On day one of the Iowa Catholic Radio Fall Fundraiser, Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell race the clock to find 12 new monthly donors and unlock a five-times match from a Challenger Club member. Listener Eileen Denner shares how Catholic radio drew her back to the Church, opened her heart to the Eucharist, and carried her family in prayer through loss, while Sam Halligan reflects on going on mission by giving. On the feast of the Archangels, Iowa Catholic Radio marks 21 years on the air and invites you to join The Harvest is Abundant campaign to keep Catholic radio growing across Iowa.
The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Be one of them: text GIVE to 515-223-1150 or give online at https://www.iowacatholicradio.com/giving-options
Day one of the 2026 Fall Fundraiser ends with a nail-biter. A Challenger Club member offered a five-times match if 12 listeners committed $25 a month for the next 12 months within the hour. Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell count every gift from zero to 12, and listeners came through to meet the challenge before 5 p.m.
In this episode:
- The 5X Challenger Club match: how 12 monthly donors at $25 a month unlocked a five-times match
- Eileen Denner on returning to the Catholic faith, discovering the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and how Iowa Catholic Radio prayed with her family through the loss of her sister-in-law
- Why Eileen sees giving as a "ripple effect" that reaches lives we may never know this side of heaven
- Sam Halligan on 10 years of watching Iowa Catholic Radio grow, and why "some go on mission by going and others go on mission by giving"
- Bo's first encounter with Iowa Catholic Radio, by way of Catholic author Mike Aquilina
- Iowa Catholic Radio celebrates 21 years on the feast of the Archangels as it enters its 22nd year
- Gifts arriving from Illinois, Milwaukee, Mason City, Spencer, Fort Dodge, and central Iowa
- Listener testimonials from across the Diocese of Des Moines, plus messages from Bishop William Joensen, Teresa Tomeo, Cy Kellett, and Chris Stefanick
- An Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen reflection on why God created man
How to give:
- Text GIVE to 515-223-1150 for a secure giving link
- Call 515-223-1150
- Give online: https://www.iowacatholicradio.com/giving-options
- This week, we're looking for 12 listeners every hour to commit $25 a month for the next 12 months.
Also mentioned this hour:
- St. Pius X Guild Feast of St. Luke celebration (Catholic Medical Association): Sunday, Oct. 18, Mass at 4 p.m. at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Des Moines, followed by dinner and a presentation by Dr. Matthew Breuninger. Free and open to the public; RSVP required: https://www.iowacatholicradio.com/events
- Daily Rosary at 10 a.m. and Mass from a local parish at 10:30 a.m. on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network
- Light of the East with Fr. Thomas Loya, Sundays at 10:30 a.m.
- The Sacred Music channel on the Iowa Catholic Radio app
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