New Jersey Recorder-Winter/Spring 1999 (text)

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Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
New Jersey Unit
69 Mapleton Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Phone 609-750-1830
Fax 609-750-9653

New Jersey Recorder

Newsletter of the New Jersey Unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic Winter/Spring 1999

Anne Young Retires as Executive Director

Anne Young retired as Executive Director of the New Jersey Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic at the end of December after 20 years of service to our organization.

Anne became a volunteer for the then Princeton Unit in 1976. She initially read textbooks in general subjects. In 1982 she became Studio Director, a position she held for the next 15 years. During that time the Unit grew from the Princeton Studio with 6 recording booths and 200 volunteers to the New Jersey Unit with two studios, the original in Princeton, and one in West Windsor, 13 booths and nearly 500 volunteers, Governor Christie Whitman among them.

During this past year, Anne started an outreach program to let more people know about the services available through RFB&D. It is estimated that, about 74,000 New Jerseyans are eligible to use the service, only 1700 did so last year.

Anne says, "I have really enjoyed my work. I have been blessed by working with professional and dedicated volunteers and colleagues, to provide wonderfully motivated, mostly young people with the tools necessary to succeed in school and in life."

NEWS FLASH: New Executive Director Appointed!

Telford J. Taylor has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the New Jersey Unit. Taylor, who succeeds Anne Young, has an economics degree from the College of William and Mary and a Masters of Divinity from Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, Virginia. Ted has worked in banking and as a pastor. Most recently, he was Assistant to the Director, Office of Student Relations at the Princeton Theological Seminary. Ted's new title--and responsibilities!--became official as of March 23rd.

Richard O. Scribner Named New President and CEO

Richard O. Scribner, longtime member of RFB&D's national board of directors, was appointed President & CEO for the national nonprofit organization, effective January 1.

A graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School, Scribner most recently served as managing director and co-chief compliance officer at the international securities firm of Salomon Smith Barney in New York. He also serves on the board of trustees of Princeton University and has been active with numerous other educational and community organizations. We welcome the opportunity to work with him.

Because You Asked...

"What's the Difference Between Headquarters and the Unit?"

The following two-column table lists the locations and the activities at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic. The first column contains information about the New Jersey Unit of Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, and the second column contains information about the National Headquarters.

New Jersey Unit
RFB&D - New Jersey Unit (formerly Princeton Unit)

Two studio locations:
36-A Hibben Road, Princeton
212 Carnegie Center, Suite 202, West Windsor, NJ

Makes member referrals to HQ
Recruits, trains and schedules
Produces books on audio tape, using volunteers to bookmark, read, monitor, check, duplicate, and mail installments of books
Edits books on computer disk
Provides outreach to NJ Schools and Organizations
Enters data on books and volunteers into National Database
Raises funds for all Unit programs and operations

Headquarters
RFB&D National
20 Roszel Road, Princeton

Coordinates the work of the Unit
Provides customer service to members
Makes book assignments to Units
Maintains the Master Tape Library
Duplicates and mails tapes from the Library
Pilots many new initiatives
Audits book requests and tape usage.
Initiates and develops technical advances
Raises funds for all National Operations and initiatives

Board Member Highlight Meet Cathy Brown

Catherine (Cathy) Dickey Brown moved to the Princeton area in 1989. When she and her basset hound Bubba were out walking, Cathy was delighted to find the then Princeton Unit of RFB&D located practically around the corner. Cathy knew of RFB&D from her parents who knew the organizations founder Anne MacDonald and her husband.

Wasting no time, Cathy started volunteering at the Princeton Studio in 1990. Since then, Cathy has volunteered two or more days each week. Cathy put her chemistry degree from Mount Holyoke to work for RFB&D by monitoring chemistry books. Now, most of her volunteer time and talent is spent checking tapes for accuracy. In June 1996, Cathy accepted a position on the Board of the Unit. In addition to continuing her studio volunteering, as a Board member, Cathy assists with special events, volunteer recognition, public relations and bookkeeping for our Treasurer. In her spare time, Cathy enjoys sports and travel. Last year's adventures took Cathy to Russia.

Cathy believes she is making a difference in the educational opportunities for those with print disabilities. To help ensure the future success of RFB&D-NJ Unit, Cathy also financially supports RFB&D and is considered a major donor.

Please join us in saying a sincere thank you to Cathy Brown for her dedication, loyalty and financial support to Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic New Jersey Unit.

Volunteer Highlight

Volunteers connect two organizations through their donation of time, talent and financial resources.

Pearl and Bob Feldmesser have been volunteering at the Princeton Studio of RFB&D for years (Bob a reader since1970 and an e-text editor for the last two years; Pearl a monitor since 1980). Every Tuesday, they arrive in time for their 10:30 a.m. session and stay for a double.

In April 1998, the Feldmessers decided that they would like to make a gift to broaden their commitment to RFB&D. In several meetings with the director of development, various opportunities were suggested. During these meetings, they mentioned that they also volunteer as tutors for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) Adult Literacy Program.

Consequently, in August 1998, Pearl and Bob stepped beyond their volunteer role and into the "major donor" role. Through their generosity RFB&D was able to offer a one-year AIM scholarship to the TASK Literacy Program and our Annual Appeal received a great start. Annual Institute Membership (AIM) is a program serving schools and agencies that assist students with visual impairments, learning or physical disabilities.

Thank you, Pearl and Bob Feldmesser, for your help in promoting educational success, volunteering your time and talent and making it possible for more people to have equal access to the printed word.

Foundation Highlight

The New Jersey Unit of RFB&D recently received a grant of $17,500 from the Fred C. Rummel Foundation of Summit, NJ, in support of its educational outreach and production efforts. Patty Byers (center), vice president of Summit Bank and a member of the Rummel Foundation's board of trustees, presented the check to Anne Young, former executive director, Eileen Gallagher, director of development, James Amick, chairman of the board of RFB&D's NJ Unit, and Carolyn Q. Wilson, corresponding secretary for the unit's board.

OUTREACH PROGRAM RECEIVES $100,000 DONATION

...Donor Anonymous

Eileen Gallagher, Director of Development

The spirit of giving was never more apparent than during this past December. I received a phone call from an investor. The caller on the other end of the phone said, "I am representing a client, who wishes to remain anonymous, and would like to make a gift to your organization." After I extended words of appreciation and gratitude, the caller said, "You did not even ask "how much." Actually, I believe every gift is important; it reflects the thoughtfulness of the donor. However, my curiosity was piqued. "Okay, I give up, what is the amount?" The caller announced "it's $100,000 and it is to be used for Educational Outreach."

So, to our anonymous donor, please know that your gift is greatly appreciated. To our Outreach Committee and Speakers Bureau, congratulations on getting the word out about our organization, its mission and goals. THANK YOU ALL.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Takes Record-A-Thon Lead

Hamed Abdou, Ph.D., President of Technical Operations at BMS, and his wife, Faye, a Studio volunteer, have agreed to serve as Honorary Chairs for the 1999 Record-A-Thon.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has been a donor to RFB&D NJ Unit since 1990, However, for the past two years Dr. Abdous Division has generously donated to the RAT fundraising efforts. This year, they intend to not only help with financial support, but they hope to challenge other corporate leaders to join them in supporting RFB&D.

If your company and its employees would like to help RFB&D NJ Unit, contact Stephanie Campbell, Executive Director, at 609-750-9614 or scampbell@rfbd.org.

RFB&D Listed Among the Best

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic was featured in a new book, In Search of America's Best Nonprofits. This book provides an inside look at admirable organizations and a clear paradigm to evaluate excellence in nonprofits. According to the authors, this book will help citizens assess their own priorities when deciding in which organizations they wish to participate. The decision to donate to, volunteer with, or work for a nonprofit should be based on thoughtful consideration and the evaluation strategies described in this book. We are proud that the authors found RFB&D worthy of inclusion.

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