“Three Cheers for Youth!”
From the messy desk of Amanda Eichstaedt, May 24, 2022
The Future
 Youthful exuberance. photo: Jill Wellington from Pexels If you spend much time dwelling on the news it can be easy to get bummed out. There are a lot of really crummy, depressing things going on in the world. I have the good fortune to engineer for Dr. Joe Blumenthal on alternate Mondays at 11:30 AM when he hosts his “good news” show, “A Cuppa Jo.” Lately Joe has provided information on many things that are really encouraging, and he always says how happy it makes him to learn about new innovations in clean energy, advances in medical research and other really good things going on in the world. Joe does have a “no politics” rule on his show, but still. I will say, when I’m in the studio working with Joe it totally cheers me up! The KWMR Board of Directors developed a Youth Board Representative program during the pandemic we did not get any takers in 2020 due to the disruption of the pandemic, but in the fall of 2021 we had two applications and invited both Elena Rodoni and Sophia Buckholtz to join the board. It was handy that the board continues to meet mostly on Zoom (neither of these applicants drive yet). Cathy Richards, KWMR Board Member volunteered to mentor both of these Youth Reps. We are coming to the end of the school year, and I want to thank Elena and Sophia for their contributions to the discussions and for taking on some interesting projects, in addition to attending meetings both Elena and Sophia did survey’s at their schools. Elena is graduating from West Marin School this year. HERE are her survey results. Sophia is a junior at Redwood High School and her survey results were not too dissimilar, except that not as many students in her sample group, not surprisingly, knew about KWMR. Elena shared her thoughts on being a Youth Board Rep: “I joined because I wanted to get more involved with the community. I’m so fortunate that I get to work with really nice people while I do so.” And so did Sophia: “As of mid autumn 2021, I’ve had the pleasure of joining a community of welcoming and creative people on the KWMR board. Throughout my experience as a Youth Board Representative, I have attended board meetings to learn about the management of a radio station, present about my survey data, and interviewed a local artist for airing.” If you or someone you know would be interested in becoming a Youth Board Rep, email Amanda Eichstaedt for more information. I can tell you that being in the presence of these intelligent, thoughtful, young women has given me a great deal of hope for the future! I predict that both Elena and Sophia will go far! Big thanks to Cathy Maxwell for staying in touch with Elena and Sophia and guiding them through the Youth Board Rep process. Western Weekend is fast approaching and KWMR is very honored to be chosen as the 2022 Grand Marshal! Woot! We will be joining Doeores Gonzalez, who was the 2020 Grand Marshal, and the first responders to the Woodward Fire, who are the 2021 Grand Marshals in the parade this year. It’s a treat to be in such esteemed company. There are bound to be a lot of people convening in town for the festivities, and the planning committee, being aware of the uptick of COVID cases, is encouraging mask wearing in crowded spaces, and if you are feeling ill, or not, you can arrange to pick up tests from West Marin Community Services between now and then, and test on Sunday morning prior to attending the parade.   Thank you for reading our newsletter and for your support of KWMR! Amanda Eichstaedt KWMR Station Manager and Executive Director |
 Remembrances honoring two people who were close to KWMR are happening. The first for Programmer and former KWMR Board Member Creta Pullen on May 30th. The second for Van Van der Maaten, a supremely talented artist and musician on June 12th. |