Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
New Jersey Unit
69 Mapleton Road
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
Phone 609-750-1830
Fax 609-750-9653
Reader’s Note
May/June, 2007
Tony Gruenewald, Editor
Not even a natural disaster can stop Record-A-Thon success!
It was a nor’easter like the weather folks had never seen. Flood waters turned the stairs by the administrative offices into a waterfall which emptied into the offices and the rest rooms. (We ARE in a basement.) Roads were closed. Streams came unbound. The Governor declared a state of emergency. Did that stop us from a great Record-A-Thon? Can Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan be in the same night club without mayhem breaking out? Of course not!
We closed on Monday the 21st, but extended R-A-Tuntil the 28th. You came through by donating 1,032 hours which helped produce 430 hours of recording for RFB&D members. That meant we filled booths 25 more times than in 2006! Perhaps even more impressive was the effort to get those files checked, corrected and smil’d. Thanks to 88 Check-A-Thon sessions, the number of unchecked files didn’t swell out of control and we were able to get all of that recording out to the members in a very timely fashion.
Our pre-R-A-TMark-A-Thon ensured that there were books-a-plenty to record. The markers couldn’t get enough. Rumor has it that when they were done here they penciled in double slashes in all the books at the Princeton Barnes & Noble.
Our celebrities expressed amazement at the incredible job you do for our members and were touched by the exuberant welcomes they received. (I liken Freeman Dyson’s reception to that of Elvis and The Beatles combined.) The unit had its announced guests including Professor Dyson, Star Ledger “Munchmobile” columnist Pete Genovese, Pulitzer Prize winner James McPherson and children’s author Janet S. Wong, and a special guest, Princeton-based author Margery Cuyler, who recorded her book The Battlefield Ghost, which was requested by the Union City, NJ school district.
The food was delicious. King of Record-A-Thon Clif Giddings baked up his usual assortment of delights. Clif, Harold Cymes and Alison Litecky could team up to open the best cafe Central Jersey has ever seen.
The ART for R-A-T exhibition turned the hallway into a feast for the eyes and inspired quite a few sales that benefited the unit. Thanks to Sandy Shapiro, Beth Lynch, Bill Kastan, Pattie Lamb, Juanell Boyd, Helen Daviesand Lynn McCartyfor donating their beautiful work!
Items about R-A-T found their way into several newspapers across the state and Stephanie Campbell and Jessie Falcone braved the storm to appear on Bill Mayer’s(Ginny’shusband) “Active Adults” program on WCTC-AM. Stephanie also appeared on a Comcast Newsmakers segment and a piece created by Cathy Wheeler that ran on Mercer County Community College radio attracted new members. The unit also got coverage in the West Windsor-Plainsboro News, The Star Ledger, The Trenton Times, Town Topics and The Home News Tribune.
As of this moment, we’ve received more than $28,000 including corporate sponsorships from ETS, Bloomberg, CB VATAmericaand Glenmede, the Internet auction, ART for R-A-Tand individual donations. Individual donations raised enough to adopt six books requested by the Union City School District. Those books will begin with the student hearing the
book was recorded “through the generosity of the New Jersey Unit’s 2007 Record-A-Thon volunteers.”
Volunteers who were flooded out of their extra R-A-Tsession and haven’t had a chance to read, direct or check are more than welcome to make up a session.
Dear Aunt Bea...
Aunt Bea recommends everyone stock up on some SPF15 or higher sunblock and a good pair of UV coated sunglasses this summer.
Dear Aunt Bea,
I’m recording and hearing some static. It doesn’t happen all the time. It’s just sporadic. Oh wait...hold on...my grandson is calling...
Canu Hearmenow
Dear Canu,
Congratulations! You’ve just answered your own question. The static is from your cellphone. The problem with it being on in the studio is not only the sound of it ringing, the beeping when your battery is running low or the sound of you yelling, “Hello...huh...whaaa...I can’t hear you,” into the phone. The issue is that when your cellphone is on, it is often searching for a signal. The waves that search creates cause static. As a volunteer who is a professional musician puts it, “I can always tell if someone has a cellphone on on stage. The signal causes static in my amp before the phone rings.” Since we are recording in a basement, the phone has a harder time finding and holding a signal, so it has to search more often. (And makes the conversation harder to hold.) If you’re recording, that static is getting on the recording. If you’re checking next to another checker, the static might not be getting on your file, but you may be driving your fellow checker crazy or interfering with another recording session. If someone needs to reach you while you’re volunteering, give them the studio number, we’ll be happy to get you or take a message for you if they call.
Dear Aunt Bea,
I get this nagging feeling that there was a mistake on a file that I didn’t catch because I’m not checking every word. What do the members say?
Q.C.
Dear Q.C.
The main complaint our members have is not reader accuracy–it’s that they need the books faster than we can get the recordings to them. Except for K-3 level books which are checked more thoroughly, please check the beginning and end of the file and where readers change for extraneous noise, acceptable volume, navigation marks for proper placement, page announcements, edits, one figure per reader for clarity and accuracy and any special instructions from the orange sheet such as bold text, line numbers, footnotes or margin notes. Check one special instructions element per reader. Following these guidelines will ensure that the books are delivered to members in a timely fashion.
Volunteer happenings
Maurice Hardingwas hiking in Patagonia. Stuart and Janet Nagourney were off to Amsterdam, Belgium and Prague. Ellen Arzt spent time in Ireland. Betsey Butler was seeing if she could get her daughter involved with one of the princes while they were in England, Ireland and Scotland. Aron Davidson was whitewater rafting in the Grand Canyon. Juanell Boyd is summering in Alaska and western New York. Bryce Rittenhouse joined the missing bees (you have to read the comic strip Over the Hedge to understand–in this case, never judge a comic strip by its movie) in Las Vegas. Fran Jones was off to South Carolina. Lionel Gossman went back home to Scotland. Anne Venditti was in the State of Washington and Arizona. Erna Neuseis summering in Vermont.
Harriet Ingerslev became a first time grandma, welcoming Landon Kent Ingerslev (I think it’s a cool name) into the world in mid-May. Katra Byramgave birth to Abram James on May 19. Kathy Weidling was off to visit her new granddaughter Dylan Schuyler.
Volunteer and former staff member Becky Barclay will be leaving us and is, as the Jackson 5 sang, “Goin’ back to Indiana.”
If there’s any news you’d like to share with your fellow volunteers, please tell Tony Gruenewald or send him an e-mail at tgruenewald@rfbd.org.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES:
Director of Development needed to successfully meet yearly revenue goals for the programs, operations and operating "reserve" for the New Jersey Unit of RFB&D through a comprehensive program of solicitations to individuals, community organizations, foundations, corporations, as well as events, while developing and implementing new funding initiatives (e.g. planned giving, 50thAnniversary Campaign).
Overview of responsibilities include (but is not limited to): Develop and implement strategies and objectives for annual fundraising goals. Conduct cultivation, solicitation and stewardship activities for current and prospective donors. Work with Executive Director, Board of Directors, Development Committee Chair, consultants, and volunteers to develop new contacts and programs for revenue generation. Oversee publication of semi-annual newsletter and public relations activities. Work with headquarters on appropriate unit/headquarters joint solicitation. Maintain donor database and files. Represent unit during local public awareness engagements. Perform special assignments at request of Executive Director.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor's degree in English or related field, 5 years hands on experience achieving $500,000+ fundraising goals. Must have experience analyzing fundraising trends and provide contingencies throughout fiscal year. Expertise with Raiser's Edge required; planned giving knowledge a plus. Candidate should be energetic, outgoing and resourceful, possess excellent written and oral communication skills, be well organized and computer savvy, be able to manage several concurrent projects and meet deadlines. Must be an aggressive self-starter able to function in a collaborative, team-oriented environment. Must have car and be able to visit current and potential donors monthly.
Administrative Assistant needed for a wide variety of duties in support of the administrative and financial development activities of this nonprofit organization. Provide support for all aspects of office operations. Bookkeeping skills, payroll and benefits management, familiarity with MS Office Pro environment, database programs required. Knowledge Quicken and donor management databases, e.g. Raiser’s Edge required. Excellent verbal, written, and proof-reading skills required. Ideal candidate is a self-starter who is attentive to details and can meet deadlines. This position is current part-time (20 hours per week), but is under consideration for full-time status.
Respond with resume and salary requirements to RFB&D New Jersey Unit, 69 Mapleton Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Thank you Jessica!
Jessica Wilson left the New Jersey Unit on May 18. Although Jessica has only been with us for 15 months, she has brought organization, innovative thinking, enhanced proposal writing, and improved standards to the development department.
Please join us in wishing her well on all her future endeavors.
9,500 hours for 2007?
Of course we can can!
100% (9,500 hours)
75% (7,125 hours)
50% (4,750 hours)
25% (2,375 hours)
Push the hour-o-meter over the top! Our goal for the 2007 fiscal year (July 2006-June 2007) is 9,500 hours of recording. After 11 months of the fiscal year, we’ve recorded 8,868 hours, which is almost 93% of the goal. That means we need only 632 hours in June to make the goal. Is it a slam dunk? Not to mix sports metaphors, but anyone who remembers the 1964 Phillies...the 1969 Cubs...the 1978 Red Sox...the 1986 Worlds Series (Red Sox again)...the 2007 Red Sox (?) knows as Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over till its over.” As the 1969 Lee Dorsey hit proclaimed, “I know we can make it if we try/Oh yes we can/I know we can can/Yes we can can...”
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Mug shots needed!
Don't be shy...
Lend us your ears, eyes, lips, cheeks: we'd like ALL of you.
The NJ Unit is creating a “face book” photo album with brief bios of all willing volunteers.
So...
Pick up and complete a Volunteer Bio form (by the sign-out book)
Write your name on the back of your mug shot (we'd love photos of you doing something you love)
Clip the bio form and the mug shot & return it to the collection box at the sign-out area.
So, c’mon and strike a pose for our studio!
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
New Jersey Unit
69 Mapleton Road
Princeton, NJ 08540
609-750-1830
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