One of the main objectives any good radio broadcaster should have is the desire to make their listeners feel something. It might be happiness, sorrow or even anger. When those emotional triggers are pulled, it’s when radio is at its best. At the Rick and Len Show we mostly try to hit the happiness button to make you laugh but now and again, like we did this week, we seek to hit your compassion button and boy, did we ever hit it this week.
For several years we’ve talked about our little buddy, Charlie Knuth, who is afflicted with Epidermolysis Bullosa, also called brittle skin disease. Charlie is now 13 years old and for most of his life it’s been a daily grind which includes painful bandaging and bathing to deal with the constant sores and abrasions which are part and parcel of EB. Then last month we broke the news that Charlie is being hit with a double whammy…a diagnosis of lymphoma, too. Damn.
As he always does when it comes to one of our kids in crisis, our pal Steve Juno called to see if the affected family needed money and he offered us some cool rock and roll memorabilia to auction on the the air for Charlie. As we were doing that, a few others started offering some really nice things for the cause, including a six hour, six person salmon fishing excursion on Lake Michigan from Captain John Pollack of Reel Impression Sportfishing Charter in Sturgeon Bay. Then a longtime Rick and Len Show listener with a soft spot for sick children, Bill Austin, called to offer one of two spots he had reserved on a wild boar hunting adventure with his friend, rocker Ted Nugent. Once Ted himself heard about Charlie and the WAPL auction, he donated an additional spot on the group hunt on his own ranch in Michigan.
We put what Rick called “Fishin’ with a Mission” and what Len called “The Hunt for Fred Boar” on the auction block on Wednesday morning and you guys came through once again. The fishing excursion garnered $1900 from auction winner Jennifer Gerdeen and the hunt with Ted Nugent brought in $6200 from Kory Schumacher. Charlie’s mom, Trisha, expressed to us her gratitude and thanks and lots of listeners called and messaged to thank us. We appreciate all the kind words but this isn’t about us. The thanks go to people like Steve, John, Bill and Ted and our listeners who open their hearts and wallets who make it possible for us to use our radio platform for something other than funny poop jokes and rock and roll records. So, thank you. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to make our living entertaining you guys and that your generosity and kindness make it possible for us to make a difference in the lives of those who need a lift.
(Pictured with Rick and Len is the winner of the Ted Nugent Wild Boar Hunt auction, Kory Schumacher)
