Six court reporters and one court reporting student from across the country raised more than $28,500 during the National Court Reporting Foundation’s annual fundraising phone-a-thon held between April 26 and May 5. The seven volunteers made thousands of calls and generated individual donations ranging from $10 to $1,000.
NCRF’s annual phone-a-thon supports NCRF’s programs, including:
- the Oral Histories Program
- the Student Initiatives Program
- the New Professional Reporter Grant
- the Corrinne Clark Professionalism Institute
- and other programs
“With the ever-changing field of court reporting, and the many obstacles we are facing, we all need to support our profession. We need the Foundation to fight for us, to inform the legal community of our invaluable contribution to their work. NCRF does this and so much more,” said Lorene R. Eppley, RPR, who contributed to this year’s phone-a-thon.
Eppley, owner of Eppley Court Reporting, Hopedale, Mass., said she would encourage others to support the Foundation by reminding them how proud they are of their profession. “Giving to the NCRF – particularly now – is far more than paying your dues and moving on. If we fail to join together, there may be nowhere to move on to,” she added.
Volunteers for this year’s effort included Kathy Cortopassi, RMR, CRR, CRC, Crown Point, Ind.; NCRF Trustee Jane Fitzgerald, RMR, Pleasant Hill, Iowa; NCRF Trustee Teresa Kordick, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, CRI, CPE, Des Moines, Iowa; NCRF Trustee Joan McQuinn, RPR, CMRS, Rockford, Ill.; Jackie Timmons, FAPR, RDR, Darien, Ill.; and NCRA President Tiva Wood, FAPR, RDR, CMRS, Mechanicsburg, Pa. Also volunteering for this year’s fundraiser was Cortopassi’s daughter, Amanda Clidence, who is a court reporting student.
Long-time volunteer Timmons said she believes aiding in the phone-a-thon is a way to give back to the profession. She has met and made great friends through her work and looks forward to seeing them each time she participates. As to why the phone-a-thon is so successful each year, Timmons said, “We are people calling our peers. We are not just people hired to fundraise.”
Eppley, who volunteered during NCRF’s 1997 phone-a-thon, agrees. “It was difficult, no doubt, cold-calling for money. Yet, ultimately, donors often told me it was the best telemarketing phone call they’d ever received! It was for me. I have donated every year since.”
Kordick, who has also volunteered for previous NCRF phone-a-thons, said doing so is a way for her to give her time to an organization that does so much to promote reporting and captioning. “Besides being a good way to raise funds, I love working with other reporters from around the country and also interacting with the incredible staff at NCRA.”
“The phone-a-thon is a way to talk one-on-one with reporters and others about the importance of the Foundation’s philanthropic mission. It’s also a way for our donors to ask questions and donate at whatever level they are comfortable with,” Kordick added.
According to B.J. Shorak, NCRF Deputy Executive Director, the Foundation’s annual phone-a-thon began in the mid-1990s and has relied on using member volunteers to make the call rather than an outside company because of the high success rate of peer-to-peer outreach.
If the volunteers missed you during the phone-a-thon or you’d like to give to NCRF, please call 800-272-6272 to make your 100 percent tax-deductible donation.
