BLINDED VETERANS ASSOCIATION (BVA)
FLORIDA REGIONAL GROUP, INC.
3801 Coco Grove Avenue
Miami, Florida 33133
FRG NEWSLETTER, August 2010
FRG President's Message: Here
we are once again, preparing for the Orlando luncheon the first of 7 luncheons that we
shall be holding, prior to our State convention, in 2011.
Details on the upcoming luncheon shall be covered later in this newsletter. Last year I started listing items of aids and
devices that are available through prosthetics for eligible veterans, and I shall continue
the practice this year also. The following is
a device that I had seen at our state convention last May, and thought it would be
excellent for those veterans considered to be low partials.
Solo- LV Concept & Features One simple device for both auto-reading and
magnification. Read mail, books and newspapers
without headache and getting dizzy. Easily
accomplish everyday tasks that require both reading and magnification, like filling out a
form or writing a check. Easy to use, Compact
design , needs no computer. The Auto-reader is
Fast and Accurate with No tedious scanning and Magnifies to 12X. Solo-LV IS a "self-contained auto reader that
also magnifies. It allows low vision people to use as much of the remaining vision they
have and eliminates unnecessary stress for their eyes by using a unique combination of Voice, and the right magnification. Also can be used in speech only mode with no
display, or magnification. Reading and
magnification are two very different tasks. Simple magnification may not be the best
solution for reading. For those whose sight is
deteriorating, Solo-LV is the perfect Solution because they can choose larger font sizes
as required and transition to comprehending their printed material through listening
rather than viewing. Solo-LV is not only great for reading, but also for everyday tasks. For instance, use Solo-LV to read the text on a
form, then with the push of a button fill out the form under magnification up to 12X. Instantly reads from any book or printed material. Hand-motion activated and Light weight. For further information, contact your VIST
Coordinator, and/or your BROS.
The following board members have
been appointed as Chairman of the committees listed below, and those chairman shall
appoint there own committee members. Chuck
Kays, Chairman of West Palm Beach BRC Committee, Which is responsible for identifying and
locating Members and Non members, and BRC information gathering; George Stocking, FRG
newsletter editor , Legislative committee, Membership Chairman, and FRG Annual State
Convention Chairman; Darryl Goldsmith, Leadership Committee Chairman; Bill Burgess, Horse
Shoe Chairman; Gigi Mathis, Liaison to the FRG Auxiliary; Ralph Cantrell, Bylaws Chairman;
Bob Walczak - FRG Convention Vendors Committee Coordinator; Bill McDermott, Chairman of
aids and devices that are available through prosthetics and determine consistency of said
aid and devices throughout the state; Bill Stockslager, List Serve Chairman, plus
membership list breakdown by districts and keeper of the results of the BRC exit survey. I have decided not to appoint a transportation
chairman, as in the past, because I believe that we all have finally realized that the
best solution is the empty back seat of another veteran coming to the convention.
During the early part of 2010,
the FRG kicked off its own list serve. This
now allows us to send out information to the veterans immediately and at any time that
information becomes available. The only
requirement is that you are a blinded veteran living in Florida, and have a computer in
your home or apartment. The easiest way to
sign up is to contact Bill Stockslager at: (941)
743-8364 or email n9ws@embarqmail.com.
This newly developed List serve, is not only for disseminating
Information to the veterans that are signed up, but the veterans is able to also respond
to the information about which they may have questions.
You can also exchange emails with other veterans freely. I would like to strongly urge Blinded Veterans to
use this list serve as much as possible, that way it shall remain a very effective
instrument for bringing all veterans up to date with what is happening throughout the
state. The board would also like to encourage comments concerning the FRG list serve, so
that we may develop it into an even more viable information source for all BV's. I am looking forward to the Orlando luncheon, and
meeting once again the veterans in the Orlando area. You may also contact any member of
the FRG Board of directors and there phone
numbers and email address are listed below. President
Terry King (941) 505-7747 email tnking18@earthlink.net;
Vice President- Chuck Kays - West Palm Beach
(407)873-7993 email chukkays@aol.com; Secretary-Treasurer George Stocking - Miami,
(305) 446-8008 email gstocking@bellsouth.net;
Northwest District Darryl
Goldsmith - Pensacola (850) 554-7819, email dandv5@cox. net; Northeast District
Bill Burgess -Palm Coast (386) 445-4987 email billstoy1@bellsouth.net; Central West
District Gigi Mathis - Lakeland (863-255-9275 email gigig285@aol.com; Central
East District Ralph Cantrell - Orlando (407) 857-1908 email odyerc.aol.com; Southwest
District- Bob Walczak - Port Charlotte) (941) 875-9876 email milwallyg@comcast.net; Southeast District Bill McDermott - Stuart
(772) 287-2105 email mmimed@comcast.net. Terry King, FRG President
FRG Auxiliary President's
Message: Hope
you are having a wonderful summer! Going on
vacation can present its own set of challenges, can’t it? John and I were reminded of this when we took a
trip to New Orleans in June. The airport
security wasn’t too much of a hassle. Either
the TSA people are getting better training at dealing with blind people or we have
developed a better routine. Probably both. Then came the choice of a place to stay. Should we pick the uniformity but blandness of a
chain or be a bit more adventurous? We chose a
hotel that comprises several historic buildings. The
location was ideal, but our room lay beyond a courtyard with uneven cobblestones and
hanging branches. The room itself was not a
square. It was an irregular shape with strange
angles. We were on the second floor. Fortunately, there was an elevator. Was the
quirkiness worth it? Would we do it again? Probably, but we would specifically ask for a first
floor room. Just like most things in life, it
was a trade-off. John sacrificed some ease of
navigating the room and the grounds for the ease of a quick walk to get to wherever we
wanted to go. Now we are back, and wearing out
our computers. For those of you who embrace
technology, did you know that the Auxiliary has a website?
It is www.frgbvaauxiliary.org. We are also on Facebook (Florida Regional Group
Blinded Veterans Association Auxiliary) and Twitter (@FRGBVAAuxiliary.) Fran Thomas, FRG Auxiliary President
FRG Meeting Notice:
The first Informational Meeting of the Florida
Regional Group, for this year, will be held on Saturday, September 4, at the Rosen Plaza
Hotel 9700 International Drive in Orlando. Kirk Harmon has made the arrangements for this
luncheon. The meeting will begin with a period
of socializing at 11:30 AM, followed by lunch at noon.
For lunch, you may have either Miami
Beach pan seared breast of chicken with mango cilantro salsa, toasted almonds with brown
rice pilaf or sliced roast sirloin with wild mushroom sauce and cheddar mashed potatoes
each with garden salad, rolls and butter, ice tea or coffee, and double chocolate cake or
assorted fruit bowl. The price of the lunch will be $5 per person, including tax
and tip.
FRG President Terry King will
preside at the informational meeting following lunch.
Kurt Kelly, Member of the Florida House of Representatives and Chairman of the
Legislature's Vision Caucus will be our Guest Speaker.
Representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs will be on hand to provide
information about services and benefits of interest to BV's and their families. A National Legislative Up-Date will be presented. A report will be presented regarding the BVA
National Convention in Washington, D.C., August 24-28.
Future FRG activities will be discussed. Information
about the FRG Auxiliary will be presented. Kirk
Harmon has made Arrangements with the reservation office at the hotel, at $79 per night
for Friday and/or Saturday nights. If you are
coming from out of town and wish to stay over night call the hotel reservation office at
(407) 996-1703 and make a reservation giving the BVA-FRG as the organization which made
the arrangements. Cut off date for
reservations is August 14. Be sure to make
your reservations before that date.
The
hotel has asked us to notify them as to the
number who will be attending and the type of lunch desired before September 1. Please make your reservations prior to that date by
writing to Kirk Harmon at 1031 Lenmore Court, Orlando, FL 32812, email kvh54@cfl.rr.com, or call Kirk at (407) 380-3371, cell
(407) 404-0001. You may also make your
reservation by calling Rick Cassidy (407)877-8448 or Central East District Director, Ralph
Cantrell (407) 857-1908 email odyerc.aol.com. Please
give the name of each person who will attend and the choice of meal desired. The restaurant needs the reservation information in
order to prepare properly for our meeting.
To
get to the Rosen Plaza Hotel from Tampa and the Gulf Coast, take I 4 East to exit 72, take
528 East (Bee line Expressway) to exit no. 1 - International Drive. Turn right on International Drive, the Rosen Plaza
will be on your left after the Convention Center. From
Daytona or the East Coast, take I 4 and continue as above.
From the North or South on the Turnpike, go to exit 259. Take I 4 West to exit 72 and continue as above. Note: The
Orlando Convention Center is between the Rosen Plaza Hotel and the Rosen Center Hotel. Our meeting is in the Rosen Plaza, so be sure you
have the correct hotel. Free Parking is
available behind the hotel. Check with your
fellow Blinded veterans, family members, and friends and make plans to join us in Orlando
on Saturday, September 4.
New Chief for the WPB BRC: On July 1, 2010, Zaskia Diaz-Marrero took up her
duties as Chief of the Blind Rehabilitation Center (BRC) at the West Palm Beach (WPB)
VAMC. A native of Puerto Rico, Ms.
Diaz-Marrero earned a Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of
Puerto Rico. Subsequently in 1990, she was
part of the team which opened the BRC at the San Juan VAMC.
She served as a Blind Rehab Specialist, teaching various subjects to Blinded
Veterans at the San Juan BRC. In 2000, when
services for Blinded Veterans at the WPB VAMC were to be expanded with the opening of the
Blind Rehab Center, she was selected as one of the two Blind Rehabilitation Outpatient
Specialist (BROS) assigned to provide BROS services to the Blinded Veterans in the five
Southeast Florida Counties. She served as a
BROS at the WPB VAMC from 2000 to 2006. At
that time, she was selected as the Program Coordinator/Supervisor at the Blind Rehab
Center. While serving in that capacity, she
completed the Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) 8 Competency Development for
Leaders (CDL) Program. Recently, Zaskia
Diaz-Marrero was selected as the new Chief of the WPB VAMC Blind Rehabilitation Center. As such, she will direct the provision of
rehabilitation services to Blinded Veterans receiving in patient treatment at the WPB BRC. In her position as Program Coordinator at the BRC,
she was instrumental in helping the BVA-FRG in getting its Exit Survey Program started. This program will assist the BVA-FRG in its
advocacy responsibilities. We thank her for
that assistance. On behalf of Blinded Veterans
in Florida, We congratulate Ms Diaz-Marrero on her new position as Chief of the BRC and
look forward to working cooperatively with her to insure quality services for Blinded
Veterans.
FRG Southwest District
Walk-A-Thon: Attention FRG Southwest District members! The annual Walk-A-Thon will be held in Ft. Myers on
Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 9 AM to 2 PM. We
urge all Blinded veterans to participate in this fund raising venture. The entire share amount of the funds received by
the BVA-FRG shall be used toward the cost of bus transportation to the FRG Convention in
Daytona Beach next spring. Last year, we
received $1300 from the Walk-A-Thon and hope to receive at least $1500 this year. Please help us reach this goal. For information, contact VIST Coordinator Joyce
Thornton-Gilbert at (239) 939-3939 ex 6284 or Terry King at (941) 505-7747.
New BVA Field Service Program
(FSP) Representative: Douglas M. Brooks
has taken up his duties as the new BVA FSP Representative in Atlanta, effective May 31,
2010, following the retirement of Ron Lester. Douglas
Brooks was born in Portsmouth, Virginia where he attended school. Following high school , he entered the Marine Corps
in 1973. While
in the Marine Corps, he incurred a visual disability which ultimately left him legally
blind. In 1978, he used his VA training
eligibility to entered Charleston Southern University where he earned a bachelor's degree
in Psychology. Following college, he worked 7
years as a math and science teacher. Subsequently,
he attended graduate school at Old Dominion University.
For 15 years, he worked as a counselor for the South Carolina School System. Over the years, he has done significant volunteer
work, primarily in little league baseball. In
2005, he moved to Georgia where he continued his volunteer work. In January 2010, he began working as a volunteer
with Ron Lester at the BVA FSP Office in Atlanta. Doug
is married and has two sons. They live in the
Atlanta area. In addition to his work as our
new FSP Representative in Atlanta and volunteer work, he is a model train enthusiast. We welcome Douglas Brooks to his new position as
the BVA Southeast Field Service Program Representative in Atlanta. If BV's need his assistance with VA claims, call
him at (404) 929-5338.
Remember to mark your calendar
for Saturday, September 4, so that you, your family members, and friends, may attend the FRG meeting at the Rosen Plaza Hotel
in Orlando. Be sure to call those listed above
and make your reservations, before September 1. If
you make a reservation and can't come, please call and cancel your reservation before that
date . The FRG will pay $15 for each meal we
guarantee. We
don't want to pay for meals not used. Join
us at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando on September 4 for an informative, interesting, and
enjoyable afternoon. Help us make this, the
first of seven District Luncheon meetings before our State Convention, the best yet.
FRG
Meeting Schedule
September
4
FRG Meeting Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando
October
2
Proposed FRG Meeting in Jacksonville
November
6
FRG Meeting at the Palm's Restaurant in North Ft. Myers
December
4
Proposed FRG meeting in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area
January
16
Proposed FRG meeting Hilton Hotel in Ocala.
FRG Newsletter Staff
Terry
King
FRG President
Fran
Thomas
FRG Auxiliary President
George
Stocking
Newsletter Editor