Servmart Base Supply Center Naval Station Great Lakes Celebrates 13 Years of Service to Community

[pictured left to right: Capt. John Malifitano, Commanding Officer, Great Lakes Naval Air Station; Michelle Mills, Servmart; John Baumgart, Associated Industries for the Blind]

September 1, 2010: Great Lakes, IL – Since 1997, the employees at Servmart Base Supply Center (BSC) at Naval Station Great Lakes have been providing on-base mission critical support and outfitting the Sailors and Officers at this Naval Training Center. Today, these employees, and Associated Industries of the Blind (AIB), reached out to thank the community at Great Lakes for their support and to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the AbilityOne Base Supply Center program.

U.S. Representative Mark Kirk (R-IL-10) praised the work of the AbilityOne Program and the Servmart BSC in a letter of recognition presented during a program at Great Lakes.

“Congratulations to you and the employees at AIB Servmart Base Supply Center for providing exceptional service to Naval Station Great Lakes since 1997,” Rep. Kirk wrote. “With each purchase at an AbilityOne BSC, customers support the employment of qualified professionals who are blind or have other severe disabilities. On this 15th anniversary of the AbilityOne BSC Program, I am pleased to congratulate AIB Servmart for doing great work at Naval Station Great Lakes and in our community. I wish you all the best and look forward to many more years of outstanding service."

“The employees at the Great Lakes Servmart Base Supply Center provide essential support to the men and women serving our country at Naval Station Great Lakes. I am pleased National Industries for the Blind chose to highlight the contributions of this BSC, and I congratulate the Servmart BSC at Great Lakes on its 13th Anniversary as the AbilityOne BSC program marks its 15th Anniversary,” U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) said in a statement released to National Industries for the Blind.

There are 140 AbilityOne BSC facilities located at federal and military installations throughout the United States that provide employment to 300 Americans who are blind or severely disabled. More than 40,000 blind or disabled people are employed through the sale of products and services through the AbilityOne Program.

“In today’s economy, I believe more than perhaps ever before, Americans have a deeper understanding of the important value and benefits of a good job,” said Claudine “Scottie” Knott, Chief Operating Officer, National Industries for the Blind. “Yes, Servmart supports the mission and the Sailors and Officers of Naval Station Great Lakes. But it also supports the livelihood of the men and women who, through civilian service, support our military. Servmart and NIB personnel are proud to be included in supporting America’s Armed Forces.”

Also attending today’s event were Captain John Malfitano, Base Commander, and Barry Lineback, Director of Business Operations, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled.

“Our employees are our greatest assets and we currently employ over 200 individuals. Over 75 percent of those individuals are blind or visually impaired,” said John Baumgart, President, Associated Industries for the Blind, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “We currently operate nine BSCs located on military bases around the country, including Hawaii, and that number is growing. We are very proud to offer quality, value and convenience to our servicemen and women.”

About National Industries for the Blind
NIB’s (www.NIB.org) mission is to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and 89 associated agencies serve as the largest employer for people who are blind by the sale of SKILCRAFT® products and services through the AbilityOne Program, established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.

Blind Employees Serve America’s Military at Luke AFB Base Supply Center

Luke AFB Honor Guard Prepares to Open Celebration Anniversary of the Focusworks AbilityOne BSC Program. Foreground: Col. McCutchen, Vice Commander 944th with Bernie Richardson, Focusworks Store manager.

Glendale, AZ – For the past 13 years, five blind and five sighted employees at Focusworks Base Supply Center (BSC) on Luke Air Force Base have been providing on-base mission critical support and outfitting servicemen and women for deployment throughout the world. Today, these employees, and the Arizona Industries for the Blind (AIB), reached out to thank the community at Luke AFB for their support and to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the AbilityOne Base Supply Center program.

Focusworks, operated by the Arizona Industries for the Blind, also locally supports the Army National Guard, the 161st Air Refueling Wing of the Arizona National Guard, the U.S. Air Force ROTC, as the Veteran’s Administration, the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security.

There are 140 AbilityOne BSC facilities located at federal and military installations throughout the United States that provide employment to 300 Americans who are blind or severely disabled. More than 40,000 blind or disabled people are employed through the sale of products and services through the AbilityOne Program.

U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) praised the work of the AbilityOne Program and the Focusworks BSC in a letter of recognition presented during a program at Luke AFB.

“It is a great pleasure to offer my congratulations and thanks for your long standing service at Luke Air Force Base and to those who have helped make the AbilityOne Base Supply Center Program the success it is today.”

“Today’s celebration demonstrates how the America dream is available to people who are blind through business opportunities, followed by hard work, innovation and quality service,” said Kevin A. Lynch, president and CEO, National Industries for the Blind (pictured left).

The 100 attendees included service men and women from Luke AFB; Arizona Department of Economic Security Director Neal Young, Glendale Vice Mayor Steven Frate, Goodyear Vice Mayor Georgia Lord, Avondale Vice Mayor Jim McDonald and James Omvig, Vice Chair, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled.

Goodyear, AZ Vice Mayor Georgia Lord with her husband Col. Lord (Ret) talks with Dan Martinez and April Lange both with Arizona Industries for the Blind during a tour of the Focusworks BSC Store.

Colonel Robert K. McCutchen, Jr., Vice Commander of the 944th Fighter Wing unit at Luke AFB, said: “Everybody wants to do the same thing – be productive, raise their family and contribute to our community. The staff [at Focusworks] does that every day and you are serving your country well.”

Left - Carlos Paraskeva, Arizona Industries for the Blind; James Omvig, Vice Chair, Committee for Purchase - center; Jerry Eastham, Focusworks employee - 15th Anniversary Celebration of AbilityOne Base Supply Center Program, Luke AFB.

“I know our employees at Focusworks – who live in Phoenix, Glendale, Avondale and Goodyear – sincerely appreciate Luke Air Force Base’s mission and their support of the AbilityOne Base Supply Center program,” said Dick Monaco, General Manager, AIB.

About National Industries for the Blind
NIB’s (www.NIB.org) mission is to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and 89 associated agencies serve as the largest employer for people who are blind by the sale of SKILCRAFT® products and services through the AbilityOne Program, established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.

Focusworks AbilityOne Base Supply Store in Thunderbolt, Luke AFB Paper

Focusworks (pictured left), the AbilityOne Base Supply Center operated by Arizona Industries for the Blind at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, AZ is featured in a story in the August 27 edition of "Thunderbolt" the base newspaper http://www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb/pdf/

The story previews the August 31 Celebration Focusworks is hosting to commemorate the 15th Anniversary of the AbilityOne BSC program. Dignitaries attending the celebration include:

• Kevin Lynch, President & CEO, National Industries for the Blind
  
• James Omvig, Vice Chair, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled
  
• Neal Young, Director for the Arizona Department of Economic Security
  
• Sandra S. Ledy, Military Affairs Specialist from U.S. Senator Jon Kyl’s Office
  
• Steven Frate, Vice Mayor of Glendale
  
• Georgia Lord, Vice Mayor of Goodyear(invited)
  
• Jim McDonald, Vice Mayor of Avondale
  
• Luke AFB Base Command Representative
  
• Carlos Paraskevas, Employee of Arizona Industries for the Blind
  

Read the story from this Google search:
Focusworks celebrates program's service
Aug 27, 2010 ... Focusworks BSC is operated by Arizona Industries for the Blind, a nonprofit agency, which is part of the Arizona Department of Economic ...
www.luke.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123219551
For more information: April Lange, Focusworks/Arizona Industries for the Blind

NIB Thanks Blinded Veterans For their Service at BVA 65th Anniversary Conference

Ned Rupp staffed a table in the exhibit hall where he talked to attendees (pictured in the photo left) about the services that NIB offers to wounded warriors.

NIB is a proud sponsor and participant at the Blinded Veterans Association 65th National Convention, August 24–28, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

At an Operation Peer Support session on Tuesday, August 24, Brian Hurley and Jeff Mittman shared their personal stories of how they became blind, but more importantly how their lives were altered and their careers changed, and the steps they took to adapt to their blindness. Brian, who is legally blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, expounded on the advances in assistive technologies for the blind and visually impaired. Like many in the audience, Jeff was wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. In that attack, his left eye was destroyed; his right arm was badly damaged; and he lost his nose, his lips, and most of his teeth. He thanked the blinded veterans for their heroism and courage, and encouraged them to focus on what they could do and not on what they couldn’t do.

Ned Rupp staffed a table in the exhibit hall where he talked to attendees about the services that NIB offers to wounded warriors, and told them about the SKILCRAFT® products and services offered through the AbilityOne Program. The convention bags given to all registered attendees were courtesy of NIB and Lighthouse Graphics, an operational division of East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind.

On Monday evening, NIB hosted a dinner for BVA’s Operation Peer Support program, which connects combat-blinded veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam with newly blinded veterans who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of the newly blinded are young soldiers and Marines victimized by encounters with improvised explosive devices or sniper fire. NIB staff members attending the reception and dinner were Kevin Lynch, president and CEO; Angela Hartley, executive vice president; Thomas Panek, vice president, relationship management; Jessica Carter, director, public policy; Jennifer King, director, project development; Brian Hurley, external affairs program director; Jeffrey Mittman, national account manager; and Ned Rupp, veteran affairs specialist – wounded warriors.

For more information, contact Brian Hurley at 703-310-0327 or bhurley@nib.org.

Office Eagle AbilityOne Base Supply Center Holds 15th Anniversary Event at Ft. Knox

Office Eagle marks five years of service to Ft. Knox's mission and soldiers with Deputy Garrison Commander Emmitt Holly presenting a plaque to store employees (pictured left)

Fort Knox, KY – Today, U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02), praised the work of the AbilityOne Program and the Office Eagle Base Supply Center (BSC) in a letter of recognition presented at a 15th anniversary celebration at Fort Knox. The Office Eagle BSC employs people who are blind or disabled who support the mission of American servicemen and women stationed at Fort Knox.

Office Eagle, operated by Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM), is one of 140 AbilityOne BSC facilities that provide mission-critical support for ongoing base operations and outfitting for military deployments.

“I want to congratulate the folks at the Office Eagle AbilityOne Base Supply Center for providing 5 years of quality service to Fort Knox,” Rep. Guthrie said. “I greatly appreciate their hard work and tireless support of the service men and women, and their families, who bravely serve our country.”

U.S. Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) also had words of praise for the employees of the Office Eagle BSC.

"I am pleased to congratulate the Fort Knox Office Eagle BSC for doing good work on the base and in our communities,” Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) said in a letter presented at today's ceremony by Bunning field representative John Salyers. "Through the AbilityOne Program, Fort Knox BSC provides full-service and flexible on-site operations and works hand in hand with the Base Command and military personnel to provide quality service, supplies and support to those on the Base. I am proud to represent you in Congress."

More than 40,000 blind or severely disabled Americans produceSKILCRAFT® products and provide services that are sold to the government and U.S. military through the AbilityOne Program. Service-disabled veterans are actively recruited by National Industries for the Blind (NIB) for employment opportunities within the AbilityOne Program.

(Scottie Knott, COO at NIB pictured left)“Just as the mission of Fort Knox extends beyond the perimeter of this important military installation, the contribution of Office Eagle to the people and economy of the surrounding area is also an important story to tell,” said Claudine “Scottie” Knott, Chief Operating Officer, National Industries for the Blind. “Office Eagle supports the mission and service men and woman of Fort Knox. It also supports the livelihood of the men and women who, through civilian service, support our military.”

“BISM is proud to employ over 400 exceptional associates at our eleven facilities in three states and the District of Columbia. And that includes the remarkable men and women we are lucky to have here at Fort Knox, supporting our servicemen and women at the Office Eagle BSC,” said BISM President Fred Puente, who oversees the operations of six BSCs on military installations in Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky and the District of Columbia.

With every purchase, government and U.S. military customers support the employment of qualified professionals who are blind or have other severe disabilities with each purchase under the AbilityOne Program.

The first BSC was opened in October 1995, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, by LC Industries, an NIB associated agency. Now there are 140 locations on military bases and in federal buildings in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

About National Industries for the Blind
NIB’s (www.NIB.org) mission is to enhance the opportunities for economic and personal independence of persons who are blind, primarily through creating, sustaining and improving employment. NIB and 89 associated agencies serve as the largest employer for people who are blind by the sale of SKILCRAFT® products and services through the AbilityOne Program, established by the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act.

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Arizona Industries for Blind AbilityOne BSC Celebration Luke Air Force Base

Focusworks AbilityOne Base Supply Center at Luke Air Force Base (pictured left)

Arizona Industries for Blind Celebrates 15 years of Service at Luke Air Force Base: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, August 31, 2010

GLENDALE —Focusworks AbilityOne Base Supply Center, operated by Arizona Industries for the Blind, will host a “Community Appreciation Day” at Luke Air Force Base, Tuesday, August 31, 2010 to celebrate 15 years of providing support to America’s servicemen and women and jobs for people who are blind or disabled.

The program will begin at 11:00 AM at Luke AFB. Please use the South Gate to enter the facilities. Because of security considerations, please plan to arrive no later than 10:15 AM.

For press credentials clearance, and maps showing how to reach the event, please contact Rob Vernon – 703-741-7536.**

WHAT: Celebrating 15th Anniversary of the AbilityOne Base Supply Center program’s service to the U.S. Military and federal government

WHO:
* Luke AFB Base Representatives
* DES Director Neal Young
* Glendale Vice Mayor Steven Frate
* Goodyear Vice Mayor Georgia Lord
* Avondale Vice Mayor Jim McDonald
* Representative from U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl
* Kevin Lynch, President & CEO, National Industries for the Blind
* James Omvig, Vice Chair, Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

WHEN: Tuesday, August 31, 2010 – 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
* Program begins at 11:00 AM
** NOTE: Media wishing to attend the event should arrive no later than 10:15 AM

WHERE: Luke AFB. Visitors must use the South Gate.

About Arizona Industries for the Blind: Focusworks BSC Stores
Focusworks supplies Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson and the Yuma Marine Air Corps Station with uniform equipment, office supplies, furniture and other basic supplies at base stores that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Arizona Industries for the Blind, which is part of the Arizona Department of Economic Security, employs 75 legally blind individuals. The National Industries for the Blind and its 89 non-profit associated agencies employ 6,000 people who are blind through the AbilityOne Program. A total of 45,000 people who are blind or severely disabled are employed in producing products and services sold to the federal government and U.S. Military through the AbilityOne Program.

For Immediate Release Contact: Rob Vernon
August 24, 2010

Sen Bennet Letter Supports Blind Employment at Envision Xpress BSC Peterson AFB

Envision Xpress Serves Airmen and women at Peterson AFB BSC Event

On August 18, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), in a letter commemorating the 15th Anniversary of the AbilityOne Base Supply Center program, emphasized the need for equal opportunities to jobs that the AbilityOne Program provides people who are blind: "The services that the Base Supply Center provides are invaluable tools for helping America's visually impaired and severely disabled citizens find work."

Envision Xpress employs people who are blind or disabled who support the mission of airmen and women stationed at Peterson AFB.

Envision Xpress is one of 140 AbilityOne BSCs that provide mission support for ongoing base operations and outfitting for military deployments.

These employees produce and ship products, provide services and staff the BSCs. Additionally, service-disabled veterans and military dependents have the opportunity to join the AbilityOne team, where they continue to play a valuable role in the military communities that are significant to their lives.