Vision center changing its name

Focus groups thought the Pinellas Center for the Visually Impaired was a government agency. Now it will be called the Watson Center.

By SHARON TUBBS

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 27, 2000

LARGO -- Some thought it was a company selling PVC pipes. Others glanced at the lengthy title and either assumed it was an arm of county government or a branch of the Pinellas Technical Education Center.

One ad agent told executives, "That is the worst name that I've ever seen."

Simply put, the name Pinellas Center for the Visually Impaired, also known as PCVI, was too confusing, said Liz Williams, the center's director of development.

Uncertainty over whether the agency was associated with county government sometimes proved problematic when the center sought donations from the private sector, Williams said.

"If they affiliate it with a government agency, people aren't going to give to that because they think, "It's our tax dollars at work,' " she said.

Starting next week, though, PCVI won't have such worries. Already, glossy promo materials and letterhead sport a new title: Watson Center. Short and sweet. Executives hope the name change will lessen the potential for confusion between the private agency and government agencies.

A new tag line designed to accompany the new name and logo makes the center's purpose clear: "Serving the Blind and Visually Impaired since 1956," it says.

The center is not totally independent of the government, however.

In the 2000-01 fiscal year, the center will get 47 percent of its $1.5-million budget from public dollars. The majority of that, about $617,000, will come from a contract with the state.

The other 53 percent of the center's budget will come from fundraising, donations and charges for some services.

For more than a year, center executives have worked with focus groups to craft a more suitable moniker.

"The general consensus was, there was definite confusion about what our name meant," Williams said, adding that about 95 percent of people in focus groups initially thought PCVI to be a county agency.

Clients, personnel and focus group participants weighed in with more than 60 name ideas: Private Eye, Eye to Eye, Lighthouse and First Light Vision Center, to name a few.

None of those made the cut, however.

The agency wanted something fresh but reflective of the past. "We want to honor our heritage as we move into the future," Williams said.

Which is why the organization settled on Watson Center.

John Bertram "J.B." Watson and his wife, Muriel, were among the center's founders and integral to its growth. J.B. Watson died in 1972, but Muriel Watson remains an active member of the center's Board of Directors and an effective fundraiser. She also started the center's children's program.

The center offers a plethora of classes, training programs and other services for visually impaired and blind people of all ages, beginning with infants. The courses teach independent living skills, such as safe travel, better communication, and home and personal management.

Other services include support groups, a low-vision clinic and a store with specialized merchandise for the blind. From 1,600 to 2,000 people use the services each year, Williams said.

A ribbon cutting ceremony noon Monday at the Watson Center, 6925 112th Circle N, Suite 103 in Largo, will celebrate the name change.

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