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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING LOU MONEYMAKER
______
HON. SUSAN W. BROOKS
of indiana
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lou
Moneymaker on the occasion of his retirement as President and Chief
Executive Officer of Bosma Enterprises. Throughout his impressive
career, Lou proved to be an innovative leader in the Indianapolis
nonprofit community. Over the past 17 years, Lou served as the
President and CEO of Bosma Enterprises, working tirelessly to improve
the quality of life of blind and visually impaired Hoosiers. The people
of Indiana's Fifth Congressional District are forever grateful for
Lou's dedication to transforming lives in Indiana.
A lifelong Hoosier, Lou graduated from George Washington High School
in Indianapolis before joining the U.S. Army in 1967. After completing
his service in the Army in 1973, Lou attended Indiana University where
he earned a bachelor's degree in education. Following that, Lou earned
a master's degree in school administration from Butler University. Lou
transitioned these achievements into an extraordinary 32-year career
with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI),
one of the largest PreK-12 schools for visually impaired students in
the country. ISBVI has earned an excellent national reputation for its
commitment to the Indianapolis community, in part, because of Lou's
strong leadership and charisma. As a track and field and wrestling
coach, Lou inspired many students to succeed. This coaching, combined
with his work as the Dean of Students at ISBVI, helped the institution
gain national recognition for its innovative educational opportunities.
After leaving the ISBVI and joining Bosma Enterprises in 2001, Lou
immediately set about driving the nonprofit to a new level of
exceptional growth and success. Under his guidance as President and
CEO, Bosma's revenues grew from two million dollars to over seventy
million dollars per year. This growth allowed Bosma Enterprises to
expand its training and employment facilities to serve nearly 800 blind
or visually impaired individuals per year, helping to drive down the
nearly 70 percent unemployment rate among such individuals. Bosma
Enterprises employs more than 100 blind and visually impaired Hoosiers,
making them the largest such employer in the state.
Today, Bosma offers programs to help those living with blindness and
visual impairment maintain a positive lifestyle, especially by giving
them tools to live independently. Through their new Center for
Visionary Solutions for the Blind, Bosma provides programs to help
people of all ages succeed in higher education and find work. Their
innovative BosmaForce program utilizes modern education tools to give
students around the country access to high skilled job training, in
particular, computer and technical jobs. Bosma's Orientation and
Mobility Trail gives visually impaired individuals an opportunity to
practice navigation in a real-world environment on a variety of
surfaces and around many types of obstacles. Together, programs of this
type serve to benefit many of the 160,000 Hoosiers who are blind or
visually impaired. These programs would not have been able to reach
such a level of success without Lou's guidance and the commitment of
Bosma's team of more than 220 employees, along with hundreds of
volunteers, to fulfill his plan for the future.
Lou's passion for helping Indiana's visually impaired community
extends far beyond his role at Bosma. A leading founder of the United
States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA), Lou helped to transform
the lives of many athletes all around the world. His involvement with
both Ability Indiana and the Association for the Employment of People
who are Blind demonstrates his commitment to the mission to empower
visually impaired athletes. Additionally, his work on the 1996
Paralympic Organizing Committee helped to expand the reach of
Paralympic organizations throughout the United States.
On behalf of Indiana's Fifth Congressional District, I congratulate
Lou on his extraordinary career of leadership and service. I extend my
gratitude for all the contributions he has made to our community. While
I know Lou will be missed at Bosma Enterprises, I wish the very best to
him and his family as he enjoys a well-deserved retirement.
____________________