Broadcasters do a lot of good in the community. And today it’s in the spotlight.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the National Association of Broadcasters’ Service to America Awards, NAB is encouraging TV stations to spend some time on June 12 highlighting the public service done by local broadcasters.
At WKYC, our staff regularly takes the lead in organizing food and donation drives, informational phone banks and other community efforts. Last year, just days after Hurricane Harvey hit the southern states, the station organized a 24-hour digital telethon which raised $121,258 for Red Cross relief efforts
Viewers need only turn on their TV sets this Saturday morning to catch a glimpse of our employees volunteering their time to support good causes across Northeast Ohio.
Meteorologist Hollie Strano will be broadcasting live from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where she’ll co-chair the Sherwin-Williams Women’s Club’s fundraising race and walk, “Running With a Mission.” The event raises money for Laura’s Home, a residence for homeless women and their families operated by the City Mission.
Also Saturday morning, Sara Shookman will be at Firestone Stadium in Akron emceeing the Autism 5k Run & Walk for an organization that’s close to her heart, the Austism Society of Greater Cleveland.
Next week, on June 22, WKYC will go all out to support the annual Fiesta of Hope luncheon, which is the biggest fundraiser of the year for Esperanza Inc. Russ Mitchell will emcee the luncheon, as he has for the past seven years, and more than 100 scholarships will be awarded to local Hispanic students, including one scholarship funded by WKYC. "We are grateful for Russ Mitchell's and WKYC's continued support of Fiesta of Hope. Their involvement plays a tremendous role in raising visibility not only of the event itself but of the importance of supporting our students as they work toward their degrees," said Esperanza Executive Director Victor Ruiz.
For the past three years, WKYC also has been doing deep-dive work to promote literacy in low-income Cleveland neighborhoods, and the results are starting to show. We’re very proud that our “Slavic Village Reads” partnership with Third Federal has helped to produce improved literacy scores at schools in that neighborhood.
Also, our We the People community engagement show, which airs at noon on Fridays, is a weekly force for good. Host Tiffany Tarpley regularly suggests ways that viewers can support local charities, and showcases a Volunteer Opportunity of the Week.
It’s all for the greater good! Watch for our staffers on social media today, they’ll be using the hashtag #BroadcastGood to highlight their community outreach efforts.
