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 […]

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 two remaining online classes, each of which lasts an hour. Attendees can choose between two time slots: 12:00 Noon or 3:00pm Eastern Time.  The content has been […]

Join VetTech this Wednesday, April 19, at 2:00pm Eastern Time as we welcome Jenine Stanley, Explorer Community Manager at Aira Tech Corporation. Aira removes barriers and makes the world more accessible with visual interpreting. The company promotes the premise that whatever the need and whatever the reason, an Aira agent can provide access anytime, anywhere. Do not miss this VetTech session! Participants will learn:                                                                        What Aira is. How to connect with Aira from a variety […]

Don’t forget next week’s meeting of the BVA Dog Handlers Committee! The 4:00pm Eastern Time session via Zoom on Tuesday, April 18, is open to all veterans with sight loss who are interested in topics and issues related to guide dogs. The Committee meetings are regularly scheduled for the third Tuesday of each month in the same time slot and generally last approximately 90 minutes.  Veterans who do not currently have a working guide dog […]

Accompanied by their guide teams from Sightless Summits and Choosing To See, BVA members Lonnie Bedwell and Shawn Cheshire arrived safely in Lukla, Nepal, on Thursday, April 6. The teams headed out on foot the very next day to Namche Bazaar, which, as they described it, is the last “big” town on the way to Everest Base Camp. From that point, the group reported, helpful resources became much less abundant as they also entered rougher […]

BVA Visionaries are a special team of loyal and dedicated supporters who make recurring monthly donations to help the organization carry out its mission in support of America’s blinded and low vision military veterans. Your thoughtfulness in lending this support makes possible the committed and ongoing services our veterans provide to one another free of charge as they remain true to the recently adopted motto “One Vision, One Team, One Fight.”  As a BVA Visionary, […]