Meet BVRS' New President
Meet Erika Arbogast, an accomplished Pittsburgh native with more than 10 years experience in nonprofit management who was hired to be BVRS’ new president after a national search.
Experience in nonprofit programs and attentive to the bottom line, Erika said her first priority is to concentrate on improving budgetary shortfalls by diversifying revenue streams so BVRS may better weather tough economic conditions.
“A nonprofit agency is simply a business with a mission and it needs to be managed with good business practices so the mission can be carried out,” Erika said.
North Hills Friendship Group Forming
Knitting, crocheting, good conversation, coffee, and entertainment will all be a part of the Friendship Group that is forming in the North Hills for seniors with vision loss. Men and women are welcome and volunteers are needed. Click here for more information.
BVRS' Low Vision Clinic helps Poet and Artist Continue Doing What She Loves To Do
Dolores Urbank, 81, is a published author and award-winning artist who has painted and written poetry her whole life. In 2007 she lost her vision to macular degeneration and couldn’t see well enough to do either one anymore.
Mrs. Urbank’s doctor referred her to BVRS’ Low Vision Clinic. Dr. Erica Hacker, a low vision specialist at BVRS, prescribed a number of optical aids to help Mrs. Urbank see well enough to paint, write, and read her poetry to public groups while standing at podium. Mrs. Urbank, is pictured left holding her book, My Pen Loves To Talk. Behind her is one of her paintings.
“I can’t express how this has improved my life,” Mrs. Urbank said. “Now I can be with my family and not be a burden or feel left out, and continue doing the things I love.”
For more of Mrs. Urbank's story, click here.
BVRS is 100!
This year BVRS celebrates 100 years of service to people who are blind or vision impaired. Read some of the recent successes on our Stories page by clicking the link below.