Matthew's Story

It started with a Facebook post: "what should I do with my kids old VHS tapes?" I had over 20 years of memories in a storage bin, like Snow White, Cinderella, and Veggie Tales VHS tapes, still in their well loved and worn cases. I remember where each tape came from: a trip to Costco, a birthday gift, stocking stuffer. Both of my daughters had their favorite. My oldest daughter must have watched Dumbo a thousand times, and my youngest daughter was the Robin Hood fan. Facebook said to sell or thrift the tapes, but it didn't seem right to just drop all these memories off with an unknown future.

Then I received a private message from a listener telling me about a family in town who had a son with Down Syndrome named Matthew. After connecting with his mother, Kathy (thanks again Facebook), I learned that he had a deep love for VHS tapes. He stacks, collects, rearranges and watches tapes every single day; they bring him joy and a purpose.

Why VHS tapes? One Christmas, while watching a YouTube video on his new laptop, Matthew came across a video that explained the numbers coded in the side of a VHS tape, and that ignited his passion. He now has an entire room dedicated to these tapes, along with a special compartment in his families camper. The Muppet movies are his favorite.

I clearly found the perfect thing to do with my old VHS tapes, and after a few mentions on the air I had so many listeners who has VHS tapes for Matthew, too! What a blessing it was to see the look on his face when he came to pick up his mountain of tapes. He could not wait to get home and start sorting them. I later received another box of VHS tapes for Mathew the day after his visit; these will be saved for Christmas. :)

What's in your attic that you can use to connect with your listener?

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