MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The state’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital is pairing up with WVRC Media to present the Cares for Kids Radiothon later on this year.
WVU Medicine Children’s and WVRC Media will host the event on September 7 and 8 in an effort to raise funds benefitting patients and families in need of care at the hospital.
WVRC Media President and CEO, George Pelletier said company has had a history with working with hospital.
“This event used to happen years ago with the late and great Lacy Neff at WVAQ who did a similar type of event, and we’re hoping to potentially put that event on steroids and do it across all of our markets,” he said.
Different radio personalities will broadcast live during the event from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days at the Hostetler Family Resource Center at the Morgantown-based hospital.
Pelletier said radio personalities, along with healthcare providers and past patients will share inspiring stories about how the hospital has drastically changed and even saved lives.
“We’re going to be there talking to staff, patients, families that are from that area, but also to be able to talk about the services and things that are developed and created for everybody in the state,” said Pelletier.
WVU Medicine Children’s Chief Administrative Officer, Amy Bush said the hospital is composed of the state’s largest group of primary and specialty care providers who bring that care to residents across West Virginia.
“It’s a privilege and an honor to serve the state, and you know, we want to keep kids and families close to home, and this new hospital is certainly a way to do that, and it’s about the new building but it’s also about the amazing people that work here and the programs that we’ve built to take care of the kids so that they have healthier futures,” she said.
She said the radiothon will help raise the money to continue funding the hospital itself and the tight knit community it provides.
“We can keep our families together, you know, families aren’t going across town to make sure they’re seeing mom and baby, and also we keep our care team together, we keep specialty providers that can take care of adults and kids in one place, and that is just a tremendous asset we have here at WVU Medicine Children’s,” said Bush.
The West Virginia markets included in WVRC Media’s 33 radio stations taking part in the radiothon are Morgantown, Clarksburg, Elkins, Charleston, Beckley, Summersville, and Martinsburg. Pelletier said these are the kinds of opportunities WVRC strives to be a part of.
“We’re very community focused and we always view being of service as one of our important core values, and this is a way for us to be able to coordinate an effort that will benefit literally tens of thousands of kids that are right in our communities, right in our neighborhoods that we get the opportunity to serve in having a good experience there,” said Pelletier.
The non-profit organization, WVU Foundation is leading the fundraising effort.
More information about how to support WVU Medicine Children’s during the Radiothon will be available prior to the event.
WVRC Media is the parent company of MetroNews.