PORT ORANGE
Observer YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 5, NO. 6
MEET THE AUTHOR PAGE 4 FREE
• FEBRUARY 2022
Volusia awards ECHO grants $3.86 million PAGE 6
BRIEFS State’s controversial abortion proposal Despite fierce objections from Democrats who argued the proposal is unconstitutional, a Florida House panel on Wednesday, Jan. 19, approved a controversial bill that would prohibit doctors from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The proposal closely resembles a Mississippi abortion law that is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. “This would allow Florida to save as many babies as possible, as soon as possible,” Rep. Erin Grall, a Vero Beach Republican who sponsored the bill, said. Grall and Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, filed similar 15-week abortion proposals on the first day of the 2022 legislative session last week. The abortion restriction has quickly emerged as one of the most hotly contested issues before lawmakers. The bill does not include an exception for victims of rape and incest, drawing ire from Democrats and opponents of the measure.
Senate passes scaledback emergency fund
Local Postal Customer
PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DAYTONA BCH FL PERMIT #447
The Florida Senate on Wednesday, Jan. 19, cut in half the amount of money it would put into a new emergency fund that critics called a “blank check” for Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate overwhelmingly approved two bills (SB 96 and SB 98) that would shift $500 million of general revenue into the pot of money that the governor could tap during declared states of emergency over the next four years. The Senate initially had considered putting $1 billion into the pot. Meanwhile, a House committee moved forward with its version of the proposal, which would provide $1 billion that DeSantis could use at his discretion. The House and Senate would ultimately have to agree on any final amount. The idea for the fund came after the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back to business Tactile art lines the one of the hallways at the Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired.
Conklin Davis Center continues to serve the blind after merger JARLEENE ALMENAS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
For the last year, the Conklin Center has been going through a metamorphosis. Repairs. Renovations. New staff. More programs. A shared vision. The Conklin Center closed in March 2020 after its contract termination with the Florida Division of Blind Services, reducing the nonprofit’s funding by 60%. But board members couldn’t let their clients — who, in addition to being visually impaired, have other disabilities — go without the ongoing support they were accustomed to that allowed them to live independent lives. So in their search for a solution, they looked to a merger with the Center for the Visually Impaired. The merger was official as of Jan. 1, 2021, and the center reopened two months later as the Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired, with President and CEO Ronee David at the helm of the organization. David was the director for CVI prior to the merger. “When the [Conklin] center lost its contract, the Center for the Visually Impaired just stepped in and continued to provide the help for those people,” David said. The center relaunched its residential program in July 2021, and though initially there were some reservations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, David said the program has run smoothly. The center has 16 dormitories and three one-bedroom apartments, with nine students currently living on campus. As a result of the merger, the center now serves over 500 people a year in Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and Brevard counties through its various programs, such as its blind babies program, senior independent living program and vocational rehabilitation. “There are not too many agencies that have this level of such comprehensive programs,” David said.
WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES
When it came to reopening the center to students, taking care of the property was a major undertaking. “The grounds here are extensive,” said Nancy Epps, secretary of the center’s board. “They’re over seven acres, and we had volunteer work days. Several of our board members came and did a lot of the work.” Board members took down trees, cleared the nature trail in the rear of the building, repaired a waterfall feature and cleaned out the pond. Inside, they painted walls, put down new carpet on the lobby, and are working to renovate the first of the three apartments for students. The board is also hoping to obtain a Community Development Block Grant from the county
to purchase a new air conditioning system. New staff members have been added in the last six months as well. Epps said several of the employees went through the center in the past, and being blind and with other disabilities, are able to connect with the students. “We have a very high success rate for employment, which is unique in the handicap community at large,” Epps said. “We have about an 85% historic rate, whereas the general handicap community is about 25%-30%.” HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR
Looking forward to what 2022 will bring, the center aims to continue to offer programs and classes to prepare their students to enter the workforce. The center offers a workshop with Metra Elec-
Photos by Jarleene Almenas
tronics, a Holly Hill-based manufacturer, where students learn to assemble components. Eight are employed with the manufacturer. The center also has plans to develop an art program for the blind, with the hopes of introducing art exhibits in the future. An art studio space was created in the building, and tactile art from local artists lines one its hallway. David said she would love to start programs for cycling, dance, and other creative outlets for students. “We want them to have varied interests, just like sighted people do,” David said. “Everybody has their own interests other than work, so we want to help cultivate that in the blind students, and some of them have not had those opportunities.”
Conklin Davis Center for the Visually Impaired CEO and President Ronee David and Board Secretary Nancy Epps.