In October 2015, members renewed their NCRA memberships in droves, driven in part by the chance to win a Kindle Fire. The lucky winner is David E. Preston, a participating member and freelance reporter from Seattle, Wash. NCRA will continue the early membership renewal drive in November with one Amazon gift card winner announced after Nov. 30.
Preston, who has been a court reporter since 1978, said his career has taken him to a number of states to cover a wide range of depositions covering matters related to maritime personal injury cases, workers’ compensation, and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
“During the majority of my 37 years as a court reporter, there has been constant pressure to move to newer technologies and to eliminate the court reporter. Membership in NCRA has always been important to me as a freelance reporter because the association fights for our profession in ways I, as a sole proprietor, cannot,” said Preston. “The all-around support I receive from NCRA has been an underpinning of my business, and the association keeps us relevant as a profession.”
Preston noted that he also enjoys the benefits of membership such as the savings offered for insurance programs and the discount offers through the Staples and FedEx affinity partnerships.
According to Preston, his son thinks the Kindle is “cool” and is reportedly having fun trying to teach Preston and his wife, Freda, how to use it.
NCRA members who renew their 2016 memberships in November will be eligible to win a $100 Amazon gift card. The winner will also be announced in an upcoming issue of the JCR Weekly newsletter.
Renewing is easy and available online at NCRA.org/renew. Members can expect to receive their membership card via email within approximately two weeks of renewing if they have a valid email address and have not previously opted out of Constant Contact email messaging.
Renewing your NCRA membership is also the perfect time to support the work and programs of NCRF, the philanthropic arm of NCRA. NCRF programs include the Veterans History Project, student scholarships and new professionals’ grants, and many other efforts that directly support and benefit the court reporting and captioning professions.