For Immediate Release

Press Contact: Maureen McFadden

13^th Annual Record-A-Thon Set for the Santa Barbara Unit of the Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D)

(April 21, 2008/Santa Barbara,CA) Books, books and more books from Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural and Tom Brokaw’s Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s to Julie Andrews’ Home: A Memoir of My Early Years along with authors Fannie Flagg, Lou Cannon, Ernestine DeSoto, Barnaby Conrad and Stephen J. Cannell reading from their own books - this years Record-A-Thon is lining up to be full of wonderful literature and a good dose of talent from the community.

Starting on Monday, April 28 through Friday, May 2 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, RFB&D will be holding its 13^th Annual Record-A-Thon. This unit of RFB&D serves three counties: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kern. Participation has been growing steadily with nearly 300 guests who read books last year, up from the 2006 count of 270 guests, and in 2005, there were 242 readers. To find out more about the organization, log onto http://www.rfbd.org/sb/ or call (805)681-0531.

Tim Owens, Executive Director of RFB&D stated, “The needs of those with print disabilities outweigh what we can provide. Statistics on those with print disabilities continue to mount up. Every year our Record-A-Thon helps to add more books to the national library, recruit volunteers and raise money. I’m very proud to be able to assemble such a stellar line up of community organizations, leaders and high profile people from the movie, media and book worlds that set aside time to read.” He continued, “Our goal for fundraising this year is $60,000, and ‘with a little help from our friends,’ I believe we should be able to make that target.”

Starting Monday, April 28 the weeklong event kicks off with a Tribute to John Romo, the retiring SBCC president, and his wife, Mary Romo, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Mary Romo has been and is currently is a user of RFB&D’s services too! Sub-titled, “Romo Reads,” this event will include prominent community members joining the Romos’ in reading John Irving’s Hotel New Hampshire and Ron White’s Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural, two of John’s favorite books.

In addition to the books highlighted above, others to be read during Record-A-Thon include Steve Martin's critically acclaimed Born Standing Up, UCSB Professor Charles Li's The Bitter Sea: Coming of Age in a China Before Mao, and Simon Sebag Montefiore's Young Stalin and Tim Jeals, Stanley: The Impossible Life of Aftrica's Greatest Explorer, the latter two both nominated for top prizes at the upcoming Festival of Books in Los Angeles.

On Monday evening, April 28^th, at 6:00, author Ernestine De Soto will read from her children’s book The Sugar Bear Story, a book loaded with history about the Chumash Indians. Santa Barbara’s legendary author Barnaby Conrad will read from his classic Matador on Tuesday, April 29^th, at 10:00AM. Later that afternoon at 2:00 p.m. Actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Writer/Film Director Howard Storm will read. Well-known mystery writer/producer Stephen J. Cannell, for the first time, will be a part of this year’s event. He is scheduled to read his own book, Three Shirt Deal on Wednesday morning at 11:30 a.m. Later that afternoon, veteran newscasters Sander Vanocur and Lou Cannon will read Reagan's Disciple: George W. Bush's Troubled Quest for a Presidential Legacy written by Lou Cannon and Carl M. Cannon. And, at 3:30 p.m., celebrated author Fannie Flagg will read from her “A Redbird Christmas.”

Area educators and teachers will also participate in reading at Record-A-Thon on Monday afternoon on the 28^th, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. As of today, other participants throughout the week long event include the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara and the Lions, Odd Fellows, and Newcomers Clubs.

CALL NOW: 805-681-0531 to set a date and time for you and/or your group to participate in this wonderful week of sharing the gift of learning.

Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) is the nation’s leading educational library serving people who cannot effectively read standard print because of a visual impairment, dyslexia or other physical disability. Their mission is to create opportunities for individual success by providing and promoting the effective use of accessible educational materials such as audio textbooks. RFB&D’s vision is to give everyone equal access to the printed word.

www.rfbd.org/sb www.mcfaddenpr.com