Why Is GiveNOLA Day Important for WRBH?

Written by Sarah Holtz, May 4th 2015

I arrived at WRBH just over two months ago, and the first thing that struck me was the incredible degree to which the people at this small community radio station enjoy being here. Of our more than 175 volunteer readers, I’ve heard several unique stories from individuals about how they started reading on WRBH. I’ve talked to a nurse who began volunteering 25 years ago when she was working at nearby Touro hospital and wanted to provide a different kind of service to the blind community. I’ve spoken to newcomers who simply like to fit a half hour of reading every single week into their busy work schedules because they want to brighten someone else’s day. Our volunteers arrive at WRBH for countless reasons, but the unifying theme across the board seems to be a desire to give something selflessly.

And I think that speaks to the importance of an event like GiveNOLA Day for WRBH, a niche radio station that is largely powered by individuals who donate their time and voices to those who cannot read, cannot see, or don’t have access to printed information. We wouldn’t be WRBH Reading Radio without our devoted readers, but we also need monetary support that allows us to maintain our 24 hour per day broadcasting and remain the only FM reading radio station in the country.

I ask you to consider these things tomorrow, on GiveNOLA Day, when you tune in to the Newspaper of the Air, our best-selling fiction program, or simply come across one of our Facebook posts or a WRBH bumper sticker on the car in front of you.

Tomorrow is the one day when your donation is boosted by the Greater New Orleans Foundation and their sponsors. It’s also the one day when we’ll be hosting an open house and tours of our studios, offering an opportunity to support the station, and providing donut holes from Blue Dot Donuts Uptown. So come check out the radio station, enjoy a donut hole, and help us celebrate GiveNOLA Day. You might even get a chance to meet Mac the radio cat (pictured above)!

GiveNOLA Day is Tuesday, May 5th (tomorrow) and you can donate via their website at www.givenola.org!