I had just returned to the CHIRP airwaves after my wife and I came home from Florida. One week later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Chicago hard, forcing Mayor Lori Lightfoot to shut down our city. That same weekend, Shawn Campbell, CHIRP’s GM, gave all volunteer DJs the option of going on hiatus during the lockdown – no questions asked.

After I arrived home from my Friday afternoon shift, I learned that one of the doormen in my condominium died from the corona virus. Since I had to quarantine myself for 14 days, I made the difficult decision to suspend my Friday afternoon shift.

If you know me, you know how important CHIRP is to me. CHIRP listeners are like family, and thanks to our live stream, they span the globe.

Susan and I holed up in our condo with our dog, Dexter and spent many hours listening to CHIRP. Since we couldn’t go anywhere or do anything outside of our home, CHIRP was one of our few lifelines to normalcy. It was like having an old friend right there in my living room.

In late June, I became confident Chicago’s social distancing measures were helping to flatten the curve. After testing negative for the Corona Virus and donating blood to the American Red Cross, I decided to return to the CHIRP airwaves. I felt this was one small way I could make a positive difference.

I was in for a pleasant surprise.

When I keyed up the microphone for my first 10 pm Thursday shift, listeners welcomed me with a stream of email messages and social media comments. I was humbled by their support and kindness. More importantly, I realized what a critical resource CHIRP is to its listeners, many of whom are still separated from family, relatives, friends and co-workers.

CHIRP has continued to provide live programming throughout the COVID-19 crisis on 107.1 FM in Chicago and to a worldwide audience via our website and live streams, but the pandemic has destroyed several of the station's most vital fund-raising initiatives, since there are no live concerts, record fairs, and in-person special events.

That is why we need your help more than ever. We set a goal of raising $12,000 to cover operating expenses during our fall fund-raiser, and I am hoping you can help me meet my personal goal of raising $1,071 for CHIRP by donating any amount that suits you -- whether it's $5 or $125.

Yes, I know times are tough and many other organizations are seeking your support. Unlike those organizations, however, if you donate to CHIRP and mention my name, I will match your generous, gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $500 total. I also can assure you that your donation will make a huge difference!

Please make your tax-deductible donation today, and be sure to make a song request, too, because I want to personally thank you during one of my upcoming shows.

We've been here for you throughout this challenging year - now, we need you to be here for us!

This wasn't how we anticipated spending our tenth anniversary year. Instead of parties and open studio events, we've spent the last six months, one DJ at a time in a carefully disinfected studio, keeping you connected while we all worked to stay safe. We've worked hard to amplify the voices of local artists who can't play live and local venues who were first to close, and to help you feel less alone at a time when it's easy to feel distant from your community.

But we've been hanging in there, and we hope you have too. We're still here every single day, live and local, commercial-free, with great music brought to you by true music fans. If you believe in this work, and if you're able, we hope you'll support the station with a gift today.

If you would like to become a sustaining member by making a recurring donation (monthly or quarterly), or if you want to select a thank you gift, please visit CHIRP's main donation page to make your contribution (and don’t forget to enter the name of the CHIRP Volunteer or DJ in the “How did you hear about CHIRP” section so they can receive credit for your gift).