How Groundhog Day Is Like VPR's Power Morning

As you may have heard by now, tomorrow is Power Morning on VPR. We’re going to try to complete an entire day’s worth of fundraising by 9 a.m. If we reach our goal of $48,000 by then, we’ll stop fundraising for the rest of the day.

We plan our dates for our membership drives several months in advance, but we only recently realized that tomorrow is also Groundhog Day. Scenes from the classic Bill Murray movie (and its undeniable comparisons to public radio pledge drives) flashed through our minds, and chaos ensued. That’s how we ended up with this sketch of VPR’s weight-lifting groundhog from VPR’s Dave McGown and the following haikus composed by VPR volunteer Carol Young and family:

Was ever a name
So perfect for haiku as
Punxsutawney Phil?

Punxsutawney Phil -
Tough name for limericks, yet
Perfect for haiku.

If the groundhog sees
His shadow does that mean six
More weeks of pledge drive?

His shadow sighted,
Groundhog returns to dreams of
Nina Totenberg.

A weather forecast
Made by a sleeping rodent
Can't be all that good.

Groundhog asks that you
Please join us in supporting
Public radio.

Why are there pledge drives?
There must be a good reason -
Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me.

"All Things Considered,
Occasional pledge drives are
not so bad," mused Phil.

"The thing I miss most
When I am hibernating,"
thought Phil, "is Fresh Air!"

Groundhog, shmoundhog! Feh!
For weather forecasts I'll take
Mark Breen any day!

Robert Resnik, George
Thomas, and Phil the Groundhog
Walk into a bar.

VPR shows Phil
Likes best: Living On Earth and
American Routes (Roots!).

"Groundhog Day is nice,"
Thought Phil. "But of course, I like
All The Traditions."

All joking aside, Power Morning and Groundhog Day actually do have something in common. Tomorrow morning, Punxsutawney Phil will climb out of his warm bed to have a look around. If he doesn’t see his shadow, spring is on the way. If he does, winter will stick around for a bit. VPR’s Power Morning is based on the same principle. If we reach our goal by 9 o’clock, we’ll stop fundraising for the rest of the day. If we don’t, the drive will continue throughout the day. I hope you’ll help us out tomorrow morning by making a pledge online or calling 1-800-639-6391. Your pledge helps pay for the VPR and NPR programming you rely on each and every day, whether you can see your shadow or not.

Thank you!