NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 47 Summer 2009
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Volunteer Recognition – 8365 Hours!
On June 20, TRRS volunteers were recognized for their donation of time to the organization. Director, Linda Ornt noted that the 8,365 hours of volunteer effort were the equivalent of $169,391 to the agency. She also acknowledged the volunteers who made up the “200 Hour Club” for the year: Kelly Bennerson, Bob Kruger, Terry Raiter and Mike Skehan.
During the event at the Garner Lions Club facility, incoming Board President Richard Dunnagan reiterated the need for additional income to keep the service afloat. 20,000 people rely on TRRS to keep them connected to the community. While the agency is cutting costs everywhere possible, there are still the expenses of staff, studio and office space, and the electricity to keep it all running. Without these necessities, TRRS cannot serve anyone.
Groups cut TRRS from their funding budgets
TRRS has received word that there will be no funding this year from either the United Way of Chatham County or the United Way Franklin County. One of the issues that the funding panels had to resolve was the number of people that TRRS could identify as using the broadcasts in each county. The number of receivers in listeners’ homes is not significant enough, except to those people who use them, to convince others that funding the service is a good use of their scarce dollars.
From the President
Change is inevitable. During the economic downturn many reading services have been forced to close due insufficient funds. The countless listeners they served are now without access to the news and information that those services provided. Without a reading service to connect them to the world, many will retreat to solitude in their familiar surroundings.
The TRRS mission is to link people who are blind, visually and print impaired to their community. We are a friend who offers news and information unavailable because they can’t read print material.
With the media outlets available, you may think listeners could get information they need. TRRS includes feature stories and editorials ignored by commercial broadcast news. Where else can you listen to the latest edition of Our State Magazine, join an exercise program, or listen to a novel or mystery? Where can a person who is blind find sales at their local grocery, drug, or department stores? TRRS programming grants the freedom to enjoy what others take for granted.
Technological changes allow us to offer our service via web streaming, and podcasting.
What hasn’t changed is our need for generous contributions to make TRRS possible: 150 volunteer readers who contribute over 8000 hours to produce 87 hours of programming weekly; a growing number of non reading volunteers perform operational tasks to keep our office and equipment running smoothly.
Our budget has never been large. We operate as frugally as possible. Government funding is no longer reliable, and contributions are not sufficient to take up the slack. TRRS’ survival depends upon our ability to increase current donations from corporations and individuals, like you. We formed a Resource Development committee to develop ways to find continual and sufficient donations to fund our overhead and develop long term financial security.
Good things are happening at TRRS. Our listener base is growing. We are filling committee positions with people whose ideas will shape the nature of TRRS for the next decade.
We invite you to become a part of this great organization. We always seek readers, but we also need leaders with vision and dedication to drive our newly formed committees. We need workers who want to contribute in any way they can. Call us for committee openings that match your interests and expertise.
Most of all, we need financial support. Your donation will be the difference in providing another day’s programming. If we are unable to operate, due to lack of funds, it will impact our audience immensely. With your help, we can make TRRS financially strong with the wealth of human talent that shapes the personality of this great organization.
Richard Dunnagan
President, Board of Directors
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DONATIONS
October 31, 2008 – July 3, 2009
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DONATIONS
October 31, 2008 – July 3, 2009
COMPANIES & AGENCIES
Counties of:
Durham, Garner, Orange.
United Ways:
United Way of the Greater Triangle
United Way of Chatham County
City & County:
Town of Chapel Hill
Durham County
City of: Raleigh
Underwriters:
United Arts of Raleigh and Wake County
Corporations:
Down East Radio Reading Service, Inc.
Hudson Belk Charity Day Sale
IBM Corporate Matching Grant
Raleigh Wake Council of the Blind
Transformed By His Word, Inc.
BROADCAST UNDERWRITERS
Carter Glass Insurance Co.
News & Observer
Prime Mortgage Lending
Raleigh Kiwanis Foundation
United Arts of Raleigh & Wake County
LIONS CLUBS
District 31-G
Apex Lions
Burlington Lions
Carrboro Lions
Cary Lions
Durham Lions
Epson Lions
Franklinton Lions
Fuquay-Varina Lions
Garner Lions
Goldston Lions
Henderson Lions
Ingleside Lions
Knightdale Lions
Littleton Lions
Lake Gaston Lions
North Raleigh Lions
Oxford Lions
Pilot Lions
Pitsboro Lions
Raleigh Host Lions
Raleigh Southeast Lions
Roxboro Lions
Siler City Lions
Townsville Lions
Warrenton Lions
Zebulon Lions
INDIVIDUALS
Albright, Karen
Anonymous
Bailey, Yvonne C.
Bannerjee, Bonnie & Neil
Barbee, Mrs. Mabel D.
Barbour, Durwood & Mary Anne
Memory of May Tran’s mother and honor of May Tran
Bennett, Hugh B.
Berger, Carol L.
Bernard, Shula & Steve
Best, Lee James Jr.
Boddie, Jack G. B.
Brown, Sharon
Burchett, Denise W.
Carden, Dare
Carolina Crime Writers
Case, Charles D.
Casey, Ronnie J.
Chandler, Kirk
Cloud, Randolph & Pam
Memory of May Tran’s mother
Connick, Ann M.
Dawson, Kimberly L.
DiCori, Michele
Dixon, Barbara
Dumas, Carolyn B.
Ben Eason Fund of Triangle Community Foundation
Eaton, Allison M.
English, Sandra L.
Enzor, Kenneth E.
Fuhrman, Cecily & Chuck
Garofalo, Joann
Glass, Carter J.
Glass, Karen
Hadley, Donald F.
Hassell, Lori Bowes
Hauver, Dee
Haynes, Helen R.
Hemby, Jim
Hill, Mary L.
Memory of Frank Holman
Hogg, Nancy
Hollander, Missy
Holloway, John D.
Howard III, Carlton H.
Hurley, Brady
Jones, Merritt L.
Kababik, James F.
Kenyon, Anne E.
Kosak, Pat
Lininger, Hal
Lockehard Jr., Edward L.
Mark, Stephen
Massengill, Steve
McCoy, Louise
McLean, Thesolonia
Miner, Kent
Musselman, Paul & Lorraine
Otterbourgh, Bob
Padgett, Charles
Pastore, Miriam & John
Memory of Matthew Pastore
Peters, Cynthia A.
Honor of Evelyn Pursley
Pursley, Evelyn
Raleigh Amateur Radio Society, Inc.
Richardson, Lawrence
Rosen, Odell H.
Rubidge, Bruce
Saucedo, Susan
Memory of Joan Dora Jonin
Schlesinger, Jackie
Memory of May Tran’s Mother
Seamster, Greg & Jackie
Memory of f May Tran’s mother
Smith, Mazie S.
Somers, Jo
Stansell, Thelma
Memory of Ad Gable
Strickland, Jay
Sumner, Chuck
Tharrington, Tim
Thomson, Randy & Chris
Tran, May
Van Scoyoc, Peggy
Weddington, Bee
Weller, Ann
In-Kinds
Hauver, Dee
Koeppen, Karl
Leopold, Bob
Mannnix, Tim
Ornt, Ace & Linda
Palmer, Beth
Robinson, Shirley
Rubidge, Bruce
Schlesinger, Jackie
Thomson, Randy
Tran, May
Thank you to all who brought in paper products, soft drinks, light bulbs, and cookies. Please accept our sincere appreciation for donations left in OX (our office expenses piggy bank) and those anonymous donations we find left in the studios when we arrive!
Triangle Radio Reading Service211-103 E. Six Forks Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27609-7743
919-832-5138
fax: 833-5220
e-mail:
Director……..Linda Ornt
Layout/Editor…May Tran
Issue 47…Summer 2009
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TRIANGLE RADIO READING SERVICE is a proud recipient of funding from United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, an umbrella fundraising organization that raises money from individuals, businesses and government entities to provide arts programming, arts services and arts education throughout Wake County.
TRRS MISSION STATEMENT
The Triangle Radio Reading Service is a non-profit information agency which
· Disseminates current news, information and entertainment from the print media
· Provides services to people who are blind, visually impaired and cognitively or physically disabled.
· Operates 24 hours a day on an audio network of radio, television, cable and the internet
· Provides a window on the world for people who cannot read or understand print
· Helps the listeners achieve their rightful place in society
I WANT TO JOIN THE “1983 SOCIETY”
Enclosed is my donation of
____$50 – 10,000 Watt club ____$500 – 100,000 Watt club
____$100 – 50,000 Watt club ____Other amount
____ Charge MasterCard/Visa/Discover (Circle one) ____My check is enclosed
Card number______Expiration Date____________
Signature _______
Name ______Phone Number ______
Address ______
City______State______ZIP____________
(All donations to TRRS are tax deductible. No gifts or services were received)
*Many corporations will match contributions made by their employees.
(Please check with your employer regarding matching gift forms or opportunities.)
I want to help on a committee: ___Financial Resources, ____Marketing/PR
___Human Resources, ___Listener, ___Property and Assets
Triangle Radio Reading Service
providing local news and information
for people in the greater Triangle area
who are blind, elderly, or print-impaired people
.
Summer 2009
Newsletter
inside this issue: page
Volunteer Recognition…………………………………..1
From the President………………………………………2
Donations ………………………………………………3-4
TRRS Mission Statement……………………………….5
Radio Reading Service, Inc., dba:
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S.POSTAGE PAID
RALEIGH, NC
PERMIT #178
TRIANGLE RADIO READING SERVICE
211 EAST SIX FORKS ROAD, SUITE 103
RALEIGH, NC 27609-7743
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