DBS Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist–at Work in Pasco, Hernando & Citrus

May 21, 2013 Leave a comment

DBS Counselor Provides Encouragement to Others

Re-posted with permission, courtesy of The Ledger.com
By GARY WHITE | The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.)
Published online: May 20, 2013
Retrieved May 20, 2013 from:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20130518/NEWS/130519419

LAKELAND ­| Darlene Acree had never really considered what it’s like to be blind before her life changed at age 17.

Acree was riding in a car driven by her boyfriend when he apparently fell asleep traveling at 90 mph. The vehicle hit a tree, and Acree’s face slammed into the glove compartment.

She went from having 20-20 vision to being completely sightless.

“I had never met a person who was visually impaired or blind,” said Acree, a Lake Wales native now living in Lakeland. “I thought people like that are just born that way. I was very ignorant until it happened to me.”

Acree, 40, now devotes her professional life to helping others with visual impairments. She works as a senior rehabilitation specialist for the Florida Division of Blind Services‘ Lakeland office.

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PRESS RELEASE: New Employment Opportunity for the Blind and Visually Impaired

May 14, 2013 1 Comment

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sylvia Perez, Executive Director, Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind, 727-815-0303

New Employment Opportunity for the Blind and Visually Impaired

The Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind is happy to announce a new opportunity to provide employment to persons who are visually impaired or blind.

Zep Meter Mist 3000 dispenser and fragrance refills

Zep Meter Mist 3000 Dispenser and Fragrance Refills — available to government agencies from the Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse is now contracted to assemble and ship the Zep Meter Mist 3000 dispenser and fragrance refills to government agencies. This contract is providing employment for two visually impaired and blind people. The Zep Meter Mist 3000 protects environments against unpleasant odors. Clock settings provide for hourly on/off activations, and a programmable shut off feature allows the user to set daily and weekly activation. Fragrance refills are available in a wide variety of scents. To order the Zep Meter Mist 3000, please call RESPECT of Florida at 850-942-3555 or visit www.respectofflorida.org.

Marlys assembling the mister closeup

The Lighthouse is working to put people who are visually impaired and blind back to work.

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Spring/Summer Independent Living Classes Start Soon

May 6, 2013 Leave a comment

Independent Living Classes To Start June 1st

Donna teaches a client to make grill cheese safely

In the Independent Living Skills Program, clients learn how to function independently and safely.

Learning to live and function with diminished vision or a lack of functional vision can be a frightening and challenging experience. Vision loss can result in emotional and physical isolation and injury, and for those of working age, it can lead to unemployment. Adults who experience vision loss often become isolated as a result of the inability to drive, read, or use the telephone adequately. In addition, they often experience health issues or unsafe situations due to difficulties shopping, preparing meals, managing medication, and many are prone to falling.

To address these issues, the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind offers Independent Living Skills Classes for low vision or blind individuals who live in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus Counties. The next 12 session classes start on June 1st.

These classes, which are held twice a week at the Lighthouse in Port Richey and the Lighthouse in Brooksville, teach individuals with vision loss to effectively utilize any remaining vision and how to use their other senses. The training includes medication management, meal preparation, writing checks, and the use of assistive technology, computers, Braille, and the white cane. The classes are free and transportation is provided.

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Recognizing our wonderful volunteers

April 21, 2013 Leave a comment

National Volunteer Week - April 21-27, 2013

A female volunteer helps prepare a donor mailing.

Lighthouse volunteers help in the office and in the community.
Thank you to everyone for all your support.

In 1974, an executive order by President Richard Nixon established National Volunteer Week. Since then every sitting President and many Governors and Mayors have issued proclamations during National Volunteer Week urging individuals to give their time to worthy organizations and causes. The theme for this year’s National Volunteer Week is “Celebrating People in Action”. It honors volunteers that take action and help their communities.

Volunteers are extremely important to non-profit organizations that have limited funding and rely on the volunteers who help them make a difference for those in need. Volunteering not only helps improve the community, it also benefits the volunteers themselves. By offering their skills, volunteers positively impact their own lives too.

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Hail to the New Queen Chasco & King Pithla

April 8, 2013 Leave a comment

New Queen & King Crowned at Chasco Coronation Ball

IMG_3639aCROPPED

Victoria and Sandy Barley at the 28th Annual Chasco Coronation Ball.
Photo courtesy of Photos by J David.

The 28th Chasco Coronation Ball was held on Friday April 5th at Spartan Manor in New Port Richey. Victoria Barley was crowned Queen Chasco and Sandy Barley was crowned King Pithla. This is only the second time a married couple has been selected. Both Victoria and Sandy are very involved in the West Pasco Community, donating many hours of community service to a number of not-for-profit organizations. They are committed to making Pasco a better place to live for everyone.

Victoria Barley, who is a realtor, was nominated by Youth & Family Alternatives and Senior RAP House Leadership Council. Her volunteer service includes the Youth and Family Alternatives Senior RAP (Runaway Alternatives Project) House Leadership Council (Committee Chair), the Community Service Council, YMCA of the Suncoast, Good Samaritan Clinic, American Cancer Society, West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and West Pasco Board of Realtors. In 2012 Victoria received the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen Award and Volunteer of the year from the Community Service Council of West Pasco.

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Leaving the Heart Open by Penny McPherson

March 8, 2013 Leave a comment

Penny McPherson, a blind Braille & Adaptive Technology instructor at the Lighthouse, knows how the loss of vision can impact a life, and she knows how valuable training is to ensuring hope, confidence and independence. Penny, on the right in the picture below, teaches students, that include Donna, Becky and James, to use computers with magnification and speech technology. In addition to being an instructor, Penny is a mother, and a poet. In her poem “Leaving the Heart Open”, a beautiful life without vision is realized with determination and training.

A photo of Penny with some of her students in the Lighthouse computer lab.

Students Donna, Becky and James in the computer lab with Penny, one of the Assistive Technology Instructors at the Lighthouse.

Leaving the Heart Open

Losing vision is like leaving one garden to live in another.
Exchanging definition of form and focus, and profusion of color… for what?
A shock to the system, once the door of vision slams shut—
Variegated emotions: Grief, Loss, Frustration, Fear, Uncertainty once the curtain falls …
It’s hard at first—Yet, I have seen green shoots poking,
Nudging their way up through fertile soil, Determined to adapt to the
Garden’s changed landscape … And the miracle is: They Do!
They press through no matter what; fortitude, their signature fragrance
Having adaptation’s roots firmly fixed, they are dauntless
Emigrés, leaving familiar lands, their situation—another garden path to explore.
How eager their attitude! How ready to embrace the unknown!
Every fruitful one has learned the secret of prospering.
Averting defeat by refusing to drop out … give up …
Risking failure in hopes of something more
They covet the blossoms of the diligent, going to any lengths.
Only thing I can say is: Keep going. Keep trying.
Persist. Plant. Water. Fertilize. The harvest will come. When it does,
Every effort you’ve ever made will scent the Air: Fragrant …
Nothing so beautiful as learning to embrace the dance of shifting circumstance …
© 2013, Penny McPherson
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Lighthouse Celebrates 30 Years of Service

March 6, 2013 Leave a comment

Lighthouse logo

30 Years Serving People With Vision Loss

Lighthouse's 30th Anniversary Logo

30th Anniversary Logo designed by
Lighthouse Volunteer Stephen Mortimer
http://www.smortimerphoto.co.uk/Design 

Submitted by Lighthouse Volunteer,
Caryl Melancon

Back in 1983, there were no rehabilitation programs for the visually impaired and blind in Pasco County. Therefore, the Florida Division of Blind Services held a town hall meeting at the West Campus of the Pasco Hernando Community College to determine if there was a need for local services. Over 150 people attended and voiced strong support for the establishment of a center. In May of the same year, the First Methodist Church of New Port Richey donated a house and the B.L.I.N.D Club of New Port Richey donated $500. The Suncoast Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired was born and, in October, 1983, began helping the visually impaired and blind members of the community to acquire the skills needed for maximum independence.

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PRESS RELEASE: LIGHTHOUSE ADOPTED BY LOCAL PR FIRM

February 25, 2013 Leave a comment

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lighthouse – Sylvia Perez, Executive Director 727-815-0303

Lighthouse a Winner in Charity Adoptions Program

The Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind was one of eleven non-profit organizations adopted by the National Strategies Public Relations (NSPR) firm. NSPR is a national public relations agency based in Tampa that was recently named one of the top 25 public relations firms by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. They recently initiated a “Charity Adoption” program which will provide 11 different charities in the Tampa Bay area a month (one a month) of free media relations support throughout 2013.

“Now more than ever, charities need our help. Whether it’s communicating their message, sharing their successes or encouraging donation within the community, other local businesses in a position to do so need to volunteer to help,” said Jennifer Vickery NSPR President and CEO.

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Good News – No Cap on Charitable Donations

January 9, 2013 Leave a comment

Sylvia giving a tour of the classroom to 4 Lighthouse visitors

Blindness does not always mean completely blind. The Lighthouse helps those who are ‘low vision’ to develop their remaining vision, in addition to other senses, in order to live independently.

Good News for Donors and Nonprofit Agencies
Submitted by Lighthouse Volunteer,
Caryl Melancon

According to the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, which was signed onto law by President Obama on January 2nd, there will be no cap on charitable donations. They will continue to be coupled with an individual or household’s tax rate. Additionally, the IRA charitable rollover has been extended to December 31, 2013.That means that someone age 70 ½ or older can make a tax free contribution from an IRA of up to $100,000 per taxpayer, per year.

That’s good news for charities and for those interested in donating to non-profit organizations. But who are the people that give and why do they give? Studies show that individual perceptions are at the heart of giving, and despite what you may think, most donations to charities come from middle class Americans not the rich. Why do these people give? According to research, some of the reasons that people give to charitable causes include: Read more of this post

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28th Annual Chasco Coronation Ball – Nominations Now Being Accepted

January 2, 2013 Leave a comment

Coronation Ball logoFriday, April 5th, 2013, 6:00 p.m.
Spartan Manor, New Port Richey, FL 

 Nominations for 2013 King Pithla & Queen Chasco are now being accepted!!!

The King and Queen are chosen for their dedication and commitment to our community.  We encourage your organization to submit the names of deserving community volunteers, as this is a rare opportunity to acknowledge those people who have helped to make our community a better place to live.

The King and Queen are chosen by independent judges, not associated with the Lighthouse in any way.  The judges review each nominee questionnaire and statistically rate their contributions to the community.

Nominations should be completed on the attached form and emailed to
Lighthouse Executive Director Sylvia Perez at sperez@lvib.org.

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