Radio station HI-99 will conduct its 19th annual Radiothon for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital live from Honey Creek Mall from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. today and Friday.
HI-99 now belongs to the St. Jude Million Dollar Club, having raised more than $1 million to benefit the Memphis hospital during the 19 years it has been conducting St. Jude radiothons. The first year, the radio station raised a little more than $19,000, and last years total was $55,000.
Barry Kent, HI-99 operations manager and morning show host, has hosted the entire 30 hours each year live from Honey Creek Mall.
“The hours are long but it couldn’t be for a better cause,” Kent said. “There are kids right here in the Wabash Valley that have benefited from the research and care at St. Jude and at no charge. I keep hoping each year we won’t have to do another Radiothon because the cure will be found. They are getting close. When we did our first Radiothon the cure rate for childhood leukemia was less than 60 percent, today it’s over 90 percent.”
The “Country Cares for Kids Radiothons” began 20 years ago when Randy Owen of the country super group Alabama asked country radio stations to support St. Jude Hospital in their effort to stamp out childhood cancer. Today more than 200 country radio stations and nearly each and every country music star supports St. Jude.
For more information visit countrycares.org or contact Barry Kent at (812) 232-9481 or bkent@wthi.emmis.com, or HI-99 promotion director Amy Clark at bclark@wthi.emmis.com or (812) 232-9481.
