DSCA Winners Give Insight
into Their Goals and Backgrounds

by Katie Wilson, Guest Writer and UNT student

The LSC members pride themselves on the services they provide to their community and the work they do throughout the year. However, there are always a few members who stand out, who go above the call of duty to help their community. This year those members were Jackie Damrau, Jeanne Foster, and Paul Holland, who received the Distinguished Community Service Award (DCSA).

When she received her award, Damrau said, “I was very shocked. LSC has awarded me several awards this year, such as the BALA (Binion Amerson Leadership Award) and the DCSA. I’m pleased that the LSC members, the Administrative Council, and Leadership team feel that I am worthy of so many awards and honors. Without them, I wouldn’t be as involved as I have been and continue to be.”

The award winners perform many duties for the LSC and volunteer as much time as they can to better the community and its services. All the winners contribute to STC in different sections to make the community work as a whole.

I am a senior member, and currently work on the LSC Web committee and the Marcomm Special Interest Group Web site. I answer to the Web team manager and the president of the local community. – Paul Holland

I am the managing newsletter editor for the LSC monthly newsletter, Technically Write. I’ve also served during the 2006-2007 year as the STC 2006 Region 5 conference chair and as competitions general manager. I probably spend about five to eight hours a week getting items together for the newsletter. &ndash Jackie Damrau

As the hospitality chair, I handle registration for the monthly meetings and report attendance figures to the council. In addition, I volunteer as a copyeditor for Technically Write. I worked on the Region 5 Conference that was held last November, and that was a big commitment. But I’m currently just working on monthly registrations and reviewing newsletter articles. – Jeanne Foster

Community Services Outside LSC

All the award winners give a large amount of time to the community and are continually grateful for the opportunities LSC gives them.

“The LSC functions at a high level of professionalism and has an extraordinary level of talent. It is a great place to learn and to contribute. Professional development is an essential component in any profession and, in the technical communications community, STC is the premier organization for technical communication professionals. Furthermore, LSC is a perennial contender for the Award of Excellence within STC. LSC is the best of the best," Holland said.

Award winners also participate in helping the community outside of LSC, including contributing to volunteer activities and going to universities around the area to reach students interested in technical writing.

“LSC routinely offers opportunities to give back to the community. For example, by volunteering at the Salvation Army Angel Tree warehouse, contributing to projects that aid Katrina victims, and other local causes. This group has some wonderful role models, and I get much more than I could possibly give,” Foster said.

In conclusion…

The DCSA winners do not show any signs of slowing down after winning their awards, though. They are already setting goals they want to achieve for next year.

“My goals include: redesigning ‘ Technically Write’ (with the assistance of the University of North Texas English class) to be a truly online newsletter that does not use an authoring software; providing hands-on workshops or seminars where members can bring a laptop and learn from peers and others about the latest software; continuing to support Competitions by volunteering to serve as a judge or competitions manager,” Damrau said.

“Next year, I will chair the Membership committee where I hope to learn from Elisa Miller (who moves to the first vice president slot) and expand on the work of those who came before me. My goal is to find additional ways of increasing membership and increasing attendance at LSC meetings and events,” Foster said.

“Last year we initiated several Web-based initiatives for the community, which have not gone smoothly. I would like to see the implementations of several of those initiatives completed satisfactorily," Holland said.

These award winners recognize the benefits of this community. They continue encouraging others interested in the technical communication profession to join so their community can continue growing and helping others.

“Attending a meeting or two doesn’t give you the full flavor of whom and what we are. We are more than just dinner meetings. We have so many other programs that can use volunteers with new, fresh ideas to spur our growth. I continually try to encourage everyone to talk with their employers about the benefits of belonging to STC,” Damrau said.