The TAPING RECORDER February-March, 2006 News from & about Taping For The Blind, Inc. www.tapingfortheblind.org WELCOME NEW DIRECTORS! Service on our Board of Directors is about setting policy and directing staff, and it is not an easy thing to do, even with a small staff. In fact, that small size makes it more difficult when it comes to those tough choices about setting direction to do the best job possible for our clients, given the monetary and personnel restraints. We welcome Michael Garrett and Marie Roberts as new Directors. Michael is serving as our Vice President for Client Services. He is a client and serves on national committees of the American Council of the Blind, as well as serving the state affiliate (ACB of Texas) and the local chapter, the Houston Council of the Blind. Marie is retired as Vice President of Human Resources for TransOcean and has served on several other boards including the Assistance League, as well as serving us so many ways already. You may have heard her referred to as the “Alpha Queen” as she is such a terrific organizer. Join me in offering a large round of applause as well as good luck on their board service. And let us take this opportunity to thank Bill Canning for his service as Vice President of Planning & Technology and Nadine Saffell for her service as Vice President of Client Services. Well done! RENOVATION ON THE WAY Watch for fresh paint and new carpet in the near future. We know that you will miss the attractive duck tape (or duct tape, if you prefer) gracing our current flooring, but we hope you will look at this as a positive step. Thanks to Bill Canning for his work in making this project happen. We hope there will be little interference with your work, but you might have your facemasks ready just in case the paint is not odorless! Be advised that we are NOT repainting the recording booths. The painting portion of the project is expected to commence next week. We will have this project completed before our volunteer reception on April 23, 2006 (and more about that next time). PLANNING “RETREAT” SUCCESSFUL Recently the Executive Committee and other interested Board members participated in a planning retreat (that term is in quotes in the heading of this article because it was held on-site at Taping, rather than go to some mysterious location). Planning & Technology Vice President Larry Foust was the facilitator (and clock manager); and after 3 hours of work, some useful things had been recognized and some priorities had been established. We also thank those that participated in this event. You will be hearing more about it in the future. PLANNING FOR LUNCHEON UNDERWAY We are certain that you have heard of Neiman-Marcus and feel you may have heard of Escada. But did you know that we will be holding a fund raising event honoring Mary Farish Johnston at a fashion presentation and luncheon on April 17, 2006, at Neiman-Marcus? Well, now you do. Our thanks to Susan Boggio and Barbara LeGrange for heading a wonderful committee of people that are helping put this event together. Neiman-Marcus is underwriting the luncheon, and the Boggios and LeGranges are underwriting all other expenses, so all proceeds from this event will benefit Taping. Tables are available for $5000, $2500, and $1500 for underwriters, and individual tickets will be priced at $100 each. The fashions of designer Escada will be featured and there will be a raffle for a $3000 Escada fashion outfit (tickets are $25 each and will only be sold on-site). The event will begin with a champagne reception at 11:00 a.m. to be followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m. It is wonderful that this event will come to pass, as it has been in the dreams of many for some time. For more information, please call Randy de La Garza (713-984-0910) or Cynthia Franzetti (713-622-2767). FORMATS, WE HAVE FORMATS One area we will be working on with our HTBR readers is to develop formats for each of our radio shows. We recently got the Wall Street Journal readers together to review and update the format for that show. If Jim Martinez has not asked you about what format you have for what you read, you might take the opportunity to talk with him about it. We want to do this so when we have to use a substitute reader, we have some idea of how you approach the publication and what it is that you read consistently and what you leave out. Having this documentation will make us a more consistent reading service and that will benefit our audience. If you have no established format for your show, you might consider if one is appropriate. We suggest you contact Michael Garrett of Client Services for input or contact the client of your choice (including your friendly newsletter editor!). Something else we would like to do is to update our Houston Chronicle format, as this hasn’t been reviewed since the Post left our streets. We will try to organize a gathering and invite Chronicle readers for their remarks, but if you prefer, please send an e-mail note to Jim Martinez, Radio Manager, at: jmartinez@tapingfortheblind.org We have a number of Chronicle readers and subs and it will be difficult getting everyone together at a given time, but we would appreciate hearing from you! LIGHT THE CANDLES Here is the list of Taping volunteers celebrating February birthdays: 02/02 Margaret Carl, Kelli Cooke; 02/04 Phyllis Rice; 02/05 Cullom Connely; 02/09 Kristina Ramirez, Sylvia Ross; 02/10 Kandace Shyer; 02/14 John Campbell, Jim Holliday; 02/15 Robin Ferguson; 02/16 Nancy Davis, John Jacob; 02/18 Geetha Martin; 02/20 Charlene Beniretto; and 02/21 Joan Gallo. And those celebrating in March: 03/01 Dennis Tompkins; 03/06 George Frey; 03/11 KC Jobe; 03/14 Marilyn Saunders; 03/23 Gisela Sachs; 03/24 Jane Freeman; 03/29 Remy Seman; and 03/31 Trice Lawrence, Carol Worsnop. As you add another digit to the odometer of life, we wish you nothing but the very best. And our usual reminder, if you have a birthday in February or March and do not see your name in these lists, please let Ginger know so we can update our records. GET WELL WISHES Although she is not a volunteer, we wish Barbara Gerke a full recovery from her recent illness (Barbara is the future daughter-in-law of Bob & Victoria Bartlett). GIFT CARD INFORMATION While we are not in the business of minding your business, we found the following information from the FTC via the Texas Credit Union League newsletter pretty interesting: During the 2005 holiday season, consumers reportedly purchased more than $18 billion worth of gift cards. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) tells consumers that gift cards, whether purchased from a retailer or a financial institution, may come with strings attached. In particular, consumers should know that some gift cards have expiration dates; others have fees that can lessen the card’s value, including activation fees, transaction fees, monthly maintenance fees, and inactivity or non-use fees. A new consumer alert, Buying, Giving, and Using Gift Cards, offers consumer tips, including: • Read the fine print before you buy. If you do not like the terms and conditions, buy elsewhere. • When buying a card, ask about expiration dates and fees. This information may appear on the card itself, on the accompanying sleeve or envelope, or on the issuer’s website. If you do not see it, ask for it. Make sure that whatever the salesperson tells you is in writing. • Check on purchase exceptions. For example, can you use a store-specific gift card at both the physical store and the store’s website? Can an “all-purpose” card really be used to buy groceries or gasoline? • Treat gift cards like cash. If your card is lost or stolen, report it to the issuer immediately. You may be out the entire amount on the card. Some issuers will not replace the cards, but others will replace them for a fee. * * * * * * * * And speaking of credit unions, if you don’t belong to a credit union and enjoy the benefits a credit union has to offer, remember that as a volunteer for Taping, you are qualified to join the Greater Houston Federal Credit Union. You can check them out at: http://www.ghfcu.org You will find that GHFCU is loaded with services, but the big selling point is the friendly staff! SUBSCRIBE TO THE TAPING ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER If you are reading a print copy of this newsletter, you can receive it as soon as it is published simply by subscribing. Send a blank e-mail note to: Tbi-houston-subscribe@yahoogroups.com You will only receive what we post, which is not very frequently (we want to help you avoid mailbox clutter). AND WHAT ABOUT A TAPING DISCUSSION LIST? If you think a Taping discussion group would be useful, please let Bob Bartlett know by sending an e-mail note to: Rlb19@hal-pc.org If there is interest we may just work up a list of our own. While these lists do not provide face-to-face communications, this may be a good way to learn more about your fellow Taping volunteers. Thank you for your continued great work for Taping For The Blind, Inc.! RLB