Silver Star Banner Day is Monday, May 1. The designation recognizes the sacrifices of the ill, wounded, and dying members of the United States military. The day also honors those awarded with the Silver Star Medal and their families. The Medal is awarded to those who demonstrate distinguished valor in combat and is the third highest decoration in the Armed Forces.  The Silver Star Banner itself has blue stars representing hope. The stars are covered […]

BVA Convention Coordinator Meredith Buono-Dagrossa has issued another call to BVA members and their families to register as soon as possible for the convention and make a reservation with the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel for the Association’s 78th National Convention in the Gateway City. She also recommends making flight or other travel arrangements now.  Individuals and families planning to attend this year’s activities—highlighted by educational sessions, an increasingly popular and busy Exhibit Hall, and […]

In recognition of Financial Literacy Month, VA’s Office of Outreach, Transition, and Economic Development has partnered with Prudential to offer a Wellness Wednesday Educational Series throughout April. The program’s objective is to assist service members, veterans, family members, and caregivers in building strong financial foundations.  The series has just one remaining hour-long online class. Attendees can choose between two time slots: 12:00 Noon or 3:00pm Eastern Time.  The content has been tailored to address financial […]

Join VetTech this Wednesday, April 26, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as we welcome John Palmer, Patriot Vision Industries President and Founder. Patriot Vision combines the best in state-of-the-art magnification technology with usability for a multitude of tasks. The company developed the only iOS Apple-certified magnification and reading system combination in the world—in tandem with cutting-edge, head-mounted digital magnifiers. Do not miss this VetTech session! Participants will receive an overview and description of:                                                                        Common conditions, needs, […]

BVA members wishing to nominate an individual for an award or Certificate of Appreciation have one more week to submit the materials to the Association’s National Headquarters. BVA’s Awards Program honors annually the extraordinary professional achievements of a blind or low vision veteran, the outstanding level of service of a BVA member to their regional group, and a volunteer who has served blind and low vision veterans with unusual dedication and enthusiasm.  The recognitions are, […]

BVA’s Women Veterans Group was created to serve, support, and promote camaraderie among blinded and now low vision women veterans through awareness and advocacy efforts affecting their health and welfare.  The group’s leadership committee meets every fourth Wednesday of the month while the general membership virtual meeting occurs the day following, usually the fourth Thursday. The meetings begin at 6:00pm Eastern Time. The next meeting via Zoom, scheduled for April 27, will welcome Nico Marcolongo, […]

Today BVA Happenings features the Association’s Government Relations Team. Alek Libbin removes a small piece of the Congressional veil to reveal how organizations like BVA build coalitions and generate action from what is, at times, an immovable body.  The “Hello Girls” were women who served during the First World War as Signal Corps operators and served as translators between American and French officers during calls. They averaged 150,000 calls per day. What makes these women […]

Nathan Witt, Voluntary Service Specialist for the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement (CDCE), has shared with Veterans Service Organizations a TEDx Talk from Kathy Stokes who, in 16 minutes, offers relatable stories demonstrating the ease with which one can fall prey to financial fraud. Stokes is Director of Fraud Prevention Programs at AARP.  The video was forwarded to BVA National Headquarters by National Treasurer Tracy Ferro, also BVA’s representative on the CDCE’s National […]

VA has both published and produced a series of 25 public service announcements designed for radio that highlight programs, benefits, and services for veterans and their families. The goal is to educate the public as well as the veteran population about these important resources.  Although VA’s outreach is targeted primarily to station managers who may wish to air the announcements, the PSAs are also available for download to anyone as both mp3s and transcripts. Most […]

BVA Convention Coordinator Meredith Buono-Dagrossa continues to emphasize the benefits of registering as soon as possible with BVA and making a reservation with the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel for the Association’s 78th National Convention in the Gateway City. She also recommends making flight or other travel arrangements now. Individuals and families planning to attend this year’s activities—highlighted by educational sessions, an increasingly popular and busy Exhibit Hall, and official BVA business sessions—can now register […]