END OF SUMMER GOLF OUTING

CATHOLIC WAR VETERANS

Fr. John with Bishop Richard Higgins, Bishop Protector of the CWV, in the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and a retired Air Force Colonel.

The Catholic War Veterans is a little-known group of men and women who have served in the military and who continue to associate in order to help other veterans and to protect and defend the Catholic Church. There is also an equally active auxiliary, and Father John and Rick Kenney attended their national convention in Orlando Florida from August 8 to 14. Mr. Kenney was the Guest Speaker at the closing banquet, at which he challenged the members to increase their level of activity and participation. He was also presented with the National Commander's Joyce Kilmer Award for "Outstanding Work in Pursuing and Teaching Catholic Values as well As Major Assistance to Fellow Veterans."

Mr. Kenney receiving his award from outgoing National Commander Fred Schwally.

The Xavier Society for the Blind had a table at the convention, at which we displayed and shared samples of the works we have available, and Fr. John sold several of his CDs. 

The web site for the Xavier Society for the Blind was made possible by a generous grant from the Knights of Malta, and we thank them for their support of our work.

The web site is designed to be accessible to screen reading programs, and those who have registered with the XSB have a special section where they can make address changes, order books from the library and download or sign up to receive periodicals. For more information on how to register, or how to get online, contact

clientservices@xaviersocietyfortheblind.org

SUMMER CLEARANCE SALE

FACTS ABOUT THE XSB

VETERANS OUTREACH PROGRAM

Since 2010, the Xavier Society for the Blind has embarked on a strategic initiative to serve a "forgotten" audience of both recently disabled as well as aging Veterans. "Don't Lose Sight of God!" is the theme behind our efforts. Reaching out to this admittedly niche audience is consistent with our mission to provide specialized encouragement and support, in this case to Veterans with vision impairments.

 After the trauma, first you cry. Then you realize that there can be productive life after blindness or significant vision loss. It is now apparent to all of us that most visually impaired people today can do just about anything sighted people can do, albeit with a lot more effort and, perhaps, some assistance.

An eye-opening statistic: From now to the year 2020, the Veterans Administration estimates there will be over 1 million Veterans with significant visual impairment and legal blindness. Since 9/11, the number of Disabled Veterans in America has swelled from 2.1 to 3 million. 38% of Veterans of the Global War on Terror have filed disability claims. Currently, there are 157,000 Veterans in the United States who are legally blind. Veterans of previous wars are suffering from age-related macular degeneration, a chronic condition causing vision loss.

Eye injuries account for 13% of injuries to Veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the "improvised explosive device" is the enemy's weapon of choice. About 60-70% of severe and moderate traumatic brain injury cases also include some form of visual impairment. VA statistics indicate that there will be a sustained need for services and assistance even 40 years from now.

The Xavier Society is in the forefront of bringing this problem to national attention with its participation in the Department of Defense Wounded Warrior Task Force, and by liaison with the major national Veterans organizations, including the Catholic War Veterans and American Legion. We are developing special programs uniquely tailored to the needs of both the young and older Veteran alike. This is our contribution to the war effort and to the on-going support of those injured on the front lines while defending our freedom.