Blindness doesn’t stop Bradenton man from seeing the Christmas spirit and ‘finding hope’

“Good morning, have a wonderful day and Merry Christmas,” is a typical greeting everyone gets when they walk into the front doors of the Walmart on State Road 64 in East Manatee.

But those words are not coming from a typical Salvation Army volunteer bell ringer.

They come from the mouth, and more importantly, the heart of Tyler Collins who has been blind since birth when his optic nerves never quite developed.

He’s not just there every now and then. Collins takes his volunteering seriously and is there from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. six days a week through the bell ringing season. He gives so much of himself to the Salvation Army because the Salvation Army gave so much of themselves to him.

“It’s kind of a long story,” Collins said. “I’m on (disability) so it’s been challenging finding a place. I was staying at the shelter from the end of last May until this January. I didn’t have any other options other than going there to the shelter. I thought this was a way to give back to people who gave me a place to lay my head.”

Collins volunteered last Christmas while he was still at the shelter, and decided to come back this year and do it again.

He’s currently waiting to finish training he started with the Florida Division for the Blind in Daytona Beach to operate their his own vendor routes. Those routes include the snack machines at Florida highway rest stops and a variety of area courthouses.

He was half way through that training when the coronavirus pandemic hit and the students were told that the center where they train had to be shut down. He’s been waiting ever since to get back to complete his training.

“Luckily, we were able to do some training remotely, but we are at a point that deals with the actual vending machines,” Collins said. “You can’t learn that kind of thing remotely when you are vision impaired. You have to get your hands on the machines and feel the different parts, so it’s kind of a waiting game for when the center reopens.”

Collins has had to face a lot in his young 24 years of dealing with his blindness, but he takes it all in stride.

“I’ve learned to adapt and do certain things to make up for that lack of vision,” he said. “You know, there are challenges with it, but I do my best to overcome those challenges.”

It’s been a tough 2020 for a lot of people and some have faced more hardship than others. Collins is certainly one of those who has struggled, but overcoming adversity isn’t something new to him. His message to others who have suffered this year is a summary of how he approaches life in general.

“Don’t lose hope,” he said. “You can find hope just about anywhere. Even when you are feeling down, reach out to somebody. Talk to somebody.”

Kelly French, director of community relations and development for the Bradenton Salvation Army, said Collins is an inspiration to others.

“They may not notice it at first, but the friendly man working for the Salvation Army ringing the bell is blind, yet he senses when people approach him and is grateful for every donation.”

Collins said, “That’s because I know where the money goes. To help people who need help. To help people like me when I needed help.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.