Hamilton Relay Volunteers Assistance

From: Hamilton Relay - May 7, 2007

For Immediate Release


Contacts:
John L. Moore, CEO/Executive Director
Deaf Services Center
614 841-1991 V/TTY

Dixie Ziegler, Vice President
Hamilton Relay, Inc.
402 694-3656 v/TTY

Renovations at Deaf Services Center in Columbus In Progress; Hamilton Relay® Volunteers Assistance

Columbus, Ohio – May 2, 2007 – Renovations are currently underway at the Deaf Services Center in Columbus, a source of services for people in Central and Southeast Ohio who are deaf and hard of hearing. Hamilton Relay, a provider of telecommunications relay services for the deaf, hard of hearing and speech disabled, has volunteered staff time and is providing building materials to complete the much needed renovations.

When work is complete, the center will have a newly renovated room that can be used for meeting space or for small classes. “The room once had old wallpaper, wood paneling and receptionist windows that were no longer needed. It was not a “deaf friendly” room to have meetings in,” commented John Moore, CEO/Executive Director for Deaf Services Center. “The volunteers from Hamilton have provided a great deal of time beautifying the room to make it look professional and user friendly.”

The two organizations joined together on this project to fulfill a need that the center was experiencing for improving their facility, which fulfills Hamilton Relay’s desire to give back to the communities it serves. “When Hurricane Katrina hit, our staff traveled to participate in the relief effort, primarily focused on bringing communication access to our relay users,” explains Dixie Ziegler, VP of Hamilton Relay. “As the relay provider for the State of Louisiana, we saw first hand the difference our work made in the lives of the people we serve. In Ohio, we simply want to give back to the communities for whom we provide Internet based relay services as well.”

Held in Columbus this past weekend, Hamilton Relay staff participated in the DeafNation Expo, and then stayed in the area to begin work at the Deaf Services Center. Moore commented that, “Deaf Services Center will enjoy the space to hold staff and board meetings as well as community based classes/trainings for many more years to come. Because of Hamilton’s volunteerism and materials, they have made it possible. The volunteers provided many, many hours of their time to the project and were very pleasant to work with.”

Deaf Services Center's 15th Annual Picnic is scheduled to be held this Saturday, May 5th, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Shelter House in Whetstone Park of Roses. "While the renovation project will be completed by the end of this week, we are excited to stay in Columbus to attend the DSC picnic. It will be great to meet the community members for which our efforts were given," commented Jenny Gember, VRS Manager, who is one of the Hamilton volunteers. Photos of the renovation will be on display at the event.

"I have worked with many volunteers on various construction projects, however, I have never seen anyone work as hard as the volunteers from Hamilton Relay", says Tom Atkins, an independent construction contractor who is also working on the project. "Together, we're making great progress and I'm very impressed with Hamilton's giving back to the community through in kind contributions rather than simply providing cash for sponsorships."

Hamilton Relay is active in various projects nationwide to assist in communication efforts and services available to the deaf and hard of hearing community. In addition to helping the Deaf Services Center in Columbus and other such centers, this week Hamilton is currently in Massachusetts conducting creative fund raising activities to increase the Massachusetts Deaf & Hard of Hearing Youth Leadership Conference Fund. Past efforts include providing assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Hamilton’s outreach teams responded to the disaster by working together with the National Red Cross to locate and provide communication access to displaced deaf, hard of hearing and speech disabled individuals. As a carry on to this disaster, Hamilton Relay also was involved in supporting the Community Emergency Preparedness Information Network (CEPIN) trainings entitled, “Emergency Responders and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community: Taking the First Steps to Disaster Preparedness.” More than 500 consumer and professional participants took part in the training which was coordinated by Telecommunications for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Inc. (TDI) through a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.


About Deaf Services Center
DSC is a central source of community services for people who are deaf and hard of hearing living in Central and Southeastern Ohio. Services include interpreting, case management / peer support, advocacy, ADA technical assistance, sign language referrals, speaker bureau, information and referral, deaf equipment modification program (DEMP), youth program, and rural outreach serving the Southeastern Ohio region. These services are coordinated by two separate departments: Community Resources and Interpreting Resources. For more information, log on to www.dsc.org or call 614-841-1991 V/TTY.

About Hamilton Relay
Hamilton Relay offers a variety of services including Internet Relay, Video Relay, Wireless Relay and CapTel®. All services are available at www.hamiltonrelay.com. With the addition of Maryland, Hamilton Relay will provide traditional relay services to 15 states, the Island of Saipan and the Virgin Islands.

CapTel is a registered trademark of Ultratec, Inc.