FLORIDA REGIONAL GROUP, INC.
3801 Coco Grove Avenue
Miami, Florida 33133
NEWSLETTER - December, 2006
FRG
President's Message: "Tis
the Season", so it is said. I sincerely
hope that all had an enjoyable and filling Thanksgiving feast and are well prepared for
the rest of the Holiday Season. Best wishes
from the BVA-FRG and hope that you all have a safe and Happy New Year. Three successful FRG Luncheons are now behind us. For those who were unable to attend, let me tell
you of the gift bestowed upon our Regional Group by the Southwest
District BV's. In October, Larry Newman,
Southwest District Director and Joyce Thornton, Ft. Myers VIST Coordinator, organized
their District's third annual Vision Awareness Walk-A-Thon.
Once again, it was well supported by area Blinded Veterans and actually the entire
community participated. Seven organizations
joined together to make the fund raising venture a complete success. At the Ft. Myers Luncheon, Joyce Thornton
presented the FRG with a check for $1048 , as the FRG share of the fund raising total. To all the area FRG members and especially Larry
and Joyce, thank you for your efforts. It
took a large amount of work and it is sincerely appreciated. If other Districts would like to do the same, give
me a call at: (904) 291-0576 and I'll get you in contact with your respective District
Directors, so particulars can be worked out. Remember
my focus on Ambassador and friend raising? Maureen,
my wife, has been driving me from place to place, throughout the state, so that I can get
to meet, not only members of our association, but also potential friends. Of course, we attend the scheduled luncheons but
not all members can attend these activities. I
have traveled to Daytona, Winter Park, and Lake City talking to our Blinded Veterans. During such contacts, have signed up many new
members to our association. Everyone in this
state is an ambassador, with the explicit responsibility to find Blinded Veterans who are
not aware of the BVA, VA, or state benefits. AS
an ambassador, when you come in contact with an individual that is legally or totally
blind, ask them if they are a veteran. If
they are, then ask who is their VIST Coordinator. If
they don't know what a VIST Coordinator is, then, more than likely, they are completely
unaware of the VA or state benefits. An
ambassador doesn't have to know the name of the BV's VIST Coordinator, they just need to
ask the question. If we need to identify who
a specific VIST Coordinator is, the information is available on our web site WWW.bvafrg.org, on the link from the BRS VIST and BROS
directory. If the web site is not available,
call your District Director or the BVA National at (800) 669-7079. Going along with guidelines of my theme,
"friend raising" I would like to personally thank Bob Fick of Lakeland, for his
bringing our association to the attention of his local veterans group, the Cypress Lake
Veterans Association (CLVA). Bob is a BVA
Associate Life Member, and founder of the Cypress Lake group. Much like the BVA, Bob's veterans community mission is one of "vets for
vets". Bob introduced the FRG to his
group and asked if I would give a presentation on our organization to educate their
members of our mission and goals. After
completion of my presentation, Dan Price, Chairman of their Charity Committee, presented
me with a check in the amount of $1800. Mr.
Price, noted their association, through community events and fund raisers, collected the
funds. He also noted that this was the first
of two donations that their community was planning to present to our association. Prior to my presentation, I listened to their
association conduct their business meeting and I felt proud to witness to how well
association had brought together such an outstanding group of individuals who having
already served their country , now stand united together and continue to unselfishly serve
their friends and community. Only through the
donations received generous contributions such as this and the money earned through our
own fund raising, are we able to help veterans and their families meet the challenges of
blindness. Since we are an all volunteer
force in Florida, every cent of these donations and fund raising activities go directly to
the support of our mission. To all, keep the
mission alive and help one another to help each other.
Paul W. Kaminsky, FRG President.
FRG
Auxiliary President's Message: From
the FRG Auxiliary, Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year. I know that I should say Happy Holiday, but I
refuse to cover up the true meaning of Christmas with meaningless phrases. This is a time of year when every moment seems as
though there is something to which we have to attend, not to mention getting ready for our
own Christmas and New Year's celebration. The
Christmas music is being played, the advertisements for just the right Christmas gift is
pounding on our senses and in general, can be very exhausting and taxing on the nervous
system. In spite of all of the distraction,
let us take a moment to remember why we are celebrating.
It is a sacred and joyful time of year to celebrate the birth of Jesus., It is a time to show our love and kindness for
each other and to let our families know how important they are. It is also a time for me to remember how important
all of the Blinded Veterans are to the FRG Auxiliary.
You are the reason we exist. We are
here to support you not just during the Christmas Season but all year. Remember, if you need us, your FRG Auxiliary is
here to help. Once again, Merry Christmas and
the best in the New Year. Joyce Thornton, FRG
Auxiliary President.
FRG
Meeting Notice: The next meeting
of the Florida Regional Group will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2007 at the Quality
Court - Ocala Plaza, 3621 West Silver Springs Blvd. in Ocala. Bruce Davis, VIST Coordinator at the Gainesville
VAMC, has assisted in making the arrangements. The
meeting will begin at 11:30 AM with a period of socializing, followed by lunch at noon.
For lunch, you may select between: Roast Beef
Au Jus with Mashed Potatoes or Chicken Cordenbleau with Rice Pilaf, and Tossed Green
Salad, Vegetable, Rolls & Butter, Iced Tea or Coffee and Dessert. The price of the lunch will be $5 per person
including tax & tip.
FRG President Paul Kaminsky will preside at the
meeting following lunch. A National
Legislative Up-Date will be presented. A
discussion will be held regarding FRG activities for the coming months. Representatives from the Department of Veterans
Affairs will be on hand to provide information about services and benefits for Blinded
Veterans and their families. The FRG
Auxiliary will also provide information about their activities and the 2 Scholarships they
offer to the spouse or children of Florida Blinded Veterans. To get to the hotel, take I 75 North or South to
exit 352. Go East off of I 75. The hotel is
directly East of the Interstate. Free
parking is available at the hotel.
The hotel has asked us to notify them as to the number who will be attending and
the choice of lunch desired by January 3. Please
make your reservations prior to that date by writing to Bruce Davis, VIST Coordinator,
VAMC, 1601 S.W. Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608,
or call Bruce at (800) 324-8387 ex. 5560. You
may also make your reservations by calling Central East District Director Gary Sinclair
at: (407) 597-0029 or in the Ocala area, call Rick Calissi, Central East Assistant
District Director, at: (352) 629-6799. You
may also make your reservations by calling Louise DiGennaro, VIST Coordinator at the
Jacksonville VA Outpatient Clinic at: (904) 232-2751 ex 3015 or Judy Hayes, VIST
Coordinator at the Lake City VAMC, at (386) 755-3016 ex 2088. If you need transportation from the Jacksonville
area, call Louise DiGennaro or from the Lake City area, call Judy Hayes. Louise and Judy will try to assist with
transportation. Although the cost of the meal
to you is only $5 each meal guaranteed will cost your Regional Group $12.
National
Legislative Up-Date: Prior to
its recess on November 18, Congress passed a 3.3 % Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for
Service Connected Disability Compensation and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). Previous legislation resulted in a 3.3% COLA for
individuals who receive Social Security benefits and the VA Non-Service Connected
Disability Pension. These COLA take effect in
December and will appear in your January 2007 checks.
New
VIST Coordinator - Oakland Park VAOPC: On
July 1, Robert Gross, VIST Coordinator at the Oakland Park VA Outpatient Clinic, retired after ten years of service to Blinded
Veterans in the Oakland Park VAOPC area. A
BV himself, Robert came to Oakland Park after many years in the Prosthetics Research
Center in Baltimore. After 4 months without a
VIST Coordinator BV's in the Oakland Park area will be happy that April Barnes took up her
duties as VIST Coordinator at the Oakland Park VAOPC on November 6.
A
native of Miami, April Barnes and her family moved to the Boca Raton area while she was in
elementary school. After high school she
enrolled at Florida Atlantic University where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education. During the next four years, she worked as an
elementary school teacher before returning to Graduate School at Florida State University.
Upon earning a Master's Degree in Visual Impairment, she was employed two years as an
Orientation and Mobility Instructor and Rehab Teacher at the Palm Beach Lighthouse for the
Blind. When the Blind Rehab Center was opened
at the West Palm Beach VAMC, April was
employed as an Orientation and Mobility Instructor. Later, she was transferred to Visual
Skills Instructor, a position she was filling when she was selected as the Oakland Park
VIST Coordinator. She lives in West Boca
Raton. April enjoys cooking, traveling, and
sports. On behalf of Blinded Veterans in the
Oakland Park catchment area and all Blinded Veterans in Florida, we welcome you to your
new position as VIST Coordinator and look forward to working cooperatively with you in the
coming years.
Talking Book Library:
For almost 25 years, the Florida Talking Book Library in Daytona Beach has recorded
and distributed our FRG Newsletter. This is
just one of the many services provided to print handicapped citizens in Florida. The Florida Regional Library for the Blind (TB)
has the most clients and largest circulation of any Regional Library in the world. In addition to providing the Library of Congress
(LC) Talking Book service in Florida, the Florida TB Library coordinates Sub Regional
Libraries serving 16 counties around the State. We
receive probably the best service of any state in the nation. In addition to coordinating the LC Program and
supervising the Sub Regional TB Libraries, the Regional Library provides significant
service to print handicapped citizens in Florida unique to our state. Recording the FRG Newsletter is only one of those
services. Although the LC provides most of
the books and TB machines, the coordinating and labor to distribute all of these books is
funded in Florida. Individuals who do not
live in one of the Sub Regional TB Library areas receive their service from Daytona. In addition, the Regional TB Library acts as back
up for all of the Sub Regional Libraries. The
Regional Library is funded by the Florida Division of Blind Services (DBS). Since our TB Library service is excellent, it
would be most appropriate for all of us to contact the people who fund the Regional and
Sub Regional Library service for us. Below
you will find a list of the Sub Regional TB Libraries.
If you live in one of those areas, pleas contact the appropriate official and voice
your support for our TB Library service. If
you do not live in one of those areas, please contact:
Stephanie Wilson, Deputy Director, Florida Div of Blind
Services, 325 W Gaines St. Room 1114, Turlington Bldg. Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400, stephanie.wilson@dbs.fldoe.org
(850) 342-1828. Brevard County Library System
Catherine Schweinsberg, Director 219 Indian River Dr, Cocoa, FL 32922 cschweinsberg@brev.org (321)
633-1813. Broward County Division of
Libraries Robert Cannon, Director, 100 South Andrews Ave Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301 rcannon@browardlibrary.org (954) 357-7377; Escambia County Library Gene Fischer,
Director, 200 W Gregory St Pensacola, FL 32502
gfischer@ci.pensacolafl.us
(850) 436-5060; Hillsborough Public
Library System, Joe Stine, Director, 900 N. Ashley DR Tampa, FL 33602 stinej@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813)273-3652; Jacksonville Public Library
Barbara Gubbin, Director 303 N. Laura Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202 bgubbin@coj.net
(904) 630-2665; Lee County Library System Sheldon Kaye, Director, 2345 Union St, Ft Myers,
FL 33901, skaye@leegov.com (239)
461-2900; Manatee County Public Library
System (also serves Sarasota) John Van Berkel, Director, 1301 Barcarrota Blvd. West,
Bradenton, FL 34205 john.vanberkel@co.manatee.fl.us
(941) 748-5555; Miami-Dade Public Library
System (also serves Monroe County) Raymond Santiago, Director, 101 W Flagler St Miami,
FL 33130 santiagor@mdps.org (305) 375-1523; Orange County Library System Mary Anne
Hodel, Director, 101 E Central Blvd. Orlando, FL 32801 hodel.maryanne@ocls.info (407) 835-7323; Palm Beach Library System: John Callahan, Director, 3650 Summit Blvd W Palm
Beach, FL 33406 callahanj@pbclibrary.org (561) 233-2600;
Pinellas Public Library Cooperative: Mary Brown Director 1330 Cleveland St
Clearwater, FL 33755 mbrown@pplc.us (727) 441-8408;
Remember
to make your reservations for the January 6 FRG meeting in Ocala by calling Bruce Davis or
one of the others listed above by Jan 3. We
look forward to meeting you there.
FRG-BVA Meeting Schedule
January 6
FRG Meeting Quality Inn Hotel in Ocala
February 10
FRG meeting MacDill AFB E Club in Tampa
March 3
FRG Meeting in Ft. Lauderdale
May 4-6
FRG State Convention Plaza Ocean Club Hotel Daytona
August 14-19
BVA National Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico