> Connecticut's Talking Newsstand for the Blind and Print-handicapped
Connecticut's Talking Newsstand for the Blind and Print-handicapped
| If you're like most people, you probably spend at least a few minutes every Sunday looking through the ads and sale flyers in your local paper. But Carol and Claude did not, because Carol is blind and Claude has a physical disability and cannot hold a newspaper. Carol and Claude are among the 4,000 people across the state who rely on CRIS and our 400 volunteers to receive the current news and other important information that we deliver daily through a specially tuned radio, cable radio and telephone. Listeners have said they feel more connected with the world. That sense of "connection" is something we hear over and over from our audience. CRIS makes it easier to be a part of the community and to live more independently. Carol G. from West Haven recently wrote to us with these comments: "I have been listening to CRIS... since July of 1983. I would NEVER listen to sports, but ever since CRIS came into my home, I truly enjoy the program as the volunteers give me a better picture of the various events. Something that is most dear to my heart are the volunteers who make CRIS possible. The volunteers give their time, energy, talents, money, and effort to make CRIS the success that it is today. It may appear to them that no one is listening; however, I can assure you that there are many listeners who reside in nursing homes and many more who listen to CRIS at home and/or who use the telephone reader. The cost of providing free service to CRIS listeners throughout Connecticut has suddenly taken a dramatic spike upward. For 25 years, CRIS's main broadcast facility and utilities were donated. Due to changes in the lease structure of our current facilities at 184 Windsor Ave. in Windsor, CRIS had to begin paying all utilities in the fall of 2004 and in the spring of 2005 CRIS had to begin paying rent. This year we will spend approximately $50,000 on rent and utilities. Today there are thousands of sight-impaired individuals in Connecticut and many thousands more with disabilities. Your generous gift can be turned into a life-changing service to these people. Every $100 of support gives each CRIS listener, service and radios free for one year. Recently CRIS was the recipient of a gift from estate of William Kowalski. Mr. & Mrs. Kowalski were not listeners or even volunteers of CRIS, but they remembered CRIS in their estate planning because they believed in our mission and wanted to help those who could not read for themselves. Claude H. from Hartford is one such individual. He writes: "CRIS informs people who can not read print...If CRIS was not around some of the population in Connecticut will lose out on reading some of the news and the good articles they read on the air." We have enclosed a response envelope for your gift to CRIS Radio. Every gift, large or small will be gratefully appreciated. Perhaps you would like to make a larger donation, or are considering including CRIS in your estate planning, we would be happy meeting with you to provide any additional information you might need. If you make a donation of $50 or more in honor or memory of a person or event, we will mention the person or event on the air during our broadcast. CRIS has proven to be an effective program for the blind and print-handicapped for 26 years thanks to the hundreds of thousands of hours volunteers have logged over these years. We are the only radio reading service available in the state of Connecticut. Our extensive line-up line of over 100 programs, from over 60 publications delivers news and information on a wide variety of topics to our listeners. Over 90% of your contribution will go to direct program services. Carol, like many listeners, feels that, "The information I have received from CRIS has opened doors for me and I cannot adequately express on paper the opportunity and the wealth of knowledge CRIS volunteers have afforded me. Thank you." Please give generously so that CRIS can reach even more listeners and we can continue our mission to be Connecticut's Talking Newsstand for the Blind and Print-handicapped. Sincerely, Andrea Pasquale, Executive Director Wayne G. Mulligan, Chairman of the Board |