Detroit's Country (WYCD-Radio) hosted the 3rd Annual "Country Cares for St. Jude Kids" radiothon on February 12th and 13th and raised $502,385 at Oakland Mall in Troy.

It all started at 5am on Tuesday and by the end of the night the total was only $200,000. On the second day the total was $450,000 at the schedule time to end at 7pm. Then, WYCD got permission to continue until 7:15 then 7:30 and finally until 8:00pm. At 7pm, Detroit's Country needed 52 more partner's in hope to make $500,000. By 8pm, it was done to the wire when the final total reached $502,385.

During the radiothon, there was special incentives for people who donated. Some of the examples include autographed guitars and the dress worn by Faith Hill in "The Way You Love Me" music video. Towards the end of the radiothon, several people and businesses matched donations for a period of time.

There was also some celebrity interviews during the radiothon. Most importantly, Randy Owen of Alabama called in on Wednesday. He was expected to call at 8pm and he was right on the button. Other country stars including Lonestar called in during the radiothon to convince listeners to donate.

Over the past few years, the radiothon has been taking a tour of the malls. In 2000, the radiothon took place at the Summer Place Mall in Waterford. Last year, it happened at Southland Mall in Taylor. This year, the radiothon took place at Oakland Mall in Troy.

This is the 3rd consecutive year for WYCD to host the radiothon. We cannot forget the former host of the radiothon, a station that did it for over 15 years, W4 Country.

There was two ways for people to donate money during the St. Jude Radiothon. One way toÝdonate is by becoming a "Partner in Hope." This meant that you would donate on a monthly basis. TheÝminimum was twenty-five dollars ($25) perÝmonth. The other wayÝto donate is a one-time donation. Basically, that meant one donation and that's it. You couldÝhave either written a check or used your credit card on oneÝtime donations.

She explains about the goal for this year, "We had no actual "Dollar amount" as a goal, we
just hoped our listeners would respond and do whatever they could to help
again this year!!"

I asked Linda Lee if Sept. 11th was a factor in the donations and she responds, "I'm sure had an effect on most all fundraising efforts, as most Americans are a little frightened about our economy and all the talk of a recession. Maybe our fear of a recession made people a little more cautious about giving more that they may be able to in a monthly donation."

I wanted to know WYCD's goal for next year's radiothon. Linda Lee answers, "Next year's goal will be the same as this year. We hope that our big hearted listeners, will again, give whatever they are comfortably able to give. That is truly all we expect."

I asked how she feels in taking part in the radiothon. Linda Lee explains, "The St. Jude radiothon is the MOST fulfilling part of my job. Being in a position to help make a difference in a child's life is more rewarding than fame or fortune. I am truly blessed to be able to help."

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