During this National Volunteer Month, the JCR thought it was important to dig into what drives NCRA members to volunteer and how they see their collective efforts contribute and aid the entire court reporting, captioning, and legal videography communities.
For Sharon Pell Velazco, RPR, an official court reporter from Miami, Fla., her gift of time and monetary contributions serves two roles.
“The donation of my time to attending high school events helps to get the word out about the need for more court reporters in this career,” she says. “Also, I believe my financial donations can help bridge the gap, whether it be for recruiting new students, aiding beginning reporters, or making advances politically, or ensuring the legislative powers-that-be recognize the value of court reporters in keeping a record for society as well as the legal arena.”
For many who volunteer, the networking opportunities and ability to share with others who understand the work NCRA members do drives people like Nadine Garrett, a freelance court reporter from Columbia, S.C., and president of the South Carolina Court Reporters. Listen to what Garett has to say about why volunteering is important to her.
According to Meredith A. Bonn, RPR, CRR, an official court reporter from Webster, N.Y., and Chair-Elect of NCRF, the entire NCRA community thrives when there is a robust influx of people to learn stenography. “DiscoverSteno and the NCRA A to Z® Intro Steno Machine Shorthand program put people in the seats,” she says. “There are even grants available in a variety of situations for working reporters. In every way, the work is done to support stenographers from recruitment to retirement! You will never regret the time and money you contribute giving back.”
Read more about why NCRA members give back by volunteering for their Association and Foundation in the April issue of the JCR magazine.
Ready to volunteer?
NCRA is currently seeking members to volunteer for committees for the 2026-2027 year. If you want to be one of our treasured volunteers who moves the court reporting, captioning, and legal videography professions forward, go to NCRA.org/Committees and fill out the Committee Volunteer Form.
Committees begin their work immediately following the NCRA Conference & Expo, so we are seeking volunteers to be considered by the NCRA Board of Directors prior to the Conference happening this July.
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