Meet Joyce Metcalf, volunteer reader for the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS). Growing up in Carbondale, Joyce has been watching Channel 8 since she was a youngster. Metcalf worked on and volunteered for the local 1980's WSIU children's show Jo Jo and Joyce. The 10-minute program aired before Sesame Street.
Metcalf was interested in doing volunteer work, but as a full-time employee at Morris Library who also enjoys spending time with family and friends, she had limited free time. Darla Loftus, a SIRIS volunteer and a friend of Metcalf's, suggested to Metcalf that she might want to try volunteering as a reader for SIRIS because she could set her own schedule.
In the fall of 2008, Metcalf learned that SIRIS had a great need for volunteers. She interviewed that December and began volunteering in January 2009. "I love to read and I used to read out loud to my children, so I thought being a SIRIS volunteer would be a fun thing and a good way to give back to the community," Metcalf says.
Metcalf thinks SIRIS is wonderful for people who are unable to read their local newspapers. "I would be devastated if I couldn't read," says Metcalf. "If I could at least hear the newspaper and other things that I wouldn't have access to on regular radio, it would be a God-send to me."
Metcalf adds, "I think there are a lot of elderly men and women who listen. I've been taught you should always read the obituaries because it's the only way SIRIS listeners can get information they need to attend memorial services. I just want to help individuals who aren't able to read for themselves because they have visual limitations or are physically challenged in some way. Although I'm just a very small part of SIRIS, I'm glad to do what I can to help others."
