The Visually Impaired People (VIP) Organization held its annual awards luncheon on Friday at the Golden Ranch Restaurant.

Derine Carter was named VIP person of the year, while Pastor John Grayson received the Good Samaritan Award. Neither was present at the luncheon.

Dr. Rev. Melvin Pylant, a retired Pastor, was named the VIP’s speaker of the month.  In his speech, Pylant praised the dedication of William Bowman, VIP CEO and President of the organization.

“I can’t say enough how much William Bowman means to me,” Pylant said. “I lost my wife to Alzheimer’s and one of my sons to cancer. William encouraged me to not give up. No one was willing to found this organization like William.”

Bowman said he was surprised at being a big part of Pylant’s speech, but the words encouraged him to continue pushing VIP onward.

“Dr. Pylant got me fired up,” Bowman said. “We all need to support each other. This is a mentoring program, where people can mentor each other.”

The VIP also gave a moment of silence for former President George H.W. Bush, who died on Nov. 30. Bush, who served from 1989 to 1993, signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990. It was later amended in 2008 and signed by Bush’s son, President George W. Bush with changes effective as of Jan. 1, 2009.

“Whether you like him or not, President George H.W. Bush did something to help people with disability,” Bowman said.