SARATOGA, CA, April 19, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Hostage negotiator, sign language interpreter, critical incident team member and undercover officer, Victoria Napolitano showed great potential as one of only five African American females of over 1,300 sworn police officers working for the City of San Jose, California. With years of hard work Victoria was to become the first African American female detective for the Robbery Division when tragedy struck.
A blow to the head during a car accident left Victoria with detached retinas. Her optometrist misdiagnosed her eyes leaving her eyes to deteriorate. Emergency surgery was performed to save Victoria's vision but the recovery left her blind for almost a year.
"This was the time for reflection and a lot of confusion," Victoria said. "My world was turned upside down and I was unable to cope with the feeling of being blind for the rest of my life."
Even 17 letters of commendation mostly from citizens of her community for her humanitarian work and a Martin King's Good Neighbor Award for her dedication to helping the girls in the Santa Clara County Children's Shelter on her own time was not good enough - her attorney for her workers' compensation case informed her the city was not going to "pay for your eyes". It had already been a five-year battle and according to her attorney the city's response was, "We can fight another 10 years." Victoria walked away with nothing but her pride and the determination to make a difference for people with disabilities.
Through hard work and endless hours of rejection and critical response, Victoria launched her own magazine in 2007, "Hopelessly Romantic International Magazine", focused on luxury, travel, poetry and positive stories of triumph. And now she is the publisher of The Classic Male and soon to be released The Mountain Winery luxury magazine.
Passion for charities and non-profits
"Charities are like the 'Check engine light' in your car, you do not think about them until everything stops. I was fortunate to have the most giving people and charities I have ever met when I was recovering from my surgery. The information they possess is endless. You look at these charities and non-profits and know they struggle every month to keep the lights on, to keep volunteers and a place to help others in need.
Victoria has donated endless hours, advertisement space and thousands of dollars to charities such as suicide and crisis, the San Jose Police Chaplaincy, animal shelters, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula and the centers for the blind. "Every little bit helps," Victoria says. "You do not have to be a millionaire to donate your time. In life, one day we are all touched by a tragedy or know someone who will be. Take the time before it is too late to help others. And I promise you will always feel a spark of happiness knowing you did it for the love of your fellow man and for no other reason."
Campaign for Change - Businesses Giving Back
Victoria is facing her biggest challenge and most exciting venture yet. She is the publisher of The new luxury Mountain Winery Magazine in Saratoga, California due out June 2011.
We are looking for advertisers not only to publish the magazine but to help charities and non-profits. In each issue we are donating advertising space to charities and non-profits. When an advertiser purchases a space for their business, we will donate space to their charity or non-profit. "I want to promote people who are humanitarians," Victoria says. "I want people to remember it is the charities and non-profits who are there to help you pick up the pieces when life sends you into a tailspin. I am always asked if I recovered from being partially blind and the answer is no."
Hopelessly Romantic Media Productions; an international marketing company specializing in custom magazine publication, video production, and web development. We create unique and productive partnerships with our clients to create distinctive marketing tools that make them stand out from the competition.
Website: http://hopelesslyromanticmediaproductions.com
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