Volunteer
With the help of nearly 90 readers, volunteers are essential to our service. Prospective volunteers must meet our general requirements and complete a two-hour training session at the station. Our unique program is a beneficial tool for many and one to which we hope you'll consider lending your voice.
Getting Started
When we have reading positions open up, the first thing we do is contact prospective volunteers from our Volunteer Waiting List. Interested in being added to that list? Here's the process: First, read through our volunteer requirements and background information. If you meet the specified requirements and are still interested, then read the subsequent 'Waiting List Directions' for contact instructions.
Note: Lengths of waits are difficult to predict, at times varying from a couple of weeks to a few months or longer. Though a first step towards becoming a reader for our program, not all who add their names to our waiting list are ensured future volunteers positions.
Reader Requirements
One year minimum commitment -- This helps us cut down on the amount of turnover and time spent on bringing in as well as training new volunteers. Thus, our volunteer program wouldn't be a good fit for those with work or class schedules that will soon change, those planning to move out of town in the next year, those looking for work whose availability could change upon finding employment, etc.
Minimum Age = 18
Available for set reading times – Volunteers must be able to read during our live reading schedule. Shifts are 9am-11am and 11am-1pm on Monday through Saturday. On Sunday the shifts are 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm.
Have home Internet access & email -- This requirement is due to the fact that training materials, reader backup lists, many volunteer communications, etc. are provided online.
Able to have a regular assignment -- Those who start off as on call readers should be willing to move into a regularly scheduled position (no more than 2 - 3 x a month) if one becomes available. Some readers start off on-call, others begin with regular assignments, depending on what is open at the time. If you start off as an on call or 'sub' reader, you should be willing to move into a regular slot if one eventually becomes available (though subs often move into regular spots, future regular positions aren't guaranteed).
Regular out of town travel does not exceed more than a few times a year -- Many of our volunteers travel occasionally, which is fine. We cannot accept volunteers that travel out of town for months at a time.
Whew! Still interested after reading all this? Great, thank you for hanging in there! Since you got this far, it looks like you could be a good fit for our program. So let's go ahead and add you to our volunteer waiting list.
Volunteer Waiting List
To be placed on our Volunteer Waiting List, please call and leave us a voicemail with the information requested below. If a reading spot opens up in the future that matches your availability and our needs, we'll follow up and contact you with more details at that time. Note: The last thing from the list you'll leave on our voicemail is a quick reading sample. This gives us an idea of the kind of reading you might be best suited for, should we have an opening for you in the future.
(1) Email The Voice at voice@whro.org. Please include the following:
A. Your name, and let us know you're interested in volunteering.
B. Mention you've visited our website and meet all of our volunteer requirements.
C. Provide up to 2 phone numbers of the best places to reach you, including cell # if you have one.
D. Email address.
(2) Call (757) 889-9366 after 6pm and leave your name, the time of your email (from above) and the following:
A. Please read aloud the below pronunciation list, followed by the SPAM reading sample (for tips on what we're looking for, see the bottom of this section)
- façade
- Ehud Barak
- Chechnya
- Mogadishu
- arduous
- Rod Blagojevich
- choreography
- exasperate
SPAM Reading Sample: "Sure, to many folks, SPAM is a joke, immortalized in Monty Python routines. But that doesn't mean the all-American mystery meat doesn't taste great, or so some say. The modern-day obsession with health, the "Tofuization' of America has taken much of the fun out of eating."
Done! You can hang up.
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Whether we're able to make use of your kind offer to read for us at some point or not, you have already been a big help in patiently reading through all of this, leaving us your message and adding your name to our waiting list. We really appreciate that!
Reading Tips
Style of reading: casual, conversational with a lot of inflection and a nice slow (but not too slow), steady pace. Try not to sound like a news anchor. Pretend you're reading to someone you know in your living room. Inflect a bit more on adjectives, things or phrases that stand out, etc. You shouldn't get caught up and concentrate too heavily on inflection though. Your reading should flow smoothly without frequent hesitations.
Relax. We're not looking for a perfect reading, especially since this material wasn't composed to be read out loud. Overall, we're looking for good pronunciation and a reading style that's easy to follow.