2010 Visions of Joy

Our “Visions of Joy” program is in full swing and we encourage you to contact us with any families in the Nazareth Area that need help with providing their children with a Christmas.  All we need is a parent’s name and phone number and someone from our Committee will contact them for their childrens’ ages, sizes and gift selections.  Our VOE “elves” will deliver their gifts a few days before Christmas so that they are there when they get up on Christmas morning!

Chick-fil-A “Spirit Night” was a success!!

Thank you to everyone at Chick-fil-A!  Their amazing staff helped make our “Spirit Night” a great success.  Check out our gallery for some pictures of our committee members, our founder, our “cross maker” and the Chick-fil-A cow!  Special thanks to everyone who came out to support us and learn more about our ministry in the Nazareth Area.

November 10, 2010 Visions of Eagles Happenings

Fall is in the air, the holidays are fast approaching, and winter is not far behind.  This is a busy time of the year for Visions of Eagles.  We have already helped three families with fuel oil or utility bills for heating on the cold mornings.  We are aware that the potential for this to worsen will come with the January rate boost by Met-Ed.

We are also gearing up for our “Visions of Joy” Christmas project for the children in needy families.  Names are coming in already and we haven’t started calling on the churches and Nazareth Area Food Bank for their lists of families with children in need.

Meanwhile, we are pleased to announce that the Chick-fil-A restaurant on route 248 in Lower Nazareth Township (in front of Target) has selected us to benefit from their Spirit Night Fund Raiser in the middle of the month.  Chick-fil-A will donate 10% of their sales from 5-8 pm on Thursday the 18th to Visions of Eagles.  It doesn’t cost those who eat at Chick-fil-A any more to help us raise money to continue our work in the Nazareth area.  So come out and eat at Chick-fil-A and meet some of our committee members.  We’ll be there to help serve and answer any questions about VOE.

By the way, please visit our new website at www.visionsofeagles.org.

September 7, 2010 The Express-Times article

Hometown Charity in Need of Help

Founder of Visions of Eagles seeks more donations, causes.

By Tony Nauroth

The Florida man who founded the Visions of Eagles charity serving those in need within the greater Nazareth area returned to his hometown last week to muster support and stoke his passion for the cause.

Thomas Fehnel, 66, a successful computer company owner, has always been a behind-the-scenes motivator.  In fact, he admits he’s more than bashful about coming out to stump for the charity.  Now, however, he sees more of a need “to assist individuals and families across the bridge between despair and hope.”  Fehnel spoke while sitting at his sister Carol Seaton’s kitchen table on Whitfield Street within spitting distance of St. John’s Lutheran Church where Fehnel was baptized and confirmed.  “I am a Christian man,” he said.  “I have been blessed in my business, and those who have been blessed should be sharing their blessings with those in need.”

Seaton is a member of the Visions board of directors, serving as liaison to the Nazareth Area Food Bank, which was the first recipient of the Visions largess.  Fehnel provided the initial financial foundation for the charity whose only criteria is that recipients need help.  Fehnel said that becomes a problem when those in need are either ashamed of their circumstances or in some other way embarrassed if they must take charity.  “They need to break through that shield of resistance and pride and step forward,” he said.

Raising his public profile 

Fehnel continues to give as much as he can, he said, although now that Visions of Eagles is recognized by the state of Pennsylvania as a bona fide not-for-profit corporation, he is no longer permitted to give as much as he had.  At the moment the charity has about $36,000 available to tap into.  That is why he is raising his public profile to use the skills he learned in building his business to now build the charity.  “My passion is integral to keeping people motivated,” he said.  “I just don’t want to see this perpetuated.  I want to see it grow.”

 Fehnel is also starting similar charities near his Florida home in Winter Springs.  Originally from Lower Nazareth Township, Fehnel returned to Nazareth to attend the 45th reunion of the Class of 1962.  He was asked to become a member of the planning committee for the 50th reunion, which would include invitations for the families of class members.  “I provided the funds for that,” Fehnel said.  “Then one committee member showed us a newspaper article about a local needy family.  He asked, “Can we use some of your fund to support them?”  I was overcome with graciousness,” he said.

The beginnings of Visions

From that experience, Fehnel returned to Florida, mulled over what had happened “and decided to start a charity to support my roots.”  He said the idea for the name came from a vision he imagined of “an eagle hovering over Nazareth seeking out needs.”  The first recipient of the charity was the Nazareth Area Food Bank, which used $5,000 to buy refrigerator/freezer units to store more fresh foods for its clients.  Jim Byrnes, who works closely with the food bank said of Fehnel, “He’s the spark behind Visions of Eagles and its main financier, but now he’s looking for donations.”  Fehnel said the charity will soon launch two websites to suppot its mission:  visionsofeagles.com and visionsofeagles.org.

August 4, 2010 Visions of Eagles Happenings

Visions of Eagles has been providing care giving to the Nazareth area for over a year and a half.  To date we have given in excess of $35,000 to assist families and individuals cross the bridge from despair to hope.  This could not have been accomplished without the support of individuals, churches and other organizations residing in the Nazareth area.  We thank you all for your support.

Many times we have a tendency to focus on the dollars donated and overlook the personal sacrifices and time individuals have committed to making all of this possible.  With this said, I believe it’s appropriate that we thank all the members of the Visions of Eagles committee for their dedication.  It is their passion that has enabled the organization to not only sustain but also continue to grow.  Thank you:  Joy Benfield Betz, Diane Silfies, Tom Gradwohl, Nicholas Viglione, Carol Fehnel Seaton, Bruce Stimmel, Jane Hahn Mengel and Darrell Mengel, Linda Morris Werner, Sally Fehnel Jablonski and Bud Donnelly.

Submitted by Tom Fehnel, President, Visions of Eagles Foundation

March 24, 2010 The Key article

Our Visions of Eagles “elves” were busy providing fifty-four children in the Nazareth area with a Christmas during our second annual “Visions of Joy” project.

Our care receiver project for January was provided to a Tatamy resident.  Thanks to the combined generosity of Visions of Eagles, John Kugel and Bob Sames of the Carpenter’s Community Church of Lower Nazareth, and Mrs. Barbara Roth, this resident was given the freedom to move within her home and neighborhood.

Barbara donated a power scooter which she could no longer use.  John and Bob donated their time and talents to design and build a ramp from the house to the driveway.  Visions of Eagles paid for new batteries for the scooter and ramp materials.

The result is, the Tatamy resident (who suffers from a Multiple Sclerosis type of disability), is now able to move within her home without crawling and is looking forward to visiting the neighborhood.

Jane and Darrell Mengel, Visions of Eagles Committee members, identified the care receiver as a result of discussion at Hope Lutheran Church.  If you become aware of someone in need in the Nazareth area, please contact Visions of Eagles at 484-264-7505.

You can share in the blessing of helping others by contributing to Visions of Eagles at P.O. Box 231, Nazareth, PA 18064.  The Visions of Eagles membership committee consists of twelve common individuals with a common passion to assist those in need as they cross over the bridge from despair to hope.  Watch for future articles.  We will keep you updated as we continue to assist those in need in the Nazareth area.

December 16, 2009 The Key article

Visions of Eagles, the local Nazareth area benevolent foundation, is now in the process of their “Visions of Joy” special Christmas activity.  The children of at least 20 families will be identified from lists provided by local churches, the Nazareth Area Food Bank, and VOE.  This is the second year for the project with a starting number of 8 families last year.

Visions of Eagles started in October of last year as the result of a class of ’62 class reunion in 2007.  One of the class members, a partner in  successful business venture in Florida, provided start-up funds to establish VOE as a non-profit foundation to help the needy in the Nazareth area.  After consulting with lawyers, accountants, and federal and state bureaucracies, VOE was ready to go with a three member board and a twelve member operating committee.

Visions of Eagles primarily helps needy families or individuals.  They also donate to the Nazareth Area Food Bank,  Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce and Lehigh Valley Autism Society (for use in the Nazareth area).  They have supplied heating fuel, paid delinquent housing and utility bills, provided automobile repairs and inspections, repaired major appliances, helped with medical bills and treatment, and adopted the fifth floor at Gracedale for visitations and gifts to the residents.

August 16, 2009 The Express-Times article

Buoyed by a large anonymous gift, Visions of Eagles is trying to help the Nazareth area one food donation, DVD and utility bill at a time.

The nonprofit group formed two years ago during a 45th Nazareth High School class reunion.  That’s when an anonymous donor living in Florida revealed his long-held dream “to start a fund for needy people,” said Bud Donnelly, of Nazareth, who chairs the Visions of Eagles steering committee.

The group identifies individuals in need through church and civic organizations.  Its first donation was $5,000 for the Nazareth Area Food Bank to buy a commercial refrigerator/freezer, Donnelly said.

“What refrigeration and freezing capability means is we can now store frozen foods, and that means we have elevated the quality of food we can give our clients,” said Jim Byrnes, president of the food bank board of directors.

Instead of  just boxed and canned foods, they can now offer fresh bread and frozen meat.  Byrnes can’t thank Visions of Eagles enough.  “We were thrilled…especially during these economic times.”

Donnelly said the organization donates to only two nonprofit groups:  the food bank and the Nazareth Area Chamber of Commerce.  “Mostly we help individuals,” he said.  “But we don’t give them money.  We pay their bills.”

They were also able to get fuel oil for a woman who ran out and could not afford to fill her tank.  “She told us, ‘Thank God. That was the first warm shower I had in six months.'”  She ran out again, but had $200 to put toward a $300 fuel bill to fill her tank.  “The ideal situation is people who help themselves, but just need a little bump of help from others.” Donnelly said.

Donnelly said the benefactor especially wants to help autistic children and the elderly.  The group “adopted” the fourth floor of Gracedale, Northampton County’s nursing home in Upper Nazareth.  “We gave them two DVD players during their Christmas in July event and plan to donate DVD movies a few at a time.  They have videotape players, but do you know how hard it is to find VCR tapes these days?”

They put people in touch with agencies that can help, such as the Northampton County Agency on Aging.

Visions of Eagles has paid for treatments needed by two children with autism in the Nazareth area.  Donnelly, who declined to reveal the children’s names, said that one boy will begin kindergarten in September.

Although the group emerged from a Nazareth high school class reunion and its school mascot is the blue eagle, similar to the Visions of Eagles logo, there is no official association between the school district and Visions of Eagles, Donnelly said.

Its motto is “Flying with the vision of eagles on the lookout for those in need”.  Donnelly said members take that mission to heart.

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