KU News Release

Audio-Reader volunteer honored by Kansas governor

Bettie Ore, left, and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius

TOPEKA — Few people could tell you in detail what’s happening in small Kansas towns like Seneca, Hiawatha or Sabetha unless they lived there. But Bettie Ore, a volunteer for Audio-Reader at the University of Kansas, has spent more than 1,200 hours reading about these small towns for blind Kansans.

Those efforts, along with her work for the Miami County Historical Society, earned Ore, a Paola resident, a Kansas Governor’s Points of Light Award.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius presented Ore with a certificate during a ceremony in her office Jan. 30. Ore’s sons Robert and Colin, as well as several Audio-Reader staff members, also attended the ceremony.

“It was such a wonderful opportunity to meet our governor,” Ore said. “It’s a day I’ll never forget.”

Ore drives from her home in Paola to Audio-Reader’s Lawrence studio once a week to record for the blind and visually impaired. She reads newspapers requested specifically by Audio-Reader subscribers. She is also Audio-Reader’s master gardener, keeping an entire building’s worth of houseplants alive.

“Bettie’s recordings are crucial to keeping Audio-Reader listeners up-to-date on what’s happening in their communities, so they can remain an active part of society,” said Janet Campbell, director of Audio-Reader.

Audio-Reader, a radio reading service for people who are unable to see normal printed materials, began broadcasting via closed circuit radio in 1971. The service has more than 6,000 listeners across the state of Kansas and western Missouri. It is free to anyone with a visual impairment.

To learn more about volunteering for Audio-Reader, contact Jennifer Nigro, coordinator of volunteers, at (785) 864-4604 or jnigro@ku.edu. For more information about Audio-Reader and its services, call (785) 864-4600 or 1-800-772-8898.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.