Visual Impairment & Blindness Services

Highmark Blue Shield Walk for a Healthy Community Gets Into Gear!

karen — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:33:33 +0000

This year, the Highmark Blue Shield Walk for a Healthy Community steps off on Saturday morning, June 12, 2010 in historic downtown Bethlehem. The Center for Vision Loss is pleased to be one of 17 non-profit agencies in the greater Lehigh Valley participating in this event which just gets bigger and better every year!

So circle the date on your calendar, put on your walking shoes and get ready to walk for your health and to raise money to support the programs and services of the Center for Vision Loss. Importantly every dollar you raise for our agency goes directly to our agency because all the organizational costs are picked up by Highmark Blue Shield.

It’s easy, it’s fun–get the gang, bring the dog but plan to step out on June 12. We’ll let you know soon when the Walk website is up-and-running so you can register there and get more information. And this year you will also be able to donate to the Center for Vision Loss on-line–how easy is that!

Call the Center for Vision Loss Development Office at 610-866-8049, x. 224 for more information.

It’s Basket Bingo & Brunch Time Again!

karen — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:15:29 +0000

Mark your calendar now for Sunday, April 11, 2010, then gather your friends and make plans to join us for our Annual Basket Bingo & Brunch event at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, 437 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. The event begins at 1:00 pm with the fabulous Hotel Bethlehem Sunday Brunch followed by Basket Bingo featuring Longaberger products at 2:00 pm. A ticket, which must be purchased in advance, costs $40 per person and includes the brunch, 20 games of bingo including specials, raffle prizes, door prizes and a Longaberger Raffle. This event benefits client and customer services of the Center for Vision Loss and we are pleased that First Star Bank is once again our major sponsor. Call the Development Office at 610-866-8049, x. 224 for more information and to purchase your tickets.

Introducing the CENTER FOR VISION LOSS

karen — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:36:11 +0000

Effective January 1, 2010, VIABL Services consolidated operations with the Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired in Lehigh County. We are now called the Center for Vision Loss and we will continue to serve the needs of the blind and visually impaired in Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties. Our mission will be to provide a comprehensive set of preventative, rehabilitative, supportive and social services enabling blind and visually impaired clients to achieve their personal goals and restore quality of life consistent with those goals.

Our programs and services will provide a balance of independent living skills and social services to meet individual needs across a diverse client base and we will continue to provide prevention of blindness and remedial eye eye to reduce the incidence of vision loss in the community.

Stephanie Olexa has been appointed as the Executive Director for the Center For Vision Loss and you will be hearing more about Ms. Olexa in the future. The new mailing address for the Center for Vision Loss is 845 W. Wyoming Street, Allentown, PA 18103 and our service locations include:

845 W. Wyoming St., Allentown, PA 18103 Phone 610-433-6018 Fax 610-433-4856

260 E. Broad St., Bethlehem, PA 18018 Phone 610-866-8049 Fax 610-866-8730

4215 Manor Dr., Stroudsburg, PA Phone 570-992-7787 Fax 570-992-7772

November / December 2009 Newsletter

viabl — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:50:38 +0000

Click the below link to download our newsletter in PDF format. If you do not have adobe acrobat installed on your computer you can download it from Adobe by clicking here (link opens in a new window).

November / December 2009 Newsletter

September / October 2009 Newsletter

viabl — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:37:25 +0000

September / October 2009 Newsletter

Annual Dinner and Volunteer and Community Recognition Held

karen — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:40:56 +0000

VIABL Services’ Annual Dinner and Volunteer and Community Recognition was held on Tuesday, November 10, 2009, at the Green Pond Country Club, Bethlehem, PA. Dale Schafer and his business, Elysian Fields Specialty Florals, Bethlehem, provided the unique floral centerpieces which graced the tables. This event is held every year to honor the work of volunteers, donors, friends, clients and staff who have helped VIABL Services provide programs and services to blind and visually impaired residents of Northampton and Monroe Counties. This year’s theme was “puzzle pieces” and Master of Ceremonies David Pike, Board President, was quick to point out that all of these constituencies contribute their own unique puzzle pieces to make VIABL successful.

Prior to sharing a delicious dinner, guests worked together to make puzzles from the colorful puzzle pieces they found at their tables. It was fun to see everyone contributing their pieces which resulted in designs that brought out everyone’s inner child. David De Notaris then captivated the audience’s attention with his presentation, “Putting the Pieces Together: People, Purpose and Power.” Mr. De Notaris is Director of PA’s Bureau of Blindness & Visual Services. He is also a nationally-known motivational speaker who just happens to be blind.

Next on the program came the Awards presentations. The following individuals or groups were honored by VIABL Services for their help in 2008-09: The Helen Keller Award for Independence, David De Notaris; Dr. William Fogelman Distinguished Service Award, David Pike; Joyce McEllroy Volunteer of the Year Award, District 14-K Lions and Lioness Clubs; Polly McGarr Community Service Award, Tom Sforza; IWA/Barrie Pace Community Partnership Award, Dale Schafer, Elysian Fields Speciality Florals; Don Leiser Good Neighbor Award, Pocono Healthy Communities Alliance; Partnership in Service Award, Tannersville Lions Club; Knight in Shining Armor Award , Dr. Amit Gupta; Louis Braille Award, Ada Dorosh; and Anne Sullivan Award, Cynthia Starner.

We thank all of our friends, donors, clients and staff who help VIABL Services carry out its mission throughout the year and make our agency successful.

Award Winners: Front Row: Roxanne Powell, Cynthia Starner, Ada Dorosh

Back Row: Tom Sforza, Dale Schafer, David Pike, Dr. Amit Gupta,

David De Notaris, Mike Tukeva

Liz Tech Pin Fundraiser

viabl — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:50:09 +0000

Consider purchasing VIABL Services’ beautiful new Liztech pin, Insightful, as a way of supporting VIABL Services, as well as celebrating the gift of sight.

Our new pin was designed by Liztech, a jewelry company in East Stroudsburg, PA. The creative artists of this company specialize in designs using reflective materials to create unique pieces that “make a statement.”

Called Insightful, our pin depicts the eye, the world, the colors of the visible light spectrum and the heart needed to help blind and visually impaired individuals achieve their goal of independence.

Each pin sells for $50 and 100% of all sales go to support agency services. If you are looking for a beautiful and meaningful gift to celebrate a holiday, birthday or other special occasion or simply to support the work of VIABL Services, please consider purchasing a pin. Call 610-866-8049, x. 224 for more information.

Speaker’s Bureau

viabl — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:49:08 +0000

If you need a program for a meeting or an event, we can help! Our presentation will include the showing of our new video, The Faces of Independence. This moving video, produced as a community service by RCN-TV, introduces your audience to four VIABL Services clients and our work in the community.

Call 610-866-8049 x.224 for more information.

Exciting News! We are now the CENTER FOR VISION LOSS! Click on “New and Events” for more details.

viabl — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:22:09 +0000

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness and although there is no cure for this disease, we urge you to see your eye doctor for a yearly comprehensive eye exam to help preserve your vision. For more information on glaucoma, visit www.pablind.org.

viabl — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:21:50 +0000