By Amy Robinson
"NPR is my favorite radio station" and "My favorite part...is the World Cafe"
We hear those kinds of sentiments a lot, especially during fundraising on CMU Public Radio.
But we heard them from a unique young man last week in a letter he typed up to go along with his donation: of three-dollars and ten cents.
8-year old Sam is without a doubt among of the youngest listeners of CMU Public Radio
Amy Robinson met with him and his parents yesterday. She tells us more about the message of Sam.
In a lot of ways, Sam is a typical eight year old. He loves to watch his older brother play video games. And he loves to spring surprises on adults.
He leads me down the hallway to his bedroom. The sign on the door declares this is "Sam's Awesome Building Place of Fun." The small radio next to the bed is one of the things Sam loves the most.
"My radio is tuned to NPR! (Amy) and that's where it always is tuned. (Sam) yeah. Only if it isn't on the air. That's the only case I'd change it to a different station.
Sam goes to sleep every night to the World Cafe. He wakes up to Morning Edition. Mom, Sarah.
"Yeah he does. He's come in and he said 'Hey did you know, such and such is happening' and it will be some world event. I know now where he's hearing it, but at first I thought where did you hear that? Oh it was on Morning Edition or something he heard.
Sam found CMU Public Radio this summer. He said it was kind of an accident
(Sam) Well I discovered it because, once I found out that my radio had a radio option, I tuned it to the one clear number and that was NPR.
(Sarah) If it's off, it gets turned back on. He'll come in and let me know in the middle of the night and let me know ' you turned off my radio. So I don't do that any more.
Sarah said Sam is high functioning on the autism spectrum. She said the radio seems to offer non-threatening social contact.
He hears voices there that are company to him and socially he likes to have friends, but sometimes too many people, certain things can cause kind of an overload, sensory type of thing, so if it's just coming out of a radio, maybe that's, we're still learning so. Maybe that gives him a social thing, but not where he's having to interact on his own.'
(Sam) I don't know why I need some noise to go to sleep. Usually it just gives me company and I don't like being away from like people so much. And that makes me feel like I'm close to someone.
Human connection over the airwaves. Sam can't get enough. So when our fundraiser started this fall, Sarah did what to her was the logical thing. She asked Sam if he wanted to support this thing that he loves.
I had WCMU on the computer, live-streaming, and I said, just listen to this for a minute. You listen to this all the time. Is that something that you would you like to share some of your money with them to help keep that going? There was just no hesitation, 'oh yes.' He grabbed wallet and sorted through it and pulled out his crispy, crunchy little bills and had to say "I have to give them some change' and he sorted through his change. picket for quite a while. He said 'a dime,I need to find a dime". and he pulled out a dime and...
And he sent us three, crispy, crunchy dollar bills and ten cents.
Cause I didn't have tons of money, and I didn't have a tiny little amount (Amy) so you came up with something in the middle (Sam) mm-hmm
Three dollars and ten cents. And a note, typed laboriously, from the heart.
This is my vintage typewriter.
and it is. An old fashion olive green, manual typewriter. And like a favorite toy, Sam sees it's quirks and loves it anyway.
The downside is that once you type something, or a mistake, there's no way you can erase it. (Amy) do you know that most people don't have a typewriter like this? (Sam) what?!
And that sense of shock is similar to the reaction that I got when I asked this little donor what he'd do without us.
(Amy) how would you feel if you couldn't listen to NPR? (Sam) on one night? (Amy) Ever. What if it wasn't there? (Sam) Like one day it was just gone? I'd be extremely mad and upset. And now I know why I sent in my donation.
From the mouth of babes. So, Sam we'll work hard to put your money to good use. And thanks again for the dollars, the dime and the dedicated listening.
"NPR is my favorite radio station" and "My favorite part...is the World Cafe"
We hear those kinds of sentiments a lot, especially during fundraising on CMU Public Radio.
But we heard them from a unique young man last week in a letter he typed up to go along with his donation: of three-dollars and ten cents.
8-year old Sam is without a doubt among of the youngest listeners of CMU Public Radio
Amy Robinson met with him and his parents yesterday. She tells us more about the message of Sam.
In a lot of ways, Sam is a typical eight year old. He loves to watch his older brother play video games. And he loves to spring surprises on adults.
He leads me down the hallway to his bedroom. The sign on the door declares this is "Sam's Awesome Building Place of Fun." The small radio next to the bed is one of the things Sam loves the most.
"My radio is tuned to NPR! (Amy) and that's where it always is tuned. (Sam) yeah. Only if it isn't on the air. That's the only case I'd change it to a different station.
Sam goes to sleep every night to the World Cafe. He wakes up to Morning Edition. Mom, Sarah.
"Yeah he does. He's come in and he said 'Hey did you know, such and such is happening' and it will be some world event. I know now where he's hearing it, but at first I thought where did you hear that? Oh it was on Morning Edition or something he heard.
Sam found CMU Public Radio this summer. He said it was kind of an accident
(Sam) Well I discovered it because, once I found out that my radio had a radio option, I tuned it to the one clear number and that was NPR.
(Sarah) If it's off, it gets turned back on. He'll come in and let me know in the middle of the night and let me know ' you turned off my radio. So I don't do that any more.
Sarah said Sam is high functioning on the autism spectrum. She said the radio seems to offer non-threatening social contact.
He hears voices there that are company to him and socially he likes to have friends, but sometimes too many people, certain things can cause kind of an overload, sensory type of thing, so if it's just coming out of a radio, maybe that's, we're still learning so. Maybe that gives him a social thing, but not where he's having to interact on his own.'
(Sam) I don't know why I need some noise to go to sleep. Usually it just gives me company and I don't like being away from like people so much. And that makes me feel like I'm close to someone.
Human connection over the airwaves. Sam can't get enough. So when our fundraiser started this fall, Sarah did what to her was the logical thing. She asked Sam if he wanted to support this thing that he loves.
I had WCMU on the computer, live-streaming, and I said, just listen to this for a minute. You listen to this all the time. Is that something that you would you like to share some of your money with them to help keep that going? There was just no hesitation, 'oh yes.' He grabbed wallet and sorted through it and pulled out his crispy, crunchy little bills and had to say "I have to give them some change' and he sorted through his change. picket for quite a while. He said 'a dime,I need to find a dime". and he pulled out a dime and...
And he sent us three, crispy, crunchy dollar bills and ten cents.
Cause I didn't have tons of money, and I didn't have a tiny little amount (Amy) so you came up with something in the middle (Sam) mm-hmm
Three dollars and ten cents. And a note, typed laboriously, from the heart.
This is my vintage typewriter.
and it is. An old fashion olive green, manual typewriter. And like a favorite toy, Sam sees it's quirks and loves it anyway.
The downside is that once you type something, or a mistake, there's no way you can erase it. (Amy) do you know that most people don't have a typewriter like this? (Sam) what?!
And that sense of shock is similar to the reaction that I got when I asked this little donor what he'd do without us.
(Amy) how would you feel if you couldn't listen to NPR? (Sam) on one night? (Amy) Ever. What if it wasn't there? (Sam) Like one day it was just gone? I'd be extremely mad and upset. And now I know why I sent in my donation.
From the mouth of babes. So, Sam we'll work hard to put your money to good use. And thanks again for the dollars, the dime and the dedicated listening.