By Early Langley
We thank you all for your recent donations to our National Court Reporter Foundation fundraisers. Whether you are an esteemed NCRF Angel or a recent NCRF raffle ticket buyer, thank you for your contribution!
We just returned from a whirlwind Conference in Las Vegas, where our Foundation broke records for every fundraiser we hosted. The big news is that we netted 20 new Angels to our Foundation ranks.
We, who serve on the Foundation, care about serving others. We care about our industry. And we honor many in the process. I like to think that we are all on #AngelLane and all have an Angel’s heart.
It has been my honor and privilege to serve as your Foundation Chair for the past six months. At NCRF, we call ourselves the philanthropic arm of NCRA. It’s through our efforts that we provide valuable programs to rising reporters and provide community outreach.
The Foundation’s highest-profile project is our NCRF Oral Histories Program, where students and reporters transcribe first-person accounts of war veterans, Holocaust survivors, and attorneys who’ve provided pro bono services to America’s poor, all stories worth preserving.
To date, we’ve submitted more than 4,480 transcripts to the Library of Congress and more than 1,000 to the Holocaust Museum in D.C., with more transcribed by our members every day.
Last year I completed my own Veterans History Project (VHP). I was always told I was named after my Uncle Earl. But that was it. During the height of COVID-19, I set out to find information about my Uncle Earl, who was killed in the Philippines in WWII. I had the help of NCRF Manager Jill Landsman and Library of Congress Liaison Specialist Kerry Ward.
Earl K. Zimpfer, my uncle, a private first class in the U.S. Army, was killed by a sniper on Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, Philippines, in WWII during a Purple Heart Campaign to retake the Philippines under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. So painful was his death that no one in my family would speak about him.
I wrote to relatives; I researched his 6th Infantry Division Red Star Book and acquired his Purple Heart and numerous photos and letters of awards and commendations. Now his documented story is in the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress, and his Purple Heart and Banner of Stars are housed at the MacArthur Memorial for all of posterity to see.
Our VHP partnership lets us bring such sacrifices and service to life. You can earn PDCs for transcribing oral histories, and, students, you can earn an NCRA membership by transcribing two oral histories. Email ncrfoundation@ncra.org.
In 2021, we partnered with Stenograph to offer its second student award for the Stenograph Milton H. Wright Memorial Scholarship. This award is worth $5,000 plus a writer and software. Christine Romans, of Alberta, Calif., was our winner this year. Be on the lookout for this 2022 scholarship.
We’re also proud to announce, with great appreciation to Linda McSwain, one of our newest NCRF team members, the new 2022 NCRF Carl Sauceda Grant.
The new NCRF Carl Sauceda Grant will be awarded annually, and candidates must have demonstrated clear effort and sacrifice in time or funds, showing dedication to the future of court reporting, CART, or captioning. Please keep your eyes on your JCR weekly and NCRA social media posts. Applications open this January.
We’re excited to bring the news about our raffles! Our Clutch for a Cause fundraiser offered a Pink Gucci Marmont long chain leather wallet prize. Our bling-loving attendees made this fundraiser a big hit with donations of more than $3,500 that will fund the new Carl Sauceda Grant that opens in January 2022.
Stenograph donated another Luminex II to NCRF, and our raffle drawing netted more than $13,000 in donations. Our gratitude toward Stenograph is great!
Many people ask: Where do my Angel dollars go? Under the umbrella of the Corrinne Clark Professionalism Institute, we are excited to announce the NCRF Career Launcher program which just went live! It is an online mentorship program where students can learn the fundamentals of basic deposition protocols and transcript preparation in 10 instructive modules. My Purple Heart Earl K. Zimpfer fundraiser will help fund the Career Launcher Student Grant fundraiser.
Our last bit of NCRF news is that the Foundation awarded its 2021 NCRF Santo J. Aurelio Award for Altruism at the NCRA Conference Awards Luncheon. It is always given to a working court reporter with at least 25 years of experience who has given back to the profession and to the community, with no expectation of any reward.
This year’s Altruism Award recipient dedicated untold hours to her state association and NCRA by serving on committees and in an elected office. In addition, she spearheaded and worked tirelessly on legislative efforts regarding contracting, licensure, and conflict of interest legislation.
This person loves to sew and quilt and often makes quilts or other items to send people because she sees a need or to give the recipient a little lift. She saw the need for cancer patients who were irritated by seat belts and created a device that could help ease that discomfort. She gave these to a medical center to distribute.
When beaches in Cape San Blas faced erosion problems, she drove several 16-hour round trips to attend meetings and donate her hands-on effort. Said her business partner, “The desire to give back to this profession, and indeed her community and mankind in general, is deep-rooted.”
Tami Keenan, past NCRF Chair, FAPR, RPR, CPE (Ret.) of Battle Creek, Mich., presented with honor this year’s Santo J. Aurelio Award for Altruism to Laurel L. Eiler, FAPR, RDR, of Franklin, Tenn.
Thank you for helping the Foundation. No donation is too small, and many of you readers are future Angels. All current Angels will be eligible to be in a drawing in early September for a Mexico getaway, thanks to longtime NCRF Angel Denise Paternoster, who donates this getaway in memory of her beloved husband Frank Paternoster. Thank you, Frank and Denise.
Stay in touch with all of us on #AngelLane. Questions? Email ncrfoundation@ncra.org
Early Langley, RMR, is the Chair of the NCRF Board of Trustees, and a freelance court reporter from Danville, Calif.
