"I found WWOZ back in the late eighties, playing with a short wave radio I kept in my room. I was first attracted to the sounds coming from stations from around the world, and then realized that I could get the same feeling from the music that played on this local station: WWOZ.

"'OZ kept me in wonder every time I tuned in because the local music was incredible (who knew the great danzón "Florecita" was actually Sidney Bechet's 'Petite Fleur,' right?) and the rest of the music represented just about every corner of the world.

"WWOZ still manages to make me stop and listen. That same sense of wonderment I had as a teenager in Mid-City makes me come back day after day as a member of the staff, now empowered to protect the station directly, still amazed by the interesting songs that get played by our living music libraries we call show hosts.

"We're privileged to be the caretakers of the great American natural resource that is the music of New Orleans. We welcome all who are willing to help us protect it and preserve it for the following generations, and we invite all to participate actively as donating members." -Jorge Fuentes, WWOZ Operations Director

Click here to make your gift to WWOZ now: wwoz.org/donate.