Florida Randolph Sheppard Vendors

This week, we are pleased to have had the opportunity to present scholarships to these Two Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind graduates of 2023. We are incredibly thankful for Randal Crosby and his ability to rally people and have them come together for a unified purpose. Crosby started Run with a Vision 5K back in 2020 for the purpose of bringing awareness to the Randolph Sheppard program, and to raise funds for training and education as it relates to being on this career path. Since the event has grown in success and popularity more and more over the years, we are now able to present these scholarships to the exceptional students in the attached video. We hope to continue our efforts for the years to come. Please consider joining us next January in St. Augustine, FL, for the next Run with a Vision 5K. Stay tuned for announcements and information about early registration, and we sincerely hope to see you there.

Randall Crosby at School For Deaf and Blind awards presentation May 2023

Hello vendors!

It is almost time again for the biennial training seminar and we are very excited and honored to sponsor this awesome event. Your committee of blind vendors have been working tirelessly to organize a great training event for all of you, and FRSV is happy to assist in making this event memorable.

The FRSV is taking sponsorship donations to assist in costs associated with the seminar. The FRSV has opened a bank account specifically for this purpose, and has contributed $3000 toward the training sponsorship fund. Our goal is to sponsor a banquet dinner, and that is where we need your help.

Here is the dinner menu:

• Chicken Florentine $62.00
• Pan Seared Fillet of Salmon $63.00
• Grilled Petite Filet Mignon and Baked Jumbo Gulf Shrimp $71.00
• Grilled Rib Eye Steak, Au Jus $65.00

The average cost of the banquet dinner per person is $87.11 which includes one of the four entrée choices, sales tax, and a mandatory 26% gratuity. Sponsorship donations will go toward bringing down the per person cost of the dinner. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• The maximum number of attendees is set at 200 people. Registrants may only bring one additional person with them.
• Training sponsorship donations will be ongoing, but the cut off for determining the per person discount will be May 31, 2023. For example: If $10,000 is raised by May 31, then the per person discount will be $50. This would make the average cost of the dinner $37.11.
• Registrations for the dinner will go out in the beginning of June with the deadline for registering by June30, 2023. (Note: Late registrations may be accommodated at the discretion of FRSV, but you may not be eligible for the per person discount and may have to pay full price.)
• There will be no refunds for registrants who are unable to attend the dinner as the hotel requires payment in full and a meal count 30 days prior to the event and the meal count is final.
• Any unused training sponsorship funds may be used to provide additional amenities including coffee and refreshments. Funds may also be rolled over to the next biennial or training event where funding may be necessary.
Please consider donating to what is sure to be a very memorable event. The FRSV has commitments from several organizations to donate including USG, RSA Buying Group, NABM, as well as several businesses in our community. The FRSV is also working with Coke, Pepsi, and Vistar to sponsor this event with a donation.

Sponsorships have already come in from the following companies:

• Ponchak Enterprises, Inc.
• Knights Culinary Productions, Inc.
• Florida Randolph Sheppard Vendors, Inc.

Please note that all businesses who donate $200 or more will have the name of their company advertised on all printed material at the seminar. If you wish to donate anonymously, please type the word “anonymous” in the “Your name or company name” field on the donation page.

We thank you for any donation you can make toward our goal. Please click the link below to make a donation.

Biennial training seminar sponsorship Please click the link to complete this form.

Hello everyone,

Don’t forget the Sagebrush conference is an excellent way for RS Vendors to get upward mobility training credit and for staff or interns to earn continuing education credits. If you have questions on invoicing your state for payments, please reply or call 818-238-9321. See full announcement below and current agenda attached.



RANDOLPH-SHEPPARD VENDORS OF AMERICA® SAGEBRUSH 2021 VIRTUAL NATIONAL BEP TRAINING CONFERENCE Reminder



Theme: "Virtually BACK TO THE FUTURE"

VIRTUAL Sagebrush National BEP Training Conference

Monday, February 15th - Thursday, February 18th



Opportunity to earn continuing education credits

Register to Win door prizes and participate in all sessions through Zoom. All sessions will be streamed and recorded for listening on ACB Radio worldwide during and after the conference.



Early bird registration is only $35 if completed by January 13, 2021!

If paid after January 13, the registration fee will be $50. Complete a registration with payment for the conference on the Sagebrush conference registration link at https://www.randolph-sheppard.org



Proposed sessions and events:

Welcome networking opportunity on Zoom
Break-out sessions for BEP Administrators and Vendor Committee Chairs, both on the Zoom platform
· Continuing education sessions for BEP Staff and RS Vendors and Employees

Sponsors and Exhibitors Highlighting Products and Services virtually on recordings or live Zoom sessions
Inspirational Speaker Sharon Giovinazzo at annual Sagebrush virtual event
Live auction (contact Karen Blachowicz [email protected] and cc [email protected] about donations)
Special Sagebrush 40th anniversary virtual networking event through the Zoom platform
Proposed speakers:
· National Automatic Merchandising Association

· Rehabilitation Services Administration

· Social Security Administration

· National Council of State Agencies for the Blind

· Topics including Touchless vending and Micro Markets



Conference updates will be placed on the website: https://www.randolph-sheppard.org



For more information, please contact:

Dan Sippl: (715) 828-9088, [email protected],

Ardis Bazyn: (818) 238-9321, abazyncommunications.com

or [email protected]

Randolph Sheppard Vendors of America® Randolph Sheppard Vendors of America

On Monday, November 7, the unthinkable happened to a newly licensed vendor here in Florida. Ryan Akeley was testing for a facility when his house burned down to the ground. Ryan, his wife, and his four young children have been displaced from their home, and very little was able to be salvaged. We at the RSVF Believe in empowering blind and visually impaired people by providing support and resources to gain employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, and Ryan was in the midst of doing just that when him and his family lost everything.

We have begun excepting donations for Ryan, and have raised over $1000 overnight since announcing this very unfortunate news. We are asking anyone who is able to please donate, and all funds raised will go directly to Ryan and his family. at this time, Ryan needs basic necessities like food, clothing, and toys for his children, just to name a few things. Please click either of the links below and make a donation if you are able. The RSVF and Ryan’s family thank you for anything that you can give.

Https://www.paypal.me/rsvf

https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-ryan-and-meshalas-family-after-fire?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

So far we have raised $638.18 for the RSVf run with a vision 5K and 10K! Thank you to all who have generously donated!

Randolph Sheppard Vendors of Florida updated their business hours.

Randolph Sheppard Vendors of Florida updated their website address.