Quick Facts.
Name: Valley Voice
Abbreviation: V.V.
Purpose: Reading service for the print-impaired.
Method: Volunteers read time-sensitive print matter (primarily newspapers) for broadcast to blind, partially-blind, and medically print-impaired people, while Staff delivers service via Cable TV and Subcarrier Band radio broadcast.
Non-profit charity? Yes.
501(c)(3) Organization? Yes (thru' the James Madison University Foundation).
Federal I.D. number (EIN): (must use James Madison Foundation EIN: 54-6001-756).
Able to accept property donations? No (unless for use --example: computers).
Able to accept regular cash / check donations? Yes.
Able to accept grants? Yes.
Sub-office of federal govt. ? No.
Sub-office of state govt. ? Yes ( very distantly and indirectly ).
Sub-office of local govt. ? No.
Sub-office of university ? Yes ( indirectly ).
Sub-office of public radio WMRA ? Yes.
United Way --MEMBER? No ( A past member, Valley Voice decided to leave United Way in the mid-1990's ).
United Way --ABLE to accept gifts given to United Way when we are specified recipient? Yes.
Receiving Federal government finaicial aid? Yes. (College Work-Study programs pay for occasional student interns).
Receiving State government finaicial aid? Yes (salary aid, plus pledged support from public radio WMRA in times of shortage.)
Receiving County government finaicial aid? No.
Receiving Town government finaicial aid? No. (But indirect support from Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Waynesboro thru CitySpan or SchoolSpan Cable TV PEG channel usage partnership.)
Officially political? No.
Officially religious? No.
Volunteers? Roughly 50 weekly.
Paid Staff? 2 part-time .
Governing board? No (Non-governing Advisory Council board present until Reorganization of 1999).
Oversight by? James Madison University and Public Radio WMRA.
Bylaws filed with state? No.
Year organized: 1981.
Founder: Jane Fuller (assisted by Ronald Carrier et al).
Current logo:

Mission.
By providing equal access to civic information, public opinion, time-sensitive local news, and other published items (which would otherwise be availible only to those who can see or hold print matter), Valley Voice reading service encourages independence and productive citizenship for thousands of blind, partially-blind, and medically-print impaired people in the Shenandoah Valley.

Purpose.
Specializing in providing access to time-sensitive print matter, non-profit organization Valley Voice is a Volunteer-powered reading service for the blind, partially-blind, and medically print-impaired.

Organization.

Workforce:
Trained Volunteers do most readings. Volunteer numbers range from 40 to 60 per week --varying according to Volunteer personal schedule changes (weekly, monthly, seasonal), ordinary turnover, and reading service workload.

Two part-time State workers perform or oversee all non-reading tasks (broadcasting, audio processing, scheduling, programming, automation, fundraising, inventory control, listener relations, community relations, data, training, acquisition, planning). Current part-time workers: Valley Voice Program Director Terry Ward, Valley Voice Fundraising Director Rob Munro.

Occasionally, when funds from the federal Work-Study program are available, college students sometimes work for short periods.

Hierarchy of Suboffices:
Commonwealth/State of Virginia.
   James Madison University (JMU).
     JMU College of Arts and Letters.
        JMU Center for Public Broadcasting (WMRA).
             Valley Voice reading service.

Agency:
Like other JMU suboffices, Valley Voice is a non-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization thru the James Madison University Foundation (Fed "tax number" / "I.D." / EIN: 54-6001-756).

Funding.

Overall: administrative "overhead" costs are quite low, and contributions (from the general public, organizations, etc) almost always go toward equipment and office supplies --not staff salary.

Equipment: financial contributiuons from businesses, organizations, foundations, and individuals; grants; Valley Voice Friends fundraising activities; Valley Voice fundraising activities; Valley Voice underwriters.

Programs (subscriptions): financial donations from newspaper publishers; contributiuons from businesses, organizations, foundations, and individuals; grants; Valley Voice Freinds fundraising activities; Valley Voice fundraising activities; Valley Voice underwriters.

Rent: None. Office space lent by public radio WMRA.

Office Supplies: lends by public radio WMRA, barter, Valley Voice Freinds fundraising activities.

Salary 1 (Valley Voice's two part-time workers): State Community Service Grant program, (additional support pledged by public radio WMRA in times of shortfall).

Salary 2 (occasional college student workers): federal college Work-Study program.

Identifying Names.


Valley Voice.
Valley Voice reading service for the blind, partially-blind, and medically print-impaired.
Valley Voice reading service for the blind, and print-impaired.
Valley Voice reading service for the blind.
V.V.
(More names, unofficial, sometimes found in old directories)
Valley Voice RRS.
Valley Voice RRS F/T Blind.
WMRA's reading service.

Identifying Numbers.


JMU-MSC: 6803.
Federal I.D. number / "tax number"/ EIN: (must use James Madison Foundation EIN: 54-6001-756).

Identifying Images.

Primary Logo / graphic emblem:
"Valley Voice with microphone and Braille"

Logo Elements:
In sans-serif type (similar to Arial fontface), the word "Valley" is set directly above "Voice", aligned such that: 1) the point of the topmost V spears into the triangular empty space between the arms of the bottom V, 2) the double "l" in "Valley" is above the "i" of "Voice" --almost like a tuning fork, and 3) the curved bottom tail of the "y" in "Valley" makes contact with the "e" of "Voice". Usual color is black; a "negative" version is rarely used. A microphone mounted on a segment of mic stand pipe lies atop the V's at an angle echoing the angles of the V's arms. Representations of Braille letters say "Valley Voice" (spelled out letter-by-letter, all lower case).

Logo Symbolism:
The microphone implies "sound" or "speech" (using a symbol running less risk of soon looking "dated" --as other logos' reel-to-reel tape wheels, large size satellite dishes, cassettes, and sound waveforms can). The microphone is of typical working design --not an "old timey" design of classic radio. Braille dots imply "something to do with blindness". The conjoined letters V remind some of a corporal's chevrons --quite fitting for a no-frills, hard-working, "grunt" office which gets things done with minimal overhead.

Logo Considerations:
1) Readable and recognizable even when reduced in size, 2) not prone to look dated, 3) discards previous logos' "old timey" microphone (which implied radio drama and other Golden Age of Radio material) and sunbeams (which some mistook as a religious reference), 4) suitable for single-color printing (to minimize costs).

Logo Copyright:
Image use is "on loan" to Valley Voice reading service. Also, may be used by the media when publicizing Valley Voice activity, and by authorized V.V. Volunteers promoting Valley Voice. Otherwise, use permitted by permission only. All Rights Reserved by designer: (c) 1998, Terry Ward. (When an individual is paid by an organization to design an image, Copyright goes to the organization --not to the individual. This image was not created by a paid designer, but rather by an individual volunteering time on home equipment).

Secondary Logo / graphic emblem:
"V's with microphone"

Logo Elements:
Simply a derivation of the primary design, using only the recognizable chevron of V's (or a single "V") overlaid with the microphone.

Logo Copyright:
Same as Primary Logo, above.

History.
1981 and Before: Beginnings.
The Valley Voice's roots go back well before the eighties. Ronald Carrier, during a distinguished term as President of James Madison University (JMU), was instrumental in the effort to acquire what would become the Valley Voice's host station: the entity later known as public radio WMRA. JMU's Board of Visitors still holds WMRA's broadcast license. Mr. Carrier explained (in 2001) that he originally had two reasons for bringing a radio station onto campus. The first, he said, was self-serving: he wanted to hear JMU basketball games. (He said that AM radio later started carrying some of the games, making this reason less urgent). The second reason was public-spirited: he wanted a radio station so that he could attach at least one "sideband" broadcast stream to the main FM signal --for the purpose of Public Service.

PHOTO: Kitty Wells in Valley Voice's control room in 1983.

Usually radio stations are created with no thought of Public Service sidebands; sidebands appear later (if ever) as an afterthought. However, WMRA was established with the public good in mind from the very beginning; the sideband was the initial reason for creating the main station. That Public Service "sideband" is Valley Voice --operationally organized in 1981 by Jane Fuller. Within a few months, cooperative effort (from Ms Fuller, WMRA's engineer Ellsworth Neff, WMRA management, and the Valley Voice's first Volunteers) led to the first broadcasts.

PHOTO: Shenandoah Valley Builders' Association ExecVP Mark Martin reading in 1983.

To preserve the timely nature of the newspapers' content, Volunteers' readings were broadcast (rather than recorded onto tape --and then the tapes copied and mailed out). Reading services deal with the time-sensitive parts of the print world. Books, which have a longer shelf life, are usually taped by separate Talking Book centers and other books-to-tape organizations.

PHOTO: Subcarrier Band receiver unit for free loan to a print-impaired person.

By broadcasting on a main FM channel's Subcarrier sideband, the expense of equipping and licensing a whole new FM station could be avoided. However, an ongoing expense was born. Ordinary AM-FM radios cannot decode Subcarrier sideband signals. To hear the broadcast, each listener needs a specialized Subcarrier Band receiver. In flat terrain, cheaper ($35-$60) models are adequate; however, the Shenandoah Valley's hilly terrain batters the already-weak Subcarrier signals. Hills cause "multipath" interference (previous signals which have bounced off of nearby vertical surfaces reflect back into the new incoming signal's path). Result: the listener hears a lot of static and only a little speech. In most of Valley Voice's service area, only the better quality Subcarrier units ($90-$120) are strong enough to pick up the signal adequately.

PHOTO: Retired Waynesboro High School Guidance Deptartment Head Martha Schneider reading in 1983.

Because most sight-loss triggers relate to old age, most of Valley Voice's qualified recipients are seniors on fixed incomes. So, Valley Voice buys the Subcarrier receivers --and then lends them free-of-charge to medically-qualified people. However, the service cost to Valley Voice (of roughly $100 per person) meant that it would take a very long time before even a few of the Valley's several-thousand blind, partially-blind, and print-impaired people could be served. There were 80 receivers in the field in 1983 (according to an old newsletter).

1985-1990: Gradual Growth.

PHOTO: Volunteer Virginia Obenschain - Willis reading circa 1985.

After Ms Fuller, other Directors came and went. A non-governing Valley Voice Advisory Council gave guidance. Valley Voice became a member of the United Way and the National Association of Radio Reading Services / NARRS (later renamed International Association of Audio Information Services / IAAIS). Many Volunteers fondly remember Lori Rothengass-Miller, who began leading the reading service while still a student. Her energy and effort left a lasting impression. The receiver-count neared 500 by the year 1990.

1990-2000: Pressure to Meet Demand.
While it was an accomplishment to have distributed 500 receivers, the number represented only around 5% of the qualified population. Demand for the service remained strong. There was often a waiting list. For the Valley Voice Director (who already recruited and trained Volunteers, delivered receivers, planned programs, handled public relations, raised money, and did many of the other jobs associated with running a broadcast entity), pressure to raise funds grew. Since readings were aired live, an absent Volunteer (if no substitute could be arranged) would mean the Director had to reschedule commitments and become the reader.

PHOTO: Valley Voice control room during the era of reel-to-reel magnetic tape.

Public radio WMRA had been generous to Valley Voice, and had always lent office space to the organization. The 90's recession and resulting budget cuts threatened to harm both WMRA and Valley Voice. Valley Voice could keep its office space, but would need to raise much more money of its own since it would not benefit directly from WMRA's fundraising campaigns.

In the mid-1990's, a series of Directors (many citing low pay and a high work load) left shortly after being hired. Few were present longer than two-and-a-quarter years. The "learning curve" phase any new hire goes through (and also the "candidate search time" between having Directors) meant that there were frequent periods when the organization was leaderless. A key method of raising funds was through personal appearances by Directors before civic groups. The method is impractical when there is no Director.

PHOTO: Valley Voice control room after the introduction of 8-track style "cartridge" tape.

While the Advisory Council had loyal members at various times over the years (Vickie Simmons, Debbie Peterson, Dan Bowman, Ernest Schlabach, Onnie Bailey, Phil Emmert, Dick Lyons, and others), on the whole absenteeism was growing.

Donations were low. A catch-twenty-two with most business donations became evident. Business gifts were frequently contingent upon Valley Voice's ability to broadcast a "thank you" message before a large audience --and the ability to have a large audience (because of the high cost of Subcarrier receivers) required already-having a lot of money. However, a few local companies were always supportive --especially Riddleberger Brothers and also the Green Valley Book Fair.

Public donations were low because few people knew what reading services were --or why they were important. Placing "awareness" advertisements was problematic: they cost money, they seldom brought donations, but often they did result in new requests for services. Except for JMU media, news coverage about Valley Voice activity was scarce. Many in the press misunderstood the nature of reading services. One radio reporter confided, "we used to throw out y'all's press releases 'cuz you're broadcasters...so we figured you were media rivals." In fact, Valley Voice has never been a news outlet with its own News Department. Instead it simply acts like a giant eye: "seeing" time-sensitive print matter and then retransmitting it in a format which is accessible to sight-impaired people.

PHOTO: Volunteer in Valley Voice reading studio --outfitted with surplus hand-me-down equipment including a taped-together microphone, a "bendover" style floor mic stand meant for stage performances, and a disco-era chair.

Few public donations to the United Way specified Valley Voice as a recipient. Also, Valley Voice disliked the restrictions the United Way placed on Valley Voice's own fundraising --especially when the financial benefits of membership were comparatively low. Valley Voice decided to remove itself from United Way's membership list. (United Way gifts can still reach the service if they are specifically named to Valley Voice).

Occasionally, there was talk of legally-incorporating the Valley Voice in order to have an enhanced status, but lawyer's estimates for the necessary paperwork ranged from $2000 to $5000 (even after one office offered a $500 charity discount). Saving money by writing Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation without a lawyer would be tedious work. Incorporation talk was tabled.

Late 1990's directors included Liz Rubush and Valerie Mullen-Pletcher. In hopes of lowering per-person service cost (and of giving listeners a clearer signal), Valley Voice put an experimental audio stream on to 88.3 of Harrisonburg Adelphia's Cable FM.

A grant totaling $30,000 arrived from two organizations: the Virginia Association for the Blind and the Voice of the Blue Ridge. The gift allowed Valley Voice to purchase automation equipment and software. WMRA installed the new system in the main studios of Valley Voice and WMRA --and in two shared-use audio recording/production studios.

The last time the Director's job went vacant in the 1990's, host station WMRA spread out the usually-overextended Valley Voice Director's workload by splitting the job into two part-time positions. Volunteer Rob Munro (a radio announcer, past writer, and Virginia's first blind Eagle Scout) was hired along with Terry Ward (a radio announcer and past art teacher).

The automation system was not yet fully-enabled. Advisory Council absenteeism remained. Funds were low.

After almost twenty years, there were roughly 800 receivers in the field --giving only around 10% of the medically eligible population access to the service.

There was much to do.

2000 and Beyond: New Directions.
New sources of funding were needed, but Valley Voice's connection to JMU meant that certain fundraising activity was prohibited. Talk of legally-incorporating Valley Voice re-emerged --but an incorporated Valley Voice would still have been held to the same restrictions. Valley Voice's Terry Ward and Rob Munro decided to establish a separate non-profit "booster" organization whose purpose would be to raise money for (and public awareness of) the Valley Voice. To save money on incorporation fees, Mr. Ward (instead of a lawyer) drew up Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. Valley Voice's Rob Munro carried office responsibilities in order to free up Mr. Ward to finish the tedious legal preparations. Litten & Sipe's Steve Heitz organized a review of the legal paperwork, RSM McGladrey's Mensel Dean asked accountant Gerry Rush to check the financial material, and Volunteer Warner Sandquist funded the organizational start-up costs. Booster organization Valley Voice Friends was born. (Within three years, Valley Voice Friends would raise over $12,000 for Valley Voice's use.)

PHOTO: Veteran Volunteer Dr. Jack Rapp reading Harrisonburg's Daily News Record along with trainee, JMU student Sheri Blackwood. Circa 2000.

The just-installed automation system needed to be coded --a process demanding long days of computer typing. Inconsistent product performance lengthened the process considerably; the software manufacturer released over two dozen patches to fix "bugs" in their system. Once the system was finally operational, Valley Voice could record live readings for later playback (without tape --and without needing an equipment operator to arrive and push "play" on a tape player). In the past, Valley Voice's after-hours shows (from an out-of-state reading service) were piped in thru a satellite network. Now, Valley Voice could repeat local programming throughout the evening. The change tripled the amount of local material on the schedule. Volunteers to operate equipment were no longer needed, so former equipment operators were freed up to become readers if they wished.

After Valley Voice's Rob Munro finalized the last of the of the automation coding, even more local content could air: more Virginia periodicals, news magazines, and weekly papers. Also, reliable weekend readings made were possible. After automation, the Number of Volunteers had actually grown (because it was possible to air so much more locally-produced material)..

PHOTO: Valley Voice reader uses digital software in a Valley Voice-WMRA recording room.

Valley Voice applied --unsuccessfully-- for a Commerce Department PTFP Grant. The PTFP grants do fund some multi-million dollar projects (turning analog public broadcasters digital, for example) but --we were told-- not Subcarrier receiver purchases.

Valley Voice learned of the Denton Foundation's public statements about supporting local charitable efforts. Valley Voice invited a Denton Foundation officer to tour the facility --only to be informed of the need to make organizational bylaws, names of board members, and other administrative material readily accessible. The Denton representative had a valid point; Valley Voice began putting as much information as possible onto its website for easy public access.

The initial stages of computer automation (along with the process of legally incorporating the booster organization Valley Voice Friends) consumed many staff hours. Meanwhile, of course time-consuming day-to-day responsibilities continued. To free up some time (and also in response to growing absenteeism) the now-redundant Valley Voice Advisory Council was phased out. It's work, along with direct fundraising assistance, was taken up by the new booster organization Valley Voice Friends.

The boosters were put to immediate use when an opportunity to perform a charity raffle arose. Nationally-known Artist P.Buckley Moss and the P.Buckley Moss Society donated a large print of a Moss image (to which the Artist hand-painted additional people). Framed by Donovan's Framery, the raffle prize would be attractive to collectors. By selling raffle tickets, Valley Voice Friends raised roughly $3500 for Valley Voice's use. The funds bought Subcarrier receivers, Cable TV signal-relay equipment, and office supplies. The next two raffles of P.Buckley Moss art prints raised over $7000. The relationship is likely to continue.

P.Buckley Moss was among the first community leaders to be named an honorary Director on the board of Valley Voice Friends. Others include past JMU President Ronald Carrier, past Chamber of Commerce officer Pat Doss, past White House staffer Andy Lawrence, and past Fishburne cadets leader Col. Bo Beasley.

Valley Voice Friends bought the website name www.ValleyVoice.org and Valley Voice continued posting many pages of information there. The efforts helped reverse longstanding ignorance of reading service activities --both with individuals and the press.

PHOTOS: (Top) Volunteers trying to prepare for a reading amid office clutter. (Bottom) Improved Volunteers' area.

Valley Voice's Terry Ward volunteered a week of vacation days to make the Volunteers' part of the Valley Voice facility more pleasant. In the past, Volunteers had to prepare for their readings amid the windowless office's clutter and storage boxes. A new space (looking rather like a tiny living room) was born --using scrap wood, fragments of antique furniture, castoffs from JMU Surplus, chipped antique store discards, moldings donated by Lowes of Harrisonburg, and with help from JMU maintenance workers.

Valley Voice's Terry Ward learned that reading services in Detroit and elsewhere were broadcasting their audio on specially-created Cable TV channels. Creating whole new channels was too costly, but Ward modified the concept to achieve the same effect: ask existing government-owned Cable TV channels (the CitySpan scrolling-text channels found in most broadcast markets) to replace their background music with Valley Voice readings.

Thus, sight-impaired people with Cable could be told to turn on a CitySpan channel to hear their local newspapers. In the past, Valley Voice needed to purchase a specialized Subcarrier Band receiver ($90-$120 each) to lend out to each medically-qualified listener. There had been no other way for those in need to hear the broadcasts because regular AM-FM radios do not decode Valley Voice (which broadcasts in the Subcarrier Band). The high per-person service cost explains why (after almost twenty years) only around 1000 receivers were in the field, leaving many qualified people unserved. With one Harrisonburg-area Cable TV signal, Valley Voice could reach an estimated 1,500 sight-impaired people --after spending only around $1200 on equipment. To field 1,500 Subcarrier receivers would have cost $135,000-$180,000. Overnight, this idea could raise by 150% the number of print-impaired people able to get the service. It could do so for up to $178,800 less than traditional methods would have allowed --if only the people in charge of CitySpan style Cable TV channels could be convinced to say "yes".

PHOTO: Cable TV showing a CitySpan channel.

Mr.Ward organized a presentation for the February 27, 2001, meeting of Harrisonburg City Council (the entity in charge of Harrisonburg CitySpan TV). Invited guests Pat Doss, Debbie Austin, Rich Sorey, and Dan Bowman spoke on behalf of Mr.Ward's proposal. During his speech, Mr.Ward said that Valley Voice's supporters --not the city's taxpayers-- would bear the equipment costs; the reading service wanted just permission, not money. After asking technical and monetary questions (particularly, "now you say it's not going to COST anything, right?"), City Council approved the concept unanimously. Valley Voice first appeared as Harrisonburg CitySpan's audio background on April 20, 2001. The speech text and summaries of the guests' remarks were posted on the Harrisonburg City Council online archive of Minutes at: http://www.ci.harrisonburg.va.us/minutes/01mfeb27.html

With a working model to observe, other authorities warmed to the concept. Waynesboro SchoolSpan 22 eagerly allowed Valley Voice onto its background --thanks to Waynesboro Schools' Dr Robin Crowder and Betsy Clark. Volunteering time, Terry Ward and Warner Sandquist of Valley Voice Friends did a roof-to-basement installation: antenna, pole, cables, and basement electronics. During the project, Mr.Sandquist's dedication in the face of danger during a windstorm earned him a medal of merit from the organization. (His other many contributions to the cause were also taken into account). Valley Voice's audio on Waynesboro SchoolSpan 22 can reach an estimated 1,500 print-impaired people --again at a savings of up to $178,800 over traditional methods.

Valley Voice approached the Staunton office of Adelphia Cable to inquire about putting Valley Voice on the Fiber Loop --a regionwide fiber optic system. In theory, one array of Valley Voice equipment could feed signal into a multi-county area. Staunton Adelphia responded in a pleasant tone, but was not in a position to make any deals at the time. A year later, status remained uncertain.

Shentel Cable of Shenandoah County volunteered to create a special Valley Voice channel --and to buy the necessary equipment. Shentel Cable's David Ferguson said that it was a worthy project: letting Shenandoah County's print-impaired Cable subscribers have a way to get access to print. Mr.Ward met with Shentel technical wizard Eugene Miller (and a bucket truck) to calibrate the equipment. Shentel's Valley Voice TV66 reaches an estimated 675 print-impaired people; having served them with traditional Subcarrier receivers would have cost $60,750-$81,000.

Staunton's government channel added Valley Voice to its background audio thanks to equipment purchased by Valley Voice Friends and installed by City Facility Services Superintendent Tim Powell and staff (with assistance from Terry Ward and Warner Sandquist of Valley Voice Friends). The project also benefited from the good graces of City Customer Relations Coordinator Doug Cochran, City Chief Technology Officer Kurt Plowman, City Manager Bob Stripling. Staunton CitySpan's Valley Voice audio can reach up to 1125 print-impaired people; having served them with traditional Subcarrier receivers would have cost Valey Voice $101,250-$135,000.

A retirement community complex also added a Valley Voice TV channel to its in-house Cable TV network. Resident Martha Ware heard Valley Voice's Rob Munro giving a speech --and she was inspired to fund equipment to bring Valley Voice into Summit Square's Cable TV system. Joe Rhoades of Sunnyside Communities and Warner Sandquist of Valley Voice Friends installed the equipment. Estimates suggest that up to 50 residents with print-impairments might benefit; having served them with traditional Subcarrier receivers would have cost Valley Voice $4,500-$6,000.

The first five Valley Voice Cable TV installations allowed Valley Voice to quintuple (in fact, almost hextuple) the number of print-impaired people it could serve: from around 1,000 (a figure which had taken almost twenty years to reach) in the year 2000 to around 5,800 in the year 2002. To serve those additional 4,800 qualified people thru the traditional practice (of buying individual Subcarrier Band receiver units for $90-$120 each and lending them out for free) would have cost up to $576,000. Instead, over half-a-million dollars worth of service was provided for only a few thousand dollars worth of Cable TV compatible equipment --mostly provided by booster organization Valley Voice Friends. Valley Voice is one of the only reading services able to say that over half of its region's Census-estimated print-impaired population does have access to the service.

To view a graph, click here (then use your browser's "back" button to return here).

Valley Voice received several honors:

1.  The state governor sent a certificate of recognition saying: "the work of...dedicated volunteers...plays a crucial role in helping Virginia's blind and vision impaired community enjoy a high quality of life....I extend my sincere thanks to the many volunteers at the Valley Voice Reading Service for the Blind....your efforts are appreciated by many throughout our great Commonwealth and nation."

2.  Congressman Bob Goodlatte gave a quite supportive speech and pinned medals on Valley Voice's longest-serving Volunteers (during Valley Voice's 2001 Volunteer Recognition / State-of-the-Service Event).

3.  Mental Health Association of Augusta invited Terry Ward and Rob Munro to accept for the Valley Voice the 2001 MHA Media Award for making a "significant contribution of Mental Health information by the print media or electronic media." The award was given at the MHA's 47th Annual Dinner Meeting with many community notables present.

PHOTOS: (top) Congressman Goodlatte and the longest-serving Valley Voice Volunteers, (below) Congressman prepares to pin a long service medal on Volunteer Wilkie Wilkerson.

4.  Valley Voice's Rob Munro was named to an officer's chair on the board of directors of the International Association of Audio Information Services (IAAIS).

5.  The Department of Justice's "Weed and Seed" urban rejuvenation program approved (through a local office) a $3000 grant proposal written by Rob Munro. With the grant award, Valley Voice Friends will buy Valley Voice Subcarrier receivers primarily targeted for distribution in northeast Harrisonburg and nearby parts of Rockingham county.

In mid-2002, state budget shortfalls meant that Valley Voice's two part-time workers (Ward and Munro, above) would likely not get paid in full. By late 2002, more cutbacks were likely. After discussions, Valley Voice's host station Public Radio WMRA agreed to use the power of its on-air fund drives and mass-mailings to help rescue the reading service if the need should arise. In return, WMRA (which always had nominal regulatory power over Valley Voice) would supervise Valley Voice more closely --and would take over some of its duties.

In late 2002, Valley Voice awaited word from several pending projects: Cable TV expansion to Luray and Charlottesville; presence on the Adelphia Fiber Loop; private sector partnerships including Valley Voice Cable TV at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community and Sunnyside of Harrisonburg; and distribution of Subcarrier receivers specifically tuned for the Charlottesville-Albemarle area.