FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 21st 2008

This year, Arizona’s blind and visually impaired residents are getting a major gift…from beer tasting!

The Tempe-based charity - Sun Sounds Foundation - raised $145,000 at the 20th Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival, which took place on March 8 and 9 at Tempe Beach Park.

The most recent of 3 annual fundraisers netted record proceeds for Sun Sounds of Arizona by bringing hundreds of specialty and craft brews from across the country and overseas to a weekend crowd of nearly 8,000 aficionados of the art. According to Sun Sounds Development Director David Noble, the festival proceeds are not only vital to the financial health of the station, but to Arizona’s visually impaired community.

“Our annual operating budget is $1.6 million, so when one of the three festivals brings in such a sizable contribution, we are ecstatic. Now we can find and read for more people who have vision or other print-disabling conditions.” Most people using Sun Sounds tune in on special radios that receive the private broadcast. For eligible listeners, Sun Sounds of Arizona is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using special radios, designated cable systems, telephone and the Internet.

Sun Sounds of Arizona, established in 1979, is a radio reading and audio information access service for people who find it difficult or impossible to read print because of a disability or medical condition. It is a community outreach service with more than 500 volunteers, which is part of Rio Salado College and KJZZ with affiliate stations located in Flagstaff, Tempe, Tucson and Yuma.

To learn more about Sun Sounds of Arizona and how it makes independent living easier for 49,000 Arizonans, or to become a volunteer, contact:

David Noble
Development Director
Sun Sounds of Arizona
2323 W. 14th St.
Tempe, AZ 85281-6950
480-774-8300
http://sunsounds.org