Radiothon

The second annual GX94 and FOX FM Airwaves for Health radiothon was a huge success raising $52,877. The annual 36-hour radiothon was held April 21 and 22, with both radio stations broadcasting live from the Parkland Mall. All proceeds from the radiothon will go toward the purchase of cardiac equipment, including an echocardiogram machine, for the Regional Health Centre in Yorkton.

GX94 and FOX FM Radio host the 36 hour radiothon at no charge to The Health Foundation, absorbing all of the on-air and promotional costs so that 100% of all donations made to the Airwaves for Health Radiothon can go directly to buying the medical equipment. To aid in that, Parkland Mall provides space at no charge and SaskTel provides phone lines at no charge.

Yorkton Kinsmen present $2000 at the Radiothon, photo at right.

"In just two years this event has become very important to The Health Foundation" said Evan Ortynsky, Co-chair of The Health Foundation. "Not only does the radiothon raise a significant amount of money for medical equipment, it reaches a huge amount of people creating tremendous public awareness regarding the equipment The Health Foundation is raising money for and why we need that equipment in our region."

"But aside from the fundraising side of the radiothon we find that the public wants the information from the interviews with doctors and nurses. The information about medical conditions, explaining those medical conditions and how those conditions can best be diagnosed is information people are really interested in hearing. I cannot express strongly enough our appreciation to Lyle Walsh and his staff at GX94 and FOX FM for hosting the Airwaves for Health radiothon and for the tremendous job they do with it," continued Mr. Ortynsky.

"We are very pleased to host the annual Airwaves for Health radiothon, and we are very pleased with the strong response from our listeners to the appeal for donations for this vital equipment" said Lyle Walsh, General Manager of the radio stations.

Mike Stackhouse and Mark Nichols of the FOX FM morning show at the radiothon. Verne Brown and Dave Blommaert of the Lions answer the phones in the background, photo at left.

"I think the key to the success of the radiothon is that both last year with the digital mammography equipment and this year with the heart monitoring and diagnostic equipment, it is very clear that the equipment we are raising funds for will make an obvious improvement to our local healthcare, said Mr. Walsh. People will be generous if they can see there will be a clear benefit. This equipment will save lives; that’s something we can all understand, and something we can all support," he continued.

"We will continue to work with The Health Foundation and hold an annual radiothon as long as the equipment we raise funds for will make an appreciable difference to our local healthcare," said Mr. Walsh.

"This heart equipment we are raising funds for this year will allow our doctors to do tests they presently can’t do in the Yorkton Regional Health Centre. They need to be able to do those tests; being able to do those tests could make a life or death difference to many people," continued Mr. Walsh.

Wade Cunningham, President, and Barb Cyr of the Yorkton Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion present a cheque for $5,000 to Ross Fisher at the Radiothon, photo below right.

"We can’t say enough about the tremendous job that Lyle and all the staff at GX94 and FOX FM have done. The radiothon has created tremendous awareness regarding why we need to bring this cardiac equipment to our regional hospital," said Ross Fisher, Executive Director of The Health Foundation. "The energy and enthusiasm of the on-air radio people clearly reached the public: 351 donations were made during the 36 hours of the radiothon – a very strong response."

"An important element of the radiothon is that it reaches all of the communities and towns that use the regional health centre in Yorkton, and because of that the radiothon becomes a truly regional fundraising event, with people and businesses from all over east central Saskatchewan and western Manitoba making contributions," said Mr. Fisher.

"I have to say Thank You to the on-air people; you truly did a marvelous job", said Mr. Fisher. "In addition to interviews with medical staff regarding cardiovascular disease and how this equipment would improve diagnosis, there were many interviews with heart attack or stroke survivors and donors. The on-air people handled those interviews so very well, they put people at ease and made them comfortable and they were great at helping them to get their message across to the listeners."

The success of this radiothon gives the campaign raising funds to purchase the cardiac care equipment we need in the regional hospital and big boost of momentum. With the $52,877 raised during the radiothon, it now stands at just over $200,000 over the $435,000 needed. "All of a sudden we can see that this campaign can succeed."

"It was Mr. Walsh’s idea to hold the first radiothon; he had the vision to see that a radiothon could reach people and that they would respond", said Mr. Fisher, "and he was right. We are very pleased with the leadership Lyle showed by initiating the annual radiothon, and we couldn’t be happier with how well it has gone."

Click on any of the pictures of last year's event below to see the larger version.