NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 10, 2013—The National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF), the charitable arm of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters and captioners, today recognized Heather King, a court reporter from Jacksonville, Fla., for receiving the 2013 New Professional Reporter Grant of $2,000, at a special awards luncheon held during NCRA’s 2013 Convention and Expo., being held in Nashville, Tenn., Aug. 8-11.
“Each year, the Foundation is honored to award this grant to a deserving new court reporter to help them launch their career,” said B.J. Shorak, the Foundation’s deputy executive director.
“This ever-important grant is made possible by the generous donations we receive each year from our members during several of our annual fundraising activities. The donations we receive are a clear reflection of how committed our members are to their profession.”
NCRF awards the annual New Professional Reporter Grant to a working reporter who has graduated within a year from an NCRA-certified court reporting program and meets specific criteria, including a grade point average of 3.5 or above, a letter of recommendation, and active work in any of the career paths of judicial (official/freelance), CART, or captioning. King, a graduate of The Stenotype Institute in Jacksonville, is the ninth recipient of NCRF’s New Professional Reporter Grant. She was nominated by Tom Crites of Tom Crites & Associates International, Savannah, Ga.
“Heather is so excited about her new career. I believe she will truly become a name we will all come to know and respect in the court reporting profession,” said Crites, a practicing court reporter for more than 40 years. His company, launched in 1974, provides reporting and videography services worldwide.
NCRF supports the court reporting and captioning professions through philanthropic programs funded by annual charitable contribution activities such a phone-a-thon and the Angels Drive, which recognizes individuals or firms who commit to donate at least $1,000 to the Foundation in a 12-month timeframe.
Among the initiatives the Foundation supports is the Legal Education Program, which facilitates the education of the legal profession about the role of the court reporter through “Making the Record,” a court reporter-led seminar launched in 2010. The program focuses on the value of stenographic reporting and technology. Under the Legal Education Program, NCRF has also partnered with NCRA at the biennial Court Technology Conferences, sponsored by the NationalCenter for State Courts, to ensure court reporter technology is before key players in court administration.
NCRF’ Oral Histories Program (OHP) raises public awareness about the court reporting profession by focusing on capturing and transcribing the poignant oral histories of American wartime veterans through the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project (VHP). NCRF coordinates with NCRA members to complete transcripts of the interviews and submit them to the Library. In the 10 years that NCRF has partnered with VHP, more than 2,880 transcripts have been submitted to the Library, as well as to other program partners, including the National Equal Justice Library at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., the Center for Public Policy & Social Research at the CentralConnecticutStateUniversity, and the Illinois State Library.
NCRF’s CART Services Program showcases the work of Communication Access Realtime Translators by providing grants to consumer organizations, such as the Association of Late-Deafened Adults. CART providers offer live-event captioning and personalized service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
