Radiothon 2008 a ringing success
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
If an angel gets wings every time a bell rings, as Karolyn Grimes famously proclaimed in “It's a Wonderful Life,” then the gates of heaven must have been opening every time the thunderous crash of the gong reverberated through Children’s Hospital during the 2008 Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Radiothon.
Each strike of the gong indicated that a donation of $500 or more had been made to the hospital. It rang frequently over the course of the two-day event, which raised $208,326 to buy equipment and pay general expenses for the hospital, according to Brian Landry, Children’s Hospital vice president, Marketing.
Now in its fourth year, Radiothon is a collaboration between CMN, a non-profit organization that helps raise funds for children’s hospitals around the country, and Entercom Communications Corporation, which owns several radio stations in the New Orleans area.
Disc jockeys and talk show hosts from five Entercom stations, WWL-AM and FM, WEZB-FM, WKBU-FM and WLMG-FM, took turns interviewing patients, family members and hospital staff live from the hospital’s main lobby on February 21 and 22.
“Early [in the broadcast], there was a constant din in the lobby as people talked above the broadcaster’s voice,” said Hunter Pine, a volunteer who answered phones during Radiothon. “Then a father was interviewed on-air. He spoke about his child who developed headaches and vomiting, and was eventually diagnosed with brain cancer. Within seconds of the father speaking, the din died away as everyone listened to the story. I think at that point everyone knew why we were here.”
Katina “Kat” Kageleiry, an afternoon DJ on the classic rock station Bayou 95.7, was one of the broadcasters who took a shift on Friday. Her deep, gravelly voice quivered as she interviewed Shivas Gilotra, a 21-year-old who spent much of his childhood at Children’s Hospital battling leukemia.
“His sister donated bone marrow to him,” Kageleiry said as she wiped her eyes. “And he said, ‘She’s my angel.’ So I asked him if he owes her a lot of favors now, like doing her laundry or cleaning her room. He laughed and said, ‘Yeah.’”
Don Dubuc, a talk show host on WWL-AM and FM, also spent time broadcasting, interviewing patients and encouraging his listeners to donate.
“I was struck by how the patients and their families are all so upbeat, all so positive,” Dubuc said. “They didn’t have any negative thoughts, and that to me was the most unique thing. Obviously that [positive attitude] is coming from the hospital here.”
“We all hope the community recognizes that we have a world-class facility right here in our own backyard,” said Helen Centanni, executive producer for WWL-AM and FM, who produced the event. “Every day the professionals at Children’s Hospital are doing God’s work. We’re proud to spread the word.”