Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thanks for the Human Voice

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I thought I'd post about something we're thankful for around here at Community Voice Mail. The Human Voice. We're a small nonprofit that runs a big technology operation (~30,000 voice mail boxes all over this country and in Vancouver, Canada), but it's not the technology that matters most to our clients. It's the fact that friends and family can call them, hear their voice, and leave them a message. It's that we can use our voices to send them information about a potential job, a resource that might help them, or just some words of encouragement. It's that by virtue of a simple voice mail box, people who are struggling can seem to the rest of the world that they are "just like everyone else." Even in our technology-drenched world, the human voice still has the power to transform and elevate, and bring hope to people who lack it.

Here's a great and funny piece featuring Studs Terkel, one of America's best voices. From everyone here at Community Voice Mail, and especially to the people who are using our service, we hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.

The Human Voice from StoryCorps on Vimeo.