First Thursday Bridgeport Group
On April 2 our guest speaker will be Dr, Burger with the Center for Retina and Macular Diseases.
March Newsletter with Audio
Hello, this is Rita Labarbara on behalf of VIP chair Melinda Zeman and leader of the Bridgeport meeting.
Vision Expo 2026
Our annual Vision Expo held at Eisenhower on February the 28th was a huge success! We had a large crowd of over 600 people go through the exhibits and also listen to the guest speakers. If you missed it or would like to hear those speakers again they are posted on our website www.thevillagesvip.org.
A fun time for all was had at our March meeting by The Villages Accordion Club.
Our next luncheon will be on June 4th. We will have The Villages Keyboard and Piano Club entertain us!
Calendar of events
April 2nd
General meeting at Bridgeport Recreation Center 1:00 p.m.
April 20th
General meeting at Ezell Regional Recreation Center 1:00 p.m.
April 23rd
VIP bowling 3:00 p.m. at Fiesta Bowl
Our guest speaker this month will be Dr Burger with the Center for Retina and Macular Diseases.
DID YOU KNOW?
Our bright orange VIP t-shirts are available for sale for $10 each as well as our magnetic VIP pins for $2 a piece at every meeting . Show your support by wearing them to all our events.
I encourage you all to check out the
Be My Eyes website for the latest in innovation for the low vision and blind. They have some wonderful exciting articles that are worth listening to. You can reach them at bemyeyes.com.
Transportation News
Transportation assistance ; Sumter County residents needing rides in and around Sumter County as well as transportation to the New Vision for Independence office in Leesburg is available if you qualify. Call 352-568-6683 for information and an application.
Caring Neighbors in The Villages.
If you need a ride to our meetings, the doctors, the grocery store etc. and you live in a participating Village these volunteers will take you. Go to their website at the villagescaringneighbors.com to view participating Villages along with phone numbers.
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.
You must be a registered member of the church to participate. Volunteers will provide transportation to meet your needs in our area. Call Terry with questions at 352-399-2894
Attention all golfers!
The Lake Sumter Lions have a program that meets on the second Saturday of every month at El Santiago Golf Course at 1:00 p.m.
If you are interested please reach out to Bill Sheehan His phone is 630-632-3682 and his email is w.sheahan@icloud.com. Interested golfers can phone, text or email him. They should know that this is for previous golfers who have subsequently had vision problems. They don’t have the expertise to train new golfers or to provide equipment.
New Vision for Independence is encouraging everyone to attend a a special performance coming at the Eustis State Theater
109 N. Bay Street Eustis Florida
The show is called
Percy Jackson
The Lightning Thief Friday March 27th
7:30 p.m. approximately a 2 hour and 15 minute show.
Tickets are $30 apiece and your attendance will help show that accessibility services like audio description are valued and needed in our community.
We hope to see you there!
We partner with New Vision for Independence and all of the resources that are available to us as visually mpaired persons. They offer training in all areas for independent living as well as the opportunity to exercise with them over the phone or play games. Lisa will be coming to our meetings every month and is glad to assist us with any questions we may have. You can also reach her by calling the New Vision for Independence at 352 607-7607.
FYI, New Vision has many used donated pieces of visual equipment that they are looking to rehome. If you are looking for a particular item, please reach out to them.
I would like to take this time to thank all of you who supported our group by playing the 50/50 at our meetings. Those contributions help support our yearly Christmas luncheon as well as supply drinks for our meetings each month.
A big Thank you goes out to all that bring a healthy snack to our general meetings.
Melinda Zeman
VIP chairperson and leader of the Bridgeport meeting
386 867 0284
Zemanzoo@gmail.com
Welcome! Attention!
The March luncheon has been canceled. I’m encouraging everyone to pack a lunch and come join us for a social and entertainment meeting.
This month’s entertainment will be our very own Accordion Club in The Villages! It’s also a great way to meet your fellow VIPs and have a chance to talk to each other.
Don’t Forget!
The Annual Vision Expo!
It’s Saturday February 28th at Eisenhower Rec Center. Doors open at 9:45AM until 2:30PM. The Exhibit Hall opens at 10:45.
There will be many great guest speakers and exhibitors.
February’s guest speaker was Sergeant Dodge from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. What an interesting and informative program it was. His first topic was about the Vial of Life Program.
It was designed to provide your medical information to emergency personnel in situations where you are unable to do so. Every person in attendance received a Vial of Life container along with the form to fill out and put in the vial. Sergeant Dodge also spoke about fraud schemes and scams often used by criminals to get our money. The examples he gave were startling! He spoke about dementia support programs that the sheriff’s office has to keep people safe. He gave golf cart safety tips and reviewed rules of the road for golf carts. He cheerfully answered all our
Third Monday Ezell Group
March 16 Audio Newsletter
Our next meeting is Monday, March 16th, at 1pm at the Ezell Regional Recreation Center. Our speaker is John Corneille, one of our members. John will talk about his experiences with the Meta glasses as a vision impaired user. John will also share some of his life experiences as a person progressively losing almost all of his vision. In addition we will have Danielle Rosier, the mobile audiologist, speaking about how important it is to maintain adequate hearing when we have lost some or all of our vision.
The VISION AWARENESS EXPO was Saturday, February 28th, at the Eisenhower Regional Recreation Center. A big thank you for all of those who attended, and a special thank you for those of you who volunteered to help during the day. The Expo was a great success, with over 600 attendees. If you were not able to attend, we have audio recordings of the three speakers on our web site. I encourage you to take the time to listen to these amazing presenters.
We always want to remind you about all of the programs offered by New Vision for Independence. They are our go-to local agency for support. You can reach them at 352-607-7607. Or check out their website at www.newvisionfl.org. Lisa Fisher with New Vision has been joining us every month and bringing us healthy snack suggestions, along with the latest information on what’s happening at New Vision.
You are encouraged to check out the Be My Eyes website at www.bemyeyes.com. They have some wonderful exciting articles that are worth listening to.
Caring Neighbors has added additional Villages to their list of neighborhood groups that can help residents within those neighborhoods. Check out their website at www.thevillagescaringneighbors.com
The VIP Support Group provides the drinks at our meetings. If you are able, please bring a snack to share with your friends.
We appreciate your participation in the 50/50 drawings at both our Ezell and Bridgeport meetings. We do not charge dues and those contributions help support our VIP Support Group!
Did you know that you may attend either, or both, of our monthly meetings. The Bridgeport meetings are also at 1pm and are on the first Thursday of the month, The April meeting at Bridgeport will be April 2nd and the Ezell meeting will be April 20th.
In addition to the monthly VIP meetings, there are other activities that you may be interested in.
VIP Bowling is the third Wednesday each month, at Fiesta Bowl in Spanish Springs @ 3pm. There’s always a plan to get together for dinner afterward. Contact Al Sessa: 908-812-6523 for more information.
The Lake Sumter Lions have a golf program that meets on the second Saturday of each month at El Santiago golf course at 1:00. If you are interested please reach out to Bill Sheehan at 630-632-3682 or w.sheahan@icloud.com. This activity is only for existing golfers. They do not have the expertise to train new golfers.
If you are a Villages resident that lives in Sumter County, you may call 352-568-6683 for transportation assistance in and around Sumter County as well as transportation to the New Vision for Independence offices in Leesburg.
Audiologist Dr. Rosier is now offering a mobile service that will come directly to you home for all your hearing testing. Please call her at 352-775-2554
VIP T-Shirts are available for $10. See Frank Traina at our Ezell meeting or Bridgeport meeting.
Hope to see you at Ezell, at the Monday, March 16th meeting.VIP Bowling is the third Wednesday each month, at Fiesta Bowl in Spanish Springs @ 3pm. There’s always a plan to get together for dinner afterward. Contact Al Sessa: 908-812-6523 for more information.
The Lake Sumter Lions have a golf program that meets on the second Saturday of each month at El Santiago golf course at 1:00. If you are interested please reach out to Bill Sheehan at 630-632-3682 or w.sheahan@icloud.com. This activity is only for existing golfers. They do not have the expertise to train new golfers.
If you are a Villages resident that lives in Sumter County, you may call 352-568-6683 for transportation assistance in and around Sumter County as well as transportation to the New Vision for Independence offices in Leesburg.
Audiologist Dr. Rosier is now offering a mobile service that will come directly to you home for all your hearing testing. Please call her at 352-775-2554
Donna Evans, leader of the VIP Ezell meeting
Call or text: 352-391-4586