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Summer 2004 VOICEHarriet's Passions: Life & People!Harriet Hall, VABVI facilitator for the Newport, St. Johnsbury, and just recently added St. Albans and Central Vermont Peer Assisted Learning and Support (PALS) Groups, has a passion for life, and a love of working with people that is contagious. "I'm not a dumb blond, even though sometimes I may act like it. I'll do whatever it takes to make someone smile or feel better." Working with a diverse group of mainly older Vermonters can be challenging, but Harriet is up to the challenge. "I'm a people person. Seeing people's faces light up gives me more energy. Just seeing people's attitudes change motivates me.” Harriet also adds, “Anything is possible [for a visually impaired person]; if we can't do it one way, we'll do it another." Success is sometimes hard to measure, but Harriet remembers Senator Jim Greenwood talking to her about someone he knew who was dealing with vision loss. "He brought her to the group without telling her what they were going to do, and he left her there. She was very upset, but to this day her whole life was turned around. She has accomplished her goals and she is moving on. Now she is independent and happy!" Harriet says, "Helping people helps me to stay upbeat. It makes me feel that what I am doing is really important." Harriet is constantly reading and finding out what other groups are doing. She asks the members in her own groups what types of things they would like to do. "It's your group, I tell them! I try to keep things flowing and interesting so that older members can share with newer members." Harriet doesn't have a whole lot of spare time. Her husband, State Representative John Hall says, "Harriet is an amazing woman!" As they were going over the phone bill recently, and calculating the minutes, John looked up and said, "Harriet, look at this! You were on the phone a whole day!" Is there any other way to get everything done? Harriet's inspiration comes from within. "I start each day with a 3–5 mile walk. If I don't have that time [to regain my perspective] I find it a really rough day." Her positive "can do" attitude knows no bounds. Harriet says, "Seeing what other visually impaired people can do is a motivator for many!" And, she adds, “sometimes it's just that little spark that keeps them going." Thanks, Harriet, for being that spark! Mini Center UpdateBy the time you receive this newsletter, the Central Vermont Mini Center Capital Campaign will have concluded. Three years ago, as we began VABVI's first-ever capital campaign, we were a little unsure of what kind of response it would receive. What we learned is that the generosity of Vermonters, and others, towards services, training, and support for fellow Vermonters coping with vision loss is unparalleled. Today we can state that we've met and surpassed our $500,000 goal - ahead of schedule - ending at $507,557.92. We could not have done it without the generosity of our many donors including the Gibney Family Foundation. They matched the final $150,000 of the campaign, dollar-for-dollar. Nor would we have achieved success without the able leadership of the Capital Campaign Steering Committee, under the watchful eye of Campaign Chair Norman S. Case. Other committee members included Michael J. Benoit, Patricia S. Carruth, Nancy Hebard, Walter Merrow, James M. Mooney, Reuben Sherman, and Hilton Wick. Thank you one and all! A Beacon of Hope, Indeed!VABVI's 14th Annual Dinner and Silent Auction, held on May 14 at the Capitol Plaza in Montpelier, was a true Beacon of Hope. $15,000 was raised to directly benefit services, training, and support for Vermonters coping with vision loss! Nearly 100 people attended the dinner, including special guest Governor Jim Douglas. In a proclamation, presented to Lions District Governor Merry Souza, Douglas declared May 14 to be Vermont Lions Club Day, in recognition of over 78 years of working to encourage, educate, and assist blind and visually impaired Vermonters. Vermont Lions Clubs continue to be a "beacon of hope" for many in the state. Eric Michaels, WDEV Station Manager, and radio personality, was the emcee for the evening. Many local organizations contributed to the Silent Auction, which netted over $2,000. VABVI would like to thank all those who contributed to the great success of this year's event! An important component of our success during the Annual Dinner is always the Silent Auction. Many, many businesses and individuals provide contributions that help to make the evening fun, while also garnering bids to support VABVI services. Listed below are those donors who made contributions to this year's Silent Auction and were previously not included in the VOICE:
A Strong Board of Directors Makes for a Strong Agency
We welcome Patricia Henderson to the VABVI Board of Directors. Pattie has over 19 years of experience in the insurance accounting arena, and is currently employed as Director of Corporate Services and Vermont Operations for Strategic Risk Solutions of Colchester. We bid farewell to Peter Erly of Shelburne, Mary McGarey Madkour of Bennington, Jim Mooney of Essex Junction, and Marie Vogler of Manchester, all who are completing terms on our Board. All have served three, three-year terms and according to the VABVI By-Laws are now required to take at least one year off. We are very grateful for the professionalism and experience each one brought to the Board. They will be missed. Calendar of Upcoming Events
Save the Date . . . The 2004 Technology Fair will be held Monday, September 27 in White River Junction, Vermont at the Veterans Administration Complex. This will be a great hands-on opportunity to explore a variety of adaptive devices for blind and visually impaired persons to make day-to-day living easier. Stay tuned for more details! Workshop for parents and educators: Friday, October 15, 2004 at the Quechee Club in Quechee, VT, "Social Skills for Students with Visual Impairments" will provide strategies that will enhance the visually impaired student's social skills in the classroom and beyond. This will be presented by Dr. Sharon Sacks, a professor in the Division of Special Education at California State University. For more information, contact Kathy Lawrence at klawrence@vabvi.org or 800-639-5861, ext. 82. Attention Parents! Do you receive the National Association for the Parents with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) newsletter? Get information and find resources for your child! Call 1-800-562-6265 for more information on subscriptions. It's worth it! A Little Ditty about Jack and Diane
At the Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon, VABVI named Island Pond resident, Diane Sharon, Volunteer of the Year, and gave Jack Armstrong of Brownington, the President's Award. The luncheon is held every year to show appreciation to all our volunteers; they make a world of difference in the lives of our 1,400+ clients. The Volunteer of the Year award is given to the volunteer who put in the greatest number of hours during the 2003 calendar year. The President's Award is given to a volunteer for outstanding service, exemplifying the spirit and goals of VABVI. Diane Sharon volunteered an amazing 1,453.5 hours for VABVI, and she drove 27,203 miles. In addition to her dedication to driving VABVI clients, she has excellent communication skills and is easy to work with. She stays at meetings and helps out when the need arises. Clients feel very comfortable with her and ask for her when they need to go shopping. Jack Armstrong volunteered 605.5 hours of his time, and drove 10,657 miles. In addition to driving wherever and whenever needed, Jack spends many hours shopping with clients, patiently taking time to read labels and locate items. He is an immense help at meetings and community activities, and spreading the word about VABVI. In addition, awards were given to several other volunteers for their hard work and dedication. Others who received awards were: Richard Daniel, Bob Mallabar, Jere Scanlon, Joe Bedard, Pat Lawrence, Bernice Trombetta, Theron Corliss, Lucy Parker and Sally Foss. VABVI is pleased to take this opportunity to extend our deepest thanks to them all, we are very fortunate to have such great volunteers to help us serve visually impaired Vermonters, and we salute their outstanding and varied contributions. Thank you, Rite Aid!The Rite Aid Foundation recently gave a $5,000 grant to help support VABVI's Peer Assisted Learning and Support (PALS) Groups. Thank you Rite Aid! Your help means so much to our adult clients! Cities & Towns - A belated thank you for your support on Town Meeting Day! Dustin Shines Through14 year-old Dustin Atkins has done it again. With help from the Total Home Center and Recycle North, Dustin was able to obtain a brand new stove and gently used refrigerator for the kitchen at the Burlington VABVI Office, replacing appliances that were severely outdated and in some cases operated inefficiently. Dustin was also successful in getting our soda machine fixed. His persistence and "can do" attitude aided his success, and negative responses did not derail him. We remain grateful to the Total Home Center and Recycle North for their generosity. And, as for Dustin, we think he has a future in Development. Great job! DONOR ROLLSpace does not allow us to list all donors to VABVI. Listed below are those who have given $100 or more between March 1, 2004 and May 31, 2004. Please know how very grateful we are for each and every gift received.
Tributes & Memorial Gifts
The * next to a name indicates a first time donor of $100 or more |