Just in time for Veterans Day, NCRA has launched a new downloadable Veterans History Project Event Tool Kit that offers members the resources they need to host a successful event.
The Veterans History Project (VHP), part of the National Court Reporters Foundation’s Oral Histories Program, is one of its most popular. Established in October 2000 by U.S. Rep. Ron Kind from Wisconsin, the program preserves and makes accessible to the public firsthand accounts of the service of American war veterans that are archived at the Library of Congress. To date NCRA members have recorded and transcribed the moving stories of nearly 5,000 U.S. war veterans, helping to build a lasting legacy of the diverse group of men and women who have served our nation during wartime.
“Our longstanding partnership of NCRF and the Library of Congress is so valuable. Not only are our record-making skills utilized to preserve memories for posterity, but the veterans are able to share their experiences with interviewers, videographers, and stenographers — our members who are changed by hearing the military lives of these servants,” said NCRF Chair Doug Friend, FAPR, RDR, CRR (Ret.), and a past president of NCRA from Vancouver, Wash.
The new VHP Tool Kit features a catalog of downloadable resources, including tips on how to plan and host a successful VHP event, valuable links to the Library of Congress VHP website, media advisory and business card templates, and more. These support materials have all successfully been used in previous VHP events hosted by NCRA and NCRF and have been packed into one tool kit to assist members in continuing this effort to preserve history.
Other resources include links to military organizations, a list of dates recognizing military-related observances, a video loop, a PowerPoint presentation about the program, and information on how to reach out to NCRA for contact information for veterans throughout the country who are eager to share their wartime experiences for the VHP.
The tool kit also includes quotes from NCRA members and veterans who have participated in VHP events as well as an array of stories from the JCR Weekly about past VHP events.
NCRF and NCRA encourage members to share their stories about participating in VHP events as well as any tips they would like to share with others. Submit your VHP stories and ideas to pr@ncra.org. Contact NCRF Manager Jill Parker Landsman at jlandsman@ncra.org for more information about the VHP and all of the Foundation’s programs.
