Tom Voorhees' Fundraising Appeal

This is a fundraising appeal, to raise at least $3,000, ASAP, for travel expenses for Tom Voorhees, a long-term member of the Pacifica radio community; member of the KPFA LSB and former Pacifica National Board member, as he prepares to undertake a 3,500 mile round trip to visit several community radio stations includingPacifica’s California radio stations, KPFA in Berkeley, and KPFK in Los Angeles and KBOO in Portland, OR and KMUD in Garberville, CA

Tom is a retired radio project engineer, who has now dedicated his life volunteering to build and maintain mostly low-power radio that enables poor, indigenous and isolated communities around the US, Central and South America, and Mexico, to obtain access to radio. By building and training people how to operate these low-power stations he assists folks in these areas to become integrated into the world around them. In many cases, the stations he creates are their sole access to what is going on in their own communities and around the world. Over the years he has traveled repeatedly to most of the Pacifica Network’s stations and many of the Network’s Affiliate Stations as well.

Even though Tom lives very frugally, his only income is his monthly Social Security check. Tom has to raise the money he needs to make this trip possible. He has to pay for diesel for his truck, (which, runs about $6/gal) and is outfitted with all of his station-specific materials and supplies, as well as pay for housing and food. Tom traveled from his Washington State home to begin his engineering trip at KPFA and then will go on on to Monterey to repair KPFA’s translator. He still needs to find a place to stay in the Monterey/Salinas area. So please contact Tom, ASAP, if you can help him out with accommodations in that area. The next stop will be KPFK in Los Angeles, to deal with various technical problems that have arisen.

I hope you can support Tom during this trip. All donations will be used solely for travel expenses including accommodation, food and gas.

If Tom is beyond internet reach, you can contact Marianne Edain at fh@whidbey.com with any questions about this fundraiser or his trip.