RFB&D's National Record-A-Thon will be held during the week
of April 19th in recognition of National Volunteer Week's "Celebrating
People in Action." (Check your local RFB&D studio location for
specific dates and times.)http://www.rfbd.org/Locations/39/

 My Testimony:

           When I was a kid, I had ADHD, was terribly hyper active and suffered from the learning dissability, known as Dyslexia.  Dyslexia is a dissability, that makes it hard for kids to remember things, comprehend subjects or read.  Commonly kids with Dyslexia see things backwards, write letters backwards, forget what they read and so on.  It was very frustrating for me, as a child, to get through this terrible dilemma.  It was also frustrating to teachers, who had to deal with my progress that held the class up, and the mounting temper that stemmed from my own frustrations.  As a result, I got in a lot of trouble, got kicked out of schools and struggled later as an adult to solidify a career, get a GED and go to college.  My confidence sagged.  I felt that I was somehow inferior at learning and stupid, which was not the case.  These children are far from "Stupid."  They simply have an impediment that can be overturned if dealt with at a young age. 

           I eventually got through most of my issues with Dyslexia with hard work, repetition and patience.  It has improved my life, helped me to get better jobs, think higher of myself and, most importantly,  identify with children who suffer  from this problem and contribute to their sucess.  I volunteer as often as I am able.  It is very easy, only takes a few hours and is actually pretty fun.  I was once a music recording artist and have grown up around recording studios since I was about 10 or 11 years old.  So I originally chose Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, also because I knew it was something that I would have fun with.  I found that many celebrities, radio personalities and news people volunteer, so if you are a young person who wants to work in radio or be an engineer in a recording studio, this is a great place to meet people while you are helping.  

           These kids really appreciate these recordings.  They can sit with their text books, or reading materials, pop in the CD or turn on their MP3 player and read along.  In some cases, you are helping a blind child, learn to read Braile.  This is already an extremely complicated thing for a blind child to do, but with your reading, it makes the job a lot easier.  Just think of this...If you volunteered for RFB&D and died 2 years from now.....your legacy would live on, every time a child, young adult or adult played your voice, for many years to come.  You would be helping people, long after you are gone.  What is greater than that?  Anywho, it's raining cats and Dogs all of a sudden.  I am sitting here at the kitchen table, with my lap top and a cup of coffee, enjoying the sound of the falling rain.  What a glorious life.  When one can wear PJ's while working, drink soup from a mug, circle the earth from the living room in five minutes and never leave an over stuffed chair!!