Country music giant is raising funds for St. Jude
By DONNA THORNTON, Editor
WQSB radio’s annual Country Cares for St. Jude Kids Radiothon did it again this year — in grand fashion.
Each spring the station has dedicated a day to raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and for more than 20 years now, WQSB account executive Rachel Constantine said, the amount collected each year has surpassed the previous year’s total.
It certainly did this year: Last Tuesday’s Radiothon raised $350,190.01 for the Memphis hospital, which provides treatment and conducts research to combat childhood cancer, all without any charge to patients and their families for medication, treatment, travel and lodging.
WQSB — and the generous businesses and individuals who participated — brought in roughly $100,000 more this year than last.
Since the station’s radiothons began, Constantine said, they have brought in more than $3.5 million for St. Jude.
It’s a labor of love for the station’s staff. “We’re grateful to station owner, Jeannie Courington, for letting us take the day and volunteer to raise money for St. Jude,” Constantine said.
A number of area businesses sponsored hours of the campaign and donated and restaurants supported the station staff with food throughout the long day.
Constantine said the station’s staff did van stops throughout the day, visiting businesses and collecting donations.
This year featured auctions of donated items, including a Riley Green-signed guitar, and guitar signed by Alabama’s Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, an Atlanta Braves family pack, and four tickets to the Talladega Superspeedway’s April 26 race, and a pair of 1-carat diamond stud earrings from J. Leonard Henry Jewelry.
There were other activities during the day-long radiothon to inspire donations – from giving to keep someone elevated in a Marshall-DeKalb Electric Cooperative bucket truck, to afternoon drive guy Stone Ragan’s pledge to shave off his long hair if donations surpassed $300,000. The donations did, and so did he, donating a 13 inch-long ponytail in response to the many donations.
The radio station staff showed caring with more than money; they had a “Hearts of Hope” wall at the station so that people could write notes of encouragement that will be sent to children at the hospital.
“We also had a phone booth set up for people to leave messages for the kids,” Constantine said. “Those audio files will go with our rep to the kids at St. Jude.”
Life South blood mobiles were located at the station and at Walmart for blood donations, she said, which was another new feature of this year’s radiothon.
You don’t have to wait until next year’s radiothon to support the care given for kids at St. Jude. Donate online at stjude.org; by phone at 800-805-5856; by mail to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
The staff of Albertville radio station WQSB celebrates after raising more than $350,000 last week for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through the annual Country Cares for Kids Radiothon. The station and its listeners have raised more than $1.5 million over the years. SPECIAL TO THE LEADER
