The TAPING RECORDER April 2003
News from and about Taping For The Blind, Inc. www.tapingfortheblind.org

VOLUNTEER RECEPTION--Please join us as we honor our volunteers on Sunday,
April 27, 2003, from 2-4 p.m. at Taping, 3935 Essex Lane. This is that
most wonderful party where we get to thank our volunteers for the work they
do, and to tell them they improve peoples lives with their work. Please
plan to be a part of this event--it is held in your honor, you know! This
also gives you a chance to meet others who do the work at Taping. Quite
often we hear that people miss this type of interaction. They come and
enter a booth, do their work, and then head back out to their busy
lives. This is a great opportunity to make new friends as well as greet
old friends. Put it on your calendar and join us for the fun!

STOP THE PRESSES! --That was the subject line in a recent e-mail note I
received from Radio Manager Jim Martinez, and it was very appropriate as he
gave us some great news. He had just received a call from the International
Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS, and a real mouthful)
telling him that Taping had won two of the four prizes they award
annually. The first was best newspaper reading for Marcie Corder's work on
the Houston Press. The second award was for best narrative reading done by
Jack Campbell as he read the biography of John Adams. This is proof of
what high-quality work our volunteers do. We congratulate Marcie and Jack
for their outstanding efforts Turning Sight Into Sound! These awards
really look good on our wall, and we are truly proud of ALL of our volunteers.

NEW ADVISORY DIRECTORS--We are very pleased to announce the appointment of
5 new Advisory Directors. These are people that support our organization
with special talent or with a special place in our community. These
appointments were approved by our Board of Directors in their recent
meeting. The new Advisory Directors are:

BEVERLY KAUFMAN Ms. Kaufman is the County Clerk of Harris County,
Texas. Ms. Kaufman has worked tirelessly to give the blind and visually
impaired community the ability to vote privately and independently.

KYM KING Ms. King is the Executive Director of the Mayor's Office
for People with Disabilities for the City of Houston.

LILA MUSE Ms. Muse is Regional Director for the Southeast Region,
Texas Commission for the Blind.

MORGAN SMITH Mr. Smith had to resign as a Director of Taping
because of a pressing travel schedule but wanted to remain involved with
the organization.

GEORGE TOONE Mr. Toone is Regional Director for the Houston
Region, Texas Commission for the Blind.

We congratulate each of these outstanding individuals and thank
each for agreeing to be part of our organization.

RODEO COVERAGE SUCCESSFUL--Once again (for the ninth year in a row), Taping
has described for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. We described the
parade as well as seven performances at Reliant Stadium. The wind was
annoying at the parade, and we had some difficulties starting in the new
venue, but all things considered, it was another successful year for both
HLS&R and Taping. We had an added rodeo performance this year as we had
several requests from clients to describe the March 14 performance
featuring Ray Charles and Ronnie Milsap as the performers. It was a tough
night for the cowboys as several were hauled out on the backboard with
cervical collars in place, but the last we heard there were no broken
bones, just hurt feelings from placing out of the money. Our thanks to our
describers: Avery Bonnee; John Borrowman; Ted Pfister; and Bill
White. Well done! We also thank the Chair of our Public Relations
Committee, Dena Marks Sokolow, for the work she did trying to get a story
done on our description at the rodeo. This good work did not blossom due
to other breaking news, but we really appreciate the effort.

WELCOME BACK--We are very pleased to welcome Kate Rodwell back to volunteer
service at Taping. Kate will help out on the front desk.

WELCOME NEW VOLUNTEERS--We are so pleased to welcome the following new
volunteers: (Front Desk) Fran Dunovsky; (Custom Recording) Patty Bass,
Lindsey Copp, Judy Hoctor, Sandra Louvet, Debbie Mohr, and J.D. Wilson;
(HTBR) Jenna de Graffenried, Beverly Ellerbee, John Harvey, Lyn Hepler,
Margaret Huron, Margaret Moore, Allen Richards, and Zulema Richards. We
sincerely appreciate your volunteering and we look forward to your good
work for Taping!

HURRY BACK! -- We have several volunteers that are on leave: Fred Dawson
and Marty Ryan are both on the road to recovery after recent surgeries;
also on leave are Felicity Rodgers and Julian Spring.

DESCRIPTIONS--We have done other descriptions and want to thank the
describers for their good work: Alley Theatre "You Can't Take It with You"
described by Monica McHam; and Theater Under The Stars "Kiss Me, Kate"
described by Bill Kreps.

OUR SYMPATHY--The sympathy of the entire Taping family is offered to the
family and friends of Ward Nommensen who passed away recently. We also
extend our sympathy to volunteer Ed Brodie whose wife, Gaye Brodie, passed
away recently.

REMEMBER--Our volunteer reception is Sunday, April 27, 2003, at 3935 Essex
Lane from 2-4 p.m. Please join us for the fun!

RLB