VOLUNTEER NEWS
~VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHTS
~VOLUNTEER SWEEPSTAKES WINNER
~MEMORIAL FOR CARLITA BROUSSARD

KJazz is very fortunate to have amazing volunteers who dedicate their time to come down to the station during our pledge drives to answer the phones and take pledges. We couldn't have a pledge drive without them. Here is what a few of them had to say when asked how they found us and what keeps them coming back:

Bob Citelli: I have been a volunteer since 1975 and continue to volunteer because I want to do my part in the effort to keep the station viable and playing the MUSIC. The best part of volunteering are the coffee and bagels, the fact that I am part of a team with an honorable purpose is also nice, the staff also deserves mention as they organize and support our efforts with success as our mutual focus. What could be better?

Pierre Chambers: I came to LA in 1997 thinking I will never find a station like WBGO in New Jersey and certainly there won't be jazz like there is jazz in New Jersey/New York. Then one day I found KJazz 88.1 on the radio surfing just trying to find something that was like WBGO. I think I just dialed the 88.1 from New Jersey/WBGO and KJAZZ has the same numbered station and low and behold I found KJAZZ and have not wandered since. I now volunteer every pledge drive. I'm an active pledger at least once a year, and I love being a part of something so wonderful and treasured. We volunteers take our jazz seriously and love KJAZZ.

I believe what keeps me coming back is the camaraderie we have at the station. First of all, let me just say how much we love the DJ's and the volunteer staff that work for KJAZZ or at least let me say how much I love them. Without these dedicated people I wouldn't be able to listen to my favorite music and would be subjected to listening to some ordinary, everyday kind of music that no doubt would bore and drive me crazy.I couldn't continue listening to KJAZZ if I had to deal with commercials so my thanks to Bubba, Helen, Brad, Paul, Wag Man, Dave, and the others for taking up the challenge of keeping this music alive and well in LA. To the pledge staff, you know we love you ladies. I personally look forward to seeing you and finding out what's new happening in your lives every 3 months or so. So to Stephanie, Pam and Susie and the others again, I say thank you for being there and keeping us in control. I haven't been able to do a jingle jazz or other events because I'm a musician myself and my group is working fairly often (praise God for that) but the time I get to see the volunteers is precious to me so I come to every drive looking forward to hearing some funny stories, laughing all afternoon, eating good food and hanging out with some great people who just happen to dig jazz. We love one another and look forward to seeing each other during a drive and some of the volunteers hang out all during the year. These are the reasons I continue coming and will keep coming to the pledge drive every time there is one. What more can you ask for?

Marleen Huber Although I volunteered once several years ago, I volunteered during the July and November drive this year. I've come back and plan on volunteering on a regular basis because I want to contribute my time and support to my favorite radio station. I feel that there is something very special about KJAZZ and I'm so fortunate that the station is right in my own neighborhood. The very best part is having the opportunity to talk to the listeners calling in to pledge. Many of them are so enthusiastic. It is a great feeling to chat with others who share my love for the music and the station. It's also fun to be at the radio station while my favorite DJs are broadcasting, seeing them in action, and enjoying the camaraderie between the DJs, station personnel, and volunteers. It is definitely a warm and friendly atmosphere.

After every pledge drive we pick a winner for our special volunteer sweepstakes. Ann Tsao was the lucky winner of a Latin jazz and blues iPod shuffle. Here's what she shared with us:

Volunteering at KJazz's pledge drives has always been a great way for me to show my support for the radio station that holds a special place in my heart. Thanks to KJazz, over the last 15 years I've discovered a wealth of wonderful music. Bonds with friends and family have been strengthened through a mutual appreciation for this art form. Similarly, it's always fun talking with my fellow pledge room volunteers as well as the most amazing staff and on-air talent! Thank you for selecting me as the winner of the volunteer sweepstakes. The Latin jazz and blues tunes keep me groovin' for hours upon hours, and it's another reason I love KJazz!

Volunteering during our pledge drives is a lot of fun and a great way to meet other jazz and blues lovers and make new friends.

If you are interested in volunteering at our next pledge drive in March send us an email sometime between now and February to: volunteer@kkjz.org or give us a call at 310-478-5540 ext. 229.

It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of longtime volunteer Carlita Ruth Broussard on October 8th, 2013. Her son, Bryan Broussard, shares with us a touching memorial.

As many at the station probably know, my mother, Carlita, was an avid fan of jazz, and KKJZ was her outward expression of that. Whether it was through volunteer work, financial contribution, or just good ol' plain telling a friend, she contributed often to the station any way she could. She loved working for the station and made a lot of good friends there. She got to meet, converse, and become friends with Barbara Morrison one night at a party as they both had similar health conditions. Carlita was actually mistaken at that party for Barbara until Barbara Morrison arrived. At the end of the night, they were both laughing about it. It was a night my mother would never forget.

Carlita was a teacher for 45-years getting virtually all of her degrees at Cal State Long Beach. She made it a point to teach every opportunity she got and she would have still been teaching had her illness not got the best of her. She loved socializing and had a personality that would light up the room. To meet her is to remember her. She constantly strove for excellence in all things and instilled these values in her children. One of the poems she would read to her kids was “It Couldn't Be Done” by Edward Guest and it goes as follows:

Somebody said that it couldn't be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn't,” but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you'll do it.

RIP Carlita Broussard

13

Letter from Stephanie Levine

READ ARTICLE

Letter from Stephanie Levine

READ ARTICLE

Letter from Station Manager
Stephanie Levine

READ ARTICLE

Member Memo

READ ARTICLE

Member Memo from Development Director
Pamela Aronovitz

READ ARTICLE

KJazz Presents...
The Lyn Stanley Trio at Mr. Musichead Gallery

READ ARTICLE

Artist Spotlight
Elliot Caine

READ ARTICLE

Featured Partner

READ ARTICLE

Our Featured Partner
Westfield Culver City/Westfield Century City

READ ARTICLE

Member Sweepstakes Winners

READ ARTICLE

Volunteer News
~Volunteer Spotlights
~Volunteer sweepstakes winner
~Memorial for Carlita Broussard

READ ARTICLE

Find us on Social Media

READ ARTICLE

member benefits

listen

pledge / renew

jazzandblues.org

contact us

mobile apps

ways to support

csulb.edu

KKJZ Fundraising, Inc., a registered commercial fundraiser, conducts fundraising activities on behalf of the California State University, Long Beach Research Foundation for the benefit of KJazz. Registration does not imply endorsement.

KKJZ Fundraising, Inc., P.O. Box 251469, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Phone: 310.478.5061  |  Fax: 310.478.5315  |  www.jazzandblues.org