February 2018 Meeting (includes audio)

Posted February 3, 2018 at 3:09 PM, Filed Under: All News, Front Page, Meetings

The guest speakers for our Feb. 1, 2018 meeting were Jennifer Cunningham, Director of Development and Communications and Jim Wark, CEO of Virginia Voice, Inc. Virginia Voices' mission is to connect individuals with disabilities to information, culture and community using technology and the human voice, being committed to offering equitable access to periodicals and local performing arts. When visual access is not possible volunteers are employed to lend their voices to ensure that others in our community can connect by listening.


Jennifer Cunningham – Director of Development and Communications

Jennifer has a professional background in marketing and communications. After coming to Virginia Voice in 2011 as the part-time marketing director, Jennifer took on a fund-raising role in addition to her marketing duties. Earning profes- sional certificates in Grant Management and Fund Development from the University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy, Jennifer is now a full-time employee directing both marketing and fundraising initiatives for Virginia Voice. Always looking for more and better ways to serve Virginia Voice and our Richmond community, in 2017 Jennifer took on a new project at Virginia Voice. Seeing the need for audio access to live theater performances in Richmond, Jennifer developed, secured funding and launched Virginia Voice’s first new program since 1978. She is the program manager for Virginia Voice’s new Live Audio Description service which provides audio access to the visual aspects of theater for individuals who are blind or have low vision.

Jim Wark – CEO

Jim joined Virginia Voice as Chief Executive Officer in March 2016. Before that, he worked in the nonprofit sector, including nearly 5 years teaching third grade for Richmond Public Schools in Richmond’s inner city. Prior to that, Jim worked in local media for 16 years, a career that included management positions with the Richmond Times-Dispatch and a stint as publisher at Style Weekly. Jim also holds leadership volunteer positions with the Richmond Folk Festival and WRIR 97.3 Public Radio.

Virginia Voice, Inc. is a non-profit organization that serves over 3000 individuals in the greater Richmond area. Since 1978, Virginia Voice has provided a FREE audio reading broadcast to individuals with disabilities that hinder independent reading of the newspaper and other current print publications. Volunteers read the daily Richmond Times-Dispatch and over 120 additional newspapers and magazines each week. Virginia Voice listeners have access to the reading programs via a closed-circuit radio broadcast or from the website. Today as we approach their 40th anniversary year, Virginia Voice is proud to also offer audio access to live theater performances in Richmond. Again, using the human voice, we describe the visual elements of live theater performances. Employing wireless technology, theater patrons who are blind or have low vision hear the play-by-play of the action on the stage described to them during breaks in the dialogue.

Bio provided by Matt Williams.