[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 121 (Thursday, July 18, 2019)]
[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.

                          ____________________