in the Office of the Texas Attorney General and having directly fought against discriminatory attitudes based on old and outdated stereotypes, she has spent her retirement years in service to others and as a long-time part of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas. Even as the adversities of cancer and increasing hearing loss could have stood in her way as she continued living her life as an independent, successful, and capable blind person who is proud of who she is, not a day goes by when she is not endeavoring hard to make life better for those around her, including fellow blindness community members. By having tapped into her artistic side, the net effect has been both to entertain and to move people to take action; to expand limited thinking,; and always and forever to do, become, and BE better. Aundrea's efforts as both a songwriter and a comedian have brought joy and hope to blind people all over the world. It is for these reasons that I submit Aundrea Moore for consideration as one of the recipients of the Jacob Bolotin award. Thank you for giving such thoughtful attention to her candidacy. Sincerely, Robert Brown
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The Dr. Jacob Bolotin Award

Letter of Recommendation Form