At the National Court Reporters Association’s (NCRA) 2016 Convention & Expo in Chicago this past August, attendees  interviewed local Purple Heart recipients for the Library of Congress’ (LOC) Veterans History Project, which records the personal stories of American vets.

The big winners of NCRA’s work on the Veterans History Project are the veterans who participate and the people who will hear their stories, of course. But NCRA also benefits by:

1. Offering feel-good experiences

Members feel generous and patriotic when they help veterans — all of which generates positive feelings about NCRA. One volunteer calls it “the most beloved of the foundation’s programs.”

2. Generating positive press

The Veterans History Project event at the 2016 NCRA Convention in Chicago led to high-profile media coverage, including stories from The Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, WGN-TV, and the local ABC and CBS affiliates.

3. Promoting the profession

“The biggest benefit is building awareness of the court-reporting profession to the public,” said NCRA’s April Weiner. “Court reporting generally isn’t top of mind as a career choice, but it’s exciting and rewarding, and we need more people to consider it as a career path.”