Dear friend of WKAR,
I’d like to begin by saying that here at WKAR we’re heartened and energized by the show of support from our viewers, listeners and friends over the past weeks and months. As federal funding for public media continues to be challenged, your support helps WKAR demonstrate our value to the community.
Support from across mid-Michigan during our recent television fundraising campaign means that our community sees value in the dramas and documentaries; the outdoors, science and nature shows; the trusted children’s shows; and the educational and inspiring WKAR originals produced right here.
Our recent radio fundraising campaign surpassed our goals, both dollars raised and number of individual gifts. That level of support means listeners value trusted local and national news and talk, and locally hosted music spanning classical, jazz, folk, and more.
On MSU’s Give Green Day, Mar. 11, donors exceeded our campaign goal in support of the Meuché Endowment for WKAR Student Experiential Learning. It was one of our most successful Give Green Days ever. Thank you to Susan Meuché for creating the endowment, and to all who contributed for the storytellers of tomorrow.
In December, our community made contributions in support of more than 2,300 WKAR Reading Kits, to be distributed free to families during National Reading Month. National Reading Month is here now, and families have begun receiving the kits containing books and fun literacy activities.
More than 290 WKAR Reading Kits went to families at the annual Literacy Celebration on Mar. 16, and by the end of this month, 130 agencies will help distribute more than 11,400 kits to families across mid-Michigan. Thank you to the MSU Federal Credit Union and the Joe D. Pentecost Foundation and every individual donor for supporting WKAR in our work to foster early literacy learning in mid-Michigan.
Thank you to every viewer, listener, donor and friend for making the case for public media through these first months of 2025. As we continue to work hard to show the value of public media, your support means more than ever before.
As I see it, this level of support sends a clear message: Public media is for everyone. And WKAR makes it local -- for you.
Best,
Shawn Turner
WKAR General Manager
Michigan State University
P.S.: Support comes in many forms. You can also show your support for the mission of WKAR when you share one of the ways in which WKAR is important to you and to your community. Share a story at www.wkar.org/value.
