Day: August 4, 2022

The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) [headquartered in Alexandria, VA] serves as ambassadors and mentors for all Military Veterans and their families coping with sight loss. BVA is the ONLY congressionally chartered Veterans Service Organization created for, consisting of, and led by Visually Impaired Veterans focused on the issues of advocacy and mentorship vital to all Veterans and families
coping with sight loss regardless of service connection.

The BVA 's 77th annual convention will be at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill
located at 400 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington DC 20001 from August 22 to August 26, 2022.
Up to 200 visually impaired or blinded Veterans are expected to arrive from all over the USA.
Volunteers are needed to assist, in shifts from 8 am to 11:30 am; 11:30 am – 3 pm; and from
3 – 7:30 pm. Volunteers can work double shifts if desired.

Airport Volunteers are needed during the listed hours to assist Veterans during arrivals at the Reagan National Airport (DCA) on August 21st and 22nd; helping them as they arrive at their gate; assisting them in claiming their luggage, and to get their ground transportation (BVA shuttle buses) to the convention.

To reverse the process, assistance is needed on August 26th, 27th and possibly the 28th to help Veterans with their airport departure arrangements to return home. Some Blinded
Veterans will arrive and depart by train at Union Station Washington DC on the same dates.

Volunteers who work the airport, will be vetted by TSA so they can go to the gates to assist. All airport volunteers need to coordinate well in advance to allow TSA to vet them. This could mean a lot of walking in terminals. Perhaps going through security many times (more likely some volunteers will remain on either side of TSA security gates, to “hand off” arriving Veterans to other volunteers on the other side of the TSA security stations). ALL VOLUNTEERS SHOULD WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES.

PARKING: the airport might offer volunteers free parking, but don’t count on it; more information will come in August from the BVA volunteer coordinator. Both Airport volunteers and Hotel Volunteers are encouraged to use the Metro to avoid parking issues. The hotel is several blocks from the Judiciary Square and 3 blocks from Union Station Metro stations.

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER. If you choose to volunteer for a shift or two, either at the
Airport or at the Hotel, please contact the two BVA volunteer coordinators (Joe Bogart or Margarine Beaman – see POC info below). BVA will need the following information from all volunteers: Complete name; address, phone number, birth date; and preferably email address too.

Volunteers will receive additional information from BVA around the first week of August. BVA training materials can be sent to volunteers in advance of their shift. A very brief orientation will be held at the hotel prior to the conference for those who can attend. There will also be a “blind sensitivity class” offered to Hotel Staff prior to the BVA convention. Volunteers can attend that as well to learn more.

Signing up for a Volunteer Work Shift at either the Airport or at the Hotel Please contact one or both of the BVA Volunteer Coordinators below:

Joseph Bogart
Director of Community Relations
Blinded Veterans Association
Phone: (202) 371-8880 ext. 303
Email: jbogart@bva.org

If you send an email message to Joe Bogart, please use a slightly larger FONT, e.g. 14 or 16 to make it easier for him to read on his machine(s).

Margarine Beaman

Lead Volunteer

Blinded Veterans Association

Cell phone: (512) 921-1625

Email: oleo501625@outlook.com