OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 1                                                                                                             2011

 

Message from the President:

On behalf of the Board of directors of the Radio Reading Service of Eastern North Carolina, we want you to take a few minutes to relax and experience our first Newsletter with us. In the past, we have sent letters to listeners for various reasons, and now, it is our goal to create a Newsletter that will be informative and serve as a tool to share new information and the latest happenings regarding our service to people in central Eastern North Carolina, who are blind and print impaired.  It is because of the dream of the late Mrs. Ramona Van Nortwick, who could no longer read the local newspaper due to declining vision, and her desire to have access to local news and information, that we now have the Radio Reading Service of Eastern North Carolina. Ramona was very active in the Greenville area and taught dancing for more than 50 years and owned and operated the Jr. Cotillion for more than 40 years. We also recognize and appreciate the generosity on the part of Public Radio station in New Bern, (WTEB), for contributing a large part of our initial cost as well as allowing us to receive our signal from their transmitter; efforts of many dedicated volunteer readers, individual contributors, Lions’ Clubs, Foundations, churches, other civic groups, and our own fundraising events, for continuing to carry the torch allowing this service to provide audible local news and information to citizens in the community who would not otherwise have access to this kind of information.

For you who may have just started listening to this service or new volunteer readers, as well as other recent supporters, I would like to take this opportunity to share a short overview of how this service began in our area and developments that have taken place, bringing us to our present status. 

The Radio Reading Service of Eastern North Carolina was organized in 1992 for the purpose of providing current local news and information in an audible format to blind and print-impaired citizens in the local community. We are a nonprofit organization qualifying under the 501C (3) tax exemption status. This service developed as a direct result of a voiced need among the sight-impaired community. It was their desire to have access to information from the local newspaper in order to become more aware of area news and activities; therefore, resources were explored to meet this need. The New Bern support group for the blind, under the direction of Dennis Hanyo and me, contacted WTEB regarding the possibility of their assistance in broadcasting the reading of our local newspaper. It was through that contact, that we learned of Ramona Van Nortwick and her vision to organize a Radio Reading Service in Eastern NC, therefore; we agreed to join her efforts in organizing this service. The public radio station in New Bern, WTEB, graciously agreed to provide their support by assisting our organization with a portion of the initial cost and technical support to develop a broadcast service for volunteers to read aloud the local newspapers, the Greenville "Daily Reflector" and the New Bern "Sun Journal." In 2009, we added two other local newspapers, the "Washington Daily News" and the "Kinston Free Press." In addition to our local broadcasts, we receive other programming from the Triangle Radio Reading Service from Raleigh. This programming provides up to-date state news, a daily exercise workout, current magazine articles, health and nutritional information, and programming via satellite from other national reading service programs. This is made possible through remote relay, allowing blind and print-impaired citizens in our area to receive programming 24-hours a day.

The Radio Reading Service program is the only service of its kind in Central Eastern North Carolina. People who are blind or unable to read standard print desire to stay informed regarding up-to-date community news, local events and activities, as well as medical news and health screenings. This program provides the opportunity for print-Impaired citizens to become better-informed participants in the community, resulting in increased self-worth and improved quality of life.

Last year, we replaced our dial-up connections for transmitting our local broadcast from Greenville to New Bern as well as receiving the programming from the Triangle Reading Service out of Raleigh. This involved purchasing three barix boxes, which enabled us to receive our signal via the internet, thus eliminating two telephone lines. Currently, our service is available in all patient rooms at Vidant Medical Center and Carolina East Medical Center in New Bern through their in-house audio system. Our broadcast of "The Daily Reflector" is also available to Greenville residents on channel 23, the Public Access television station.

For our service to remain a viable and useful tool in the future and reach additional listeners in this community, we must embrace newer methods. Utilizing digital technology will also enable us to, one day in the near future, stream our programming on the internet and more efficiently reach assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and apartment complexes.

As we approach the holiday season and reach the end of another calendar year, I want to express my sincere appreciation to each of you who read this letter, for your most valuable support for making this service possible in our community. Listeners, without your day to day tuning in to the broadcast and providing your comments and suggestions, this service would not be very meaningful, so please continue to listen to the programming and provide that helpful feedback that we need from you. We as listeners know that without our many great volunteers, this service would not exist. Volunteers, you are the core of this service and we are very much indebted to you.

May your hearts be filled with joy and peace during this holiday season and always.

Barbara Hansen, President

RRS/ENC

 

From one of our listeners:  “Enclosed is a donation towards your much appreciated service.  I especially enjoy listening to you reading the several newspapers.  I was a gardener for many years, so mention of the natural world is a pleasure.”

Please let us know any comments and suggestions you may have.  We love hearing from our listeners.

 

 

 

 

 

The Harold H. Bates Foundation Inc.

Marion Friedlander

Carolina East Foundation

Ray Whaley

Trinity United Methodist Church

Pitt County Government

Craven Co. Cooperative Extension

Dr. John K. Harper

Christina Villegas Gutierrez

Robert T. Paul

NC Council for the Blind

Al & Carol Hart

Bridgeton United Methodist Church

Dennis & Diane Hanyo

Bridgeton Women’s Fellowship

Darrel G. Hart

Greater Greenville Foundation

Dr. Charles Moore

Carolina East Medical Center

Della Dixon                            

Dr. C. C. Bremer 

Hazel Edwards

New Bern Woman’s Club

Lora Hall

Bob Lancet

Linda E. Beatty

Keila Keadle

Thalian Book Club

Mr. & Mrs. Tom Harwell                       Mike & Peggy Gleason

Wallace T. Van Nortwick, DDS      

Joanne Schwartz

Cathy Campbell 

David & Judith Whichard

Kitty & Max Joyner

Mr. & Mrs. John Ludwig

Mark & Susan Sloan

Waller R. Staples lll

John & Sarah Minges

Mr. & Mrs. John Whichard

Grace T. Van Nortwick

Terry & Doug Privette

Dr. & Mrs. Michael Weaver

Lillian D. Harrison

St. Lydia’s Guild of St. Paul’s Church

The Knitwits

Barbara Vickers

Barbara Bremer

Clara Cloud

Jean Creamer

Doreen Hambrook

Mary Yahnker

Dorothy Gregory

Mr. & Mrs. Frederick Daniel

Mr. & Mrs. Rusty Duke                            

Bill & Jane Brown

Marywhite J. Smith

Barbara & Jerry Hansen

East Carolina Bank

Katherine Owens

Jan Williams

Kathryn Whichard

Mary R. Bell

Family Tire & Auto

Twin Rivers Lions Club

Patricia Traynor

N. C Community Foundation

Betty Walzak

Dr. David Hurst

Nancy & Jerry Zachewicz

New Bern Lions Club