Here at KVMR we have volunteers doing all kinds of things, ranging from broadcasting to envelope stuffing to cutting down trees around our antenna on Banner Mountain. But rarely do we have one volunteer who does just about everything. Tammy Rust is one of those volunteers who is unstoppable. And though she hasn't played lumberjack yet out at the antenna, she volunteers for us in a multitude of ways.

Tammy's KVMR volunteer career began approximately 2 years ago, when she came in to help answer phones for our thrice annual membership drive. She had met our chief Engineer Paul Paterson who told her about his job here, and it sounded like so much fun she had to come to KVMR to see for herself how things were around here. Well, to make a long story short, she joined our funky family and started volunteering. At first she helped with the membership drive where her lively phone manner and enthusiasm rubbed off on everyone around her, then she became one of our regular substitutes at our front reception desk. In between she has helped out at almost every KVMR event, and she has become one of our most enthusiastic outreach volunteers. And as if that wasn't enough, she enrolled in our broadcaster training class and has now become a certified broadcaster.

Tammy moved here about 2 years ago from Santa Rosa where she taught school for 25 years. Volunteering was nothing new to her...in Sonoma County she had been involved with an adult literacy program that taught adults to read, and she has become involved with a similar project here at the local library. She has also done volunteer work with runaway teens in a juvenile facility in Sonoma County. When asked why KVMR, she answered that the community at KVMR keeps her smiling and she likes being part of a radio station that feels like an integral part of the community. She considers KVMR's downtown Nevada City location a big plus because it is so accessible to the public.

Tammy has always been a music lover. Her kids (now grown) grew up listening to classic rock such as the Eagles, The Doors and CSN, and they all sang and played guitar together. Her daughter used to ask Tammy to go to Dead shows with her, and 20 years ago Tammy wanted nothing to do with it. Now the Dead have become her favorite band, and of course she enjoys Saturday nights on KVMR! She also never misses a Deadbeats show. Tammy doesn't miss the hustle and bustle of the city, and though she is a beach girl at heart she has found she absolutely loves the foothills, and she can still take part in some of her favorite activities which include sailing, hiking and rafting.

We're glad that Tammy has found her niche here at KVMR, and hope she sticks around for a long time! And if you ever call our front office or our pledge lines you just might get to experience Tammy's fun and enthusiastic personality for yourself!

By Edy Cassell, KVMR's Volunteer Coordinator