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NEWS DESKS LEND THEIR VOICES
AND THEIR HEARTS
To Recording for the Blind &Dyslexic-LA's 12th Annual Record-A-Thon

Los Angeles, California, April 6, 2004 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic-L.A.'s (RFB&D-LA) 12th Annual Record-A-Thon contest will kick off on Saturday April 17th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with celebrities from TV to film, from Broadway to radio stations and from novels to news desks. RFB&D-LA's Hollywood location (5022 Hollywood Blvd., access through parking lot on Mariposa, south of Hollywood Blvd.) will host at least 30 stars on "Celebrity Saturday." RFB&D, a nonprofit organization, is the nation's educational library for students of all ages with disabilities that make reading standard textbooks difficult or impossible. Each celebrity will record a textbook for one hour, which will then be placed in RFB&D's national library where 98,000 audio textbooks now stand.

TV and film stars already signed up include Betty White, Jasmine Guy, Ed Asner, Dennis Haskins, Dick Gautier, Robert Trebor and others. Mystery novelist Jerrilyn Farmer (Perfect Sax, Mumbo Jumbo) and humor writer Katherine Gould (A Tiger in the Bedroom) will record from their own books. Claudia Peschiutta and Hettie Lynne Hurtes (KFWB); Kitty Felde (KPCC) and Dan Avey (KABC) represent the radio contingent, Chris Erskine from the L.A. Times volunteers again and TV news anchors from CBS2, KTLA and KCAL will be well-represented including Kent Shocknek, Sylvia Lopez, Leila Feinstein and Michaela Pereira.

This year will once again highlight a performance by the Ready or Not children's dance company directed by Monica Guy, who is Jasmine Guy's sister.

Record-A-Thon is a weeklong contest where RFB&D-LA volunteers try to double their production of audio textbooks to serve more students with vision, physical and learning disabilities. Other goals of the contest include volunteer-based fund raising and increasing awareness in the community. Public interested in volunteering or finding out about RFB&D's services is invited to attend the kickoff. Tours will be available. Free admission. For more information call 800-732-TEXT and visit their website at www.rfbd.org/LA.