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Radiothon Roundup
It has been a busy couple of months for us here at VOCM Cares. We started this year off with a heart-pumping bang for our radiothon season and as things begin to slow down for the summer we think it’s the perfect time to take a look back at all that has happened thus far.
Our first radiothon of the year was ROW 4 Heart on February 13th where we worked together with the Healthcare foundation to raise funds for a new mechanical heart. With help of donors from all over the province, we were able to help the Health Care Foundation raise $88,000. This was put towards the purchase of the first mechanical heart for the province and can help provide care to patients who require several days of heart support either before or after surgery.
In April Easter Seals had their first ever radiothon. It gave us a chance to show the people of our province all the great things Easter Seals does by providing life-changing programs and services to those with living with disabilities in our province. We got to see their state of the art facility and learned of the work currently underway to create the province’s first fully accessible park. In just 4 short hours our donors raised $32,000!
We then ended off the month with a radiothon for the Dr. H. Bliss Cancer Care Foundation at the Village Shopping Center. This would be the first of many events to be held at the Village Shopping Center. All of the $70,000 raised would stay here to improve services for cancer care centers in St. John’s, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Corner Brook along with chemo delivery sites around the province.
May was a month packed with not 1, not 2 but a whopping 4 radiothons. The first of which was for the Salvation Army of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Salvation Army is an organization that is always on hand to help the people of our province in good and bad times so we were honoured to partner with them for this radiothon. The donors showed just how important the Salvation Army has been to the people and the effect they have on this province and helped us raise over $100,000.
Our back to back Mother’s Day radiothons for the Northeast Central Health Foundation and the South Central Health Foundation were next. These 2 radiothons were raising funds to purchase a breast specimen imaging unit for both Gander and Grand Falls respectively. These machines would save valuable time in diagnosing and treating breast cancer here in the province. The Northeast Central Health Foundation was able to raise $110,000 and South Central Health Foundation another $86,740 all through the help of very generous donors.
We rounded out May with the Kin and Friends radiothon for Mental Health Addiction Care on the Burin Peninsula. This was a very touching radiothon with people sharing how mental health and addictions had not only touched their lives and those close to them but the peninsula as a whole. Our listeners definitely agreed on how important mental health and addiction care is to the people of the area, and with their generosity and government support, we ended the day raising over $100,000.
Our spring season of radiothons was rounded off with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in June. Our beautiful province of Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest percentage of women who suffer from heart and stroke issues in the country. This radiothon was an opportunity to not only raise funds for such a worthwhile cause but to help us educate others on the signs and symptoms of Stroke and heart disease. Over $20,000 was raised in just 4 short hours all thanks to our listeners and community partners.
We want to offer special thanks to our dedicated listeners this spring. With your help, VOCM Cares was able to help raise over $600,000 for 7 incredible organizations that help and support the people of our province. We cannot thank you enough for your generous donations, time and dedication to VOCM Cares and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.
We would like to wish all of you a safe and healthy summer and we look forward to seeing you all for our fall radiothon season.