CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Celebrities from music, movies, television and sports will come together Friday night to help raise funds for flood recovery efforts in West Virginia.
A “Rebuild West Virginia” telethon will air on Bluefield’s WVVA-TV and on television stations nationwide. The live broadcast will be available Friday from 7-9 p.m. on the MetroNews Channel at www.wvmetronews.com. The telethon is being made available courtesy of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.
WVVA anchor Courtney Clark will host the special program.
“This isn’t WVVA,” Clark said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.” “The West Virginia Broadcasters Association is teaming up and WSAZ’s Amanda Barren is coming down. It’s just a team work of people wanting to give back to our state.”
All proceeds will go directly to the American Red Cross in West Virginia to help victims and communities impacted by last week’s devastating floods. During the telethon, viewers will be able to make donations by calling 1-800-273-0511 or by visiting www.rebuildwestvirginia.com. A $10 donation can be made by texting the word WVFLOODS to 909999.
Kevin Sizemore, a Princeton native and actor, is helping Clark with the effort.
“It’s beautiful to see people stepping up and helping because they’re not going to need it today and they’re not going to need it tomorrow. They’re going to continue to need help for weeks and months after this as well,” he told MetroNews.
There were 23 people who lost their lives in the storms. Deaths were reported in Greenbrier, Kanawha, Jackson and Ohio counties. Sizemore said one of those victims was his cousin who lived in Greenbrier County.
“An elderly man in his 80s unfortunately couldn’t get out of the way from the floods. He was in a wheelchair,” he said. “It’s just heartbreaking to know that these people work their entire lives to have something that they call their own and then within a moment’s notice — it’s taken away from them.”
Other celebrities who will make an appearance during Friday’s program include Lewisburg resident and former NBA star Bimbo Coles, “America’s Got Talent” winner and Logan resident Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus, New York Times #1 best selling author and Coalwood native Homer Hickam, Princeton resident Dreama “Mrs. Gilligan” Denver and more.
Flood relief efforts will continue Sunday night with a live concert at Charleston’s Haddad Riverfront Park. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. will headline the show beginning at 8 p.m. The event is free to the public. Cleaning supply donations for the Red Cross will be accepted on site.
“Unfortunately, in times of crisis, that’s what brings people closer together,” Sizemore said of the community effort statewide. “When you say ‘help,’ people from West Virginia they just drop what they have and they’ll help you.”
Sizemore said they’re hoping to raise as much money as they can. There are no limits.
“This goal is set so high that if we come up short, it’s going to be a lot of money,” he said. “Let’s always help each other and not just wait for a tragedy for that to happen.”