Princeton, New Jersey, April 20, 2001

Representative Rush Holt (D-12th District), and Stephen J. Sullivan, President of Clinical Development and Support Services, Covance Inc., joined forces in the West Windsor recording studio of the New Jersey Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) on April 20, 2001 as part of the national Record-A-Thon. They worked together as a volunteer team to record educational material for students with visual, perceptual or physical disabilities who cannot effectively read standard print.

Rep. Holt is Honorary Chairperson of the New Jersey Unit of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D) New Jersey Unit's seventh annual Record-a-Thon. Covance is the New Jersey Unit Record-A-Thon 2001 lead Corporate Sponsor. This event marked the local kick-off of RFB&D's week-long national Record-A-Thon and ushered in National Volunteer Week. Rep. Holt read portions of a U. S. history text, The American Presidency: Origins and Developments, 1776 – 1998; Mr. Sullivan directed the recording session. They join the over 450 regular volunteers in New Jersey who help produce accessible educational materials.

RFB&D NJ Unit Executive Director Ted Taylor and
former NJ First Lady Diane DiFrancesco

Other "celebrity" volunteers scheduled to read this year include:

• Stage and screen actor John Glover (star of Love, Valor, Compassion (volunteer time and place TBA)
• New Jersey's First Lady Diane DiFrancesco (April 17th at RFB&D's Princeton studio)
• New Jersey Commissioner of Education Dr. Vito Gagliardi (April 20th at RFB&D's Princeton studio)
• New Jersey Commissioner of Personnel Janice Mintz (April 26th at RFB&D's Princeton studio)
• New Jersey State Assemblymen Leonard Lance, R-23rd district (April 20th at RFB&D's Princeton studio)
• New Jersey State Assemblymen Joel Weingarten, R-21st district (April 19th at the West Windsor studio)

Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, RFB&D is the nation's only nonprofit organization to provide textbooks on audio tape and computer disk to students in kindergarten through graduate school with disabilities like blindness or severe dyslexia. The annual Record-A-Thon is an intensive weeklong volunteer effort to add textbooks in every subject matter and grade level to RFB&D's 83,000-title collection. During Record-A-Thon, special guest readers will join over 5,700 volunteers across the nation who regularly devote their time and expertise to read and record textbooks and other academic materials for students who can't read standard print effectively because of a disability. Each of the more than 83,000 titles in RFB&D's Master Library, housed in its Princeton, NJ headquarters, was recorded by volunteers.

There are over 4,100 NJ students who benefit from RFB&D's services. Last year, over 10,000 taped textbooks were distributed in New Jersey alone.

Rep. Holt is a Record-A-Thon veteran with RFB&D's New Jersey Unit. He said, "I applaud the contributions of the many dedicated volunteers from our state and outside its borders who have given their time and commitment to such an outstanding organization. Their efforts enable RFB&D to make educational materials accessible and make academic success possible for thousands of students here in New Jersey and beyond. I am privileged to serve as the Honorary Chair of this seventh annual Record-A-Thon."

A teacher, Rep. Holt cares deeply about education. Holt serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce and is dedicated to finding and supporting ways to help local school districts provide the best possible education for New Jersey's students. He has cosponsored bills to reduce class sizes, increase resources for science and math teachers and to finance technology literacy programs. He has also spoken on the House floor in support of America's teachers and prepared an action plan to combat the growing epidemic of violence in our schools.

Stephen Sullivan is also a regular volunteer in RFB&D's West Windsor studio, located adjacent to Covance Inc.'s headquarters. Mr. Sullivan became actively involved with the organization after meeting the local unit's executive director, Ted Taylor, at a business breakfast hosted by Congressman Holt last September. Since that meeting, a strong partnership has developed between RFB&D and Covance.

Covance, the lead corporate sponsor of this year's Record-A-Thon, encourages its employees to volunteer with RFB&D. Says Sullivan, "Covance is committed to making a difference in the lives of people across the world and in our local community. Volunteer time with RFB&D is just one way that Covance employees help those in need, in this case benefiting students who require accessible educational materials. Covance is honored to sponsor this year's Record-A-Thon and to actively participate with the NJ Unit of RFB&D on an ongoing basis." Covance Inc., with global headquarters in Princeton, NJ, is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies (www.covance.com).