July 1 marks the beginning of a new fiscal year (FY27) for Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) national headquarters
By Robert L. Thomas
It’s hard to fathom that I’m beginning my fourth term as PVA’s national president. I’m honored and humbled to serve another term and eager to get started on continuing PVA’s mission in this capacity.
FY27 brings new opportunities and new challenges that I’m looking forward to working on with PVA’s newly elected executive committee, including National Senior Vice President Tammy Jones, National Vice President Josue Cordova, National Vice President Anne Robinson, National Vice President Lawrence “Louie” Mullins Jr., National Vice President Marcus Murray, National Treasurer Tom Wheaton, National Secretary Matthew Peeling and Immediate Past National President Charles Brown.
That’s a great team we have in place, all of whom are experienced as executive committee members. July marks our turn to start another term.
When most people think of July, they think of hot summer weather, beach trips and long, sunny days. For me, I think about Independence Day and how this year marks the 250th anniversary of the United States gaining its independence from Great Britain.
That anniversary signifies a new beginning, which is what a new fiscal year represents for PVA. The Founding Fathers of this great nation famously proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
As veterans, we swore an oath to the Constitution to fight to keep that freedom intact, and 80 years ago, PVA began its mission to ensure those with disabilities are given that same courtesy.
This year marks 80 years of PVA fighting for our brothers and sisters who have served in the armed forces and live with a spinal cord injury or disease such as multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to ensure they have the same quality of life that our nation’s forefathers intended.
While PVA has accomplished so much with our veterans benefits, advocacy, research and education, etc., we still have so much more to do to accomplish that quality of life.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in four adults lives with a disability. These individuals have to adapt to different ways of living because the world isn’t always accessible for them. Any PVA member knows this reality, and we all know the importance of PVA’s work.
For FY27, my hope is to make positive changes to help the public know more about PVA and what we do to help all individuals living with disabilities. Our FY27 executive committee will continue to work hard to ensure our mission is moving forward for our members and our fellow brothers and sisters living with disabilities.
We welcome members’ feedback and ideas when it comes to what else we can do to help PVA’s mission. Let us all take the time to reflect on how far we’ve come and envision where we should go next.
