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Press Release
RECORDING
FOR THE BLIND & DYSLEXIC®
RENOVATES UPLAND STUDIO
Donor and longtime volunteer Nancy
Arce honored with
painting from renowned artist Milford Zornes
February 28, 2005 (Upland, CA) - The Florence
Case studio of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D®)
is celebrating a brand new look - complete with a new conference
room and improved volunteer recording workstations - as it plans
for the future and seeks to better serve thousands of area students
and others with print disabilities who rely on RFB&D's educational
accommodation. RFB&D, a nonprofit organization, is the nation's
educational library of recorded textbooks for students with visual
impairment, dyslexia or other physical disabilities that make
reading standard textbooks difficult or impossible.
The new meeting space has been named the Nancy Arce
Conference Room in recognition of the donor, dedicated volunteer
and former board chair whose tireless work, along with that of
her husband Bill, made the studio renovations possible. Mrs. Arce
was presented with a painting donated by esteemed RFB&D member
and volunteer Milford Zornes, a nationally renowned watercolor
artist and teacher.
In addition to the usual renovations of new carpet,
furniture and a fresh coat of paint, the project managed by volunteer
and former board chair Georgeann Higgins resulted in upgraded
telephone and computer networks and improvements to the volunteer
recording workstations that gave them more visibility and space.
"The real kudos go to the donors who funded
the project and got it off the ground," said John Faranda,
board chair of the Inland Empire/Orange County Unit of RFB&D.
"We have them to thank for the outpouring of donations to
improve our tired studio, as well as a small surplus to underwrite
future studio needs."
Begun by Ada Blake nearly a decade after the founding
of Recording for the Blind® (RFB®)in 1948, The Inland
Empire/Orange County Unit of RFB&D was originally chartered
as the Pomona Valley Unit in 1963. Renamed 23 years later, the
unit eventually opened a branch recording studio in Santa Ana
and moved its Upland studio to its current location on West 11th
Street. Today, the Inland Empire/Orange County Unit employs five
full-time staff members and works with nearly 280 volunteers.
The unit budget is approximately $400,000 and is largely supported
by donations from private individuals, foundations and local businesses.
Nationally, RFB&D serves more than 137,000 students
from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond with its
one-of-a-kind collection of more than 104,000 educational titles
on CD or four-track cassette. Students rely on RFB&D's unique
accommodation to access the printed page and to achieve educational
success. All of RFB&D's accessible titles are recorded by
volunteers working in 29 RFB&D recording studios nationwide,
including the Upland and Santa Ana, CA, studios.
[EDITORS NOTE: PHOTOS
OR HIGH-RESOLUTION DIGITAL IMAGES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST]
additional
media inquiries:
RFB&D News Desk 1-800-803-7201
media e-mail inquiries
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