52nd Ernie Blankenship Radio-Telethon tops $165K in support of HCSCA
The 52nd annual Ernie Blankenship Memorial Radio-Telethon March 27, 2024 brought in more than $165,000 in pledges as the Rotary Clubs of Greenfield and Hillsboro put on events to entertain, educate and raise money for the Highland County Society for Children and Adults.
The events took place from 7-9 p.m. in the two communities, emanating from the GCTV Studios at McClain High School in Greenfield and the Hillsboro Orpheum. Viewers watched on local Spectrum TV channels or via streaming over the Internet, with periodic updates given by WVNU 97.5 FM and WSRW Radio 1590 AM.
The Hillsboro telethon event was live-streamed on the Society’s website, hicoso.org and remains available for viewing.
At the end of the evening, $165,161 had been pledged, according to telethon chairman Rocky Coss, with additional pledges and donations anticipated. A total of $2,125 was raised at the Greenfield site.
The First State Bank served as host for the event this year, helping to plan the activities, coordinating publicity, contacting donors for the auction items and seeing to it that plenty of food and refreshments were on hand for the evening. Greenfield Rotary President Dana Daugherty helped to coordinate the Greenfield event with assistance from several local Rotary members.
Entertainment was provided by dancers from the Modern Movement Dance Company. Various Rotarians served as emcees or answered phones throughout the evening.
The Hillsboro event was similar to past years with many in-person donations presented and various items being auctioned, including sports memorabilia, tickets to events and travel opportunities. Rick Williams and Herb Day served as moderators for the evening at the Hillsboro Orpheum, with assistance from Rocky Coss and Doug Karnes.
The telethon poster child, Zaphod Cooper of Leesburg, was able to attend the Hillsboro telethonalong with his mother, Dominique Page, and her boyfriend, Wyatt Durbin. The poster adult, Darlene Robinson of Hillsboro, was unable to be present due to her ongoing cancer treatments, but her son and her sister both attended on her behalf.
As he has done many times in the past, Rotarian Rocky Coss was instrumental in the planning of the event, conducting numerous meetings with committee members and Rotary club representatives.
The Greenfield club expressed thanks to the McClain High School for allowing use of the facilities, to Drew Hamilton and his staff for broadcasting the event, to Pat Hays and Nelson Hunter of WVNU for providing updates on the radio, and to everyone who contributed pizza, cold cuts, cookies and soft drinks for the telethon. Also a big thank you to the Modern Movement Dance Company for providing the excellent entertainment.
The Rotary clubs and the Society for Children and Adults are grateful to the many donors who helped make the evening a success. Donations can be dropped off at any bank in Highland County. There is also a “Donate Online” button at the society’s website, www.hicoso.org where donations can be made at any time.
The 52nd annual Ernie Blankenship Memorial Radio-Telethon March 27, 2024 brought in more than $165,000 in pledges as the Rotary Clubs of Greenfield and Hillsboro put on events to entertain, educate and raise money for the Highland County Society for Children and Adults.
The events took place from 7-9 p.m. in the two communities, emanating from the GCTV Studios at McClain High School in Greenfield and the Hillsboro Orpheum. Viewers watched on local Spectrum TV channels or via streaming over the Internet, with periodic updates given by WVNU 97.5 FM and WSRW Radio 1590 AM.
The Hillsboro telethon event was live-streamed on the Society’s website, hicoso.org and remains available for viewing.
At the end of the evening, $165,161 had been pledged, according to telethon chairman Rocky Coss, with additional pledges and donations anticipated. A total of $2,125 was raised at the Greenfield site.
The First State Bank served as host for the event this year, helping to plan the activities, coordinating publicity, contacting donors for the auction items and seeing to it that plenty of food and refreshments were on hand for the evening. Greenfield Rotary President Dana Daugherty helped to coordinate the Greenfield event with assistance from several local Rotary members.
Entertainment was provided by dancers from the Modern Movement Dance Company. Various Rotarians served as emcees or answered phones throughout the evening.
The Hillsboro event was similar to past years with many in-person donations presented and various items being auctioned, including sports memorabilia, tickets to events and travel opportunities. Rick Williams and Herb Day served as moderators for the evening at the Hillsboro Orpheum, with assistance from Rocky Coss and Doug Karnes.
The telethon poster child, Zaphod Cooper of Leesburg, was able to attend the Hillsboro telethonalong with his mother, Dominique Page, and her boyfriend, Wyatt Durbin. The poster adult, Darlene Robinson of Hillsboro, was unable to be present due to her ongoing cancer treatments, but her son and her sister both attended on her behalf.
As he has done many times in the past, Rotarian Rocky Coss was instrumental in the planning of the event, conducting numerous meetings with committee members and Rotary club representatives.
The Greenfield club expressed thanks to the McClain High School for allowing use of the facilities, to Drew Hamilton and his staff for broadcasting the event, to Pat Hays and Nelson Hunter of WVNU for providing updates on the radio, and to everyone who contributed pizza, cold cuts, cookies and soft drinks for the telethon. Also a big thank you to the Modern Movement Dance Company for providing the excellent entertainment.
The Rotary clubs and the Society for Children and Adults are grateful to the many donors who helped make the evening a success. Donations can be dropped off at any bank in Highland County. There is also a “Donate Online” button at the society’s website, www.hicoso.org where donations can be made at any time.