The 62nd annual WHAS Crusade for Children brought in $5.6 million for special needs children throughout Kentucky and Indiana. More than half of the funds are raised through firefighter roadblocks, a tradition started in the 1950s. To date, more than $165 million has been raised to buy equipment and to fund programs to assist special needs children. The weekend radio/TV broadcast is hosted by iHeartMedia's WHAS Radio and Gannett's WHAS-11 television, Crusade partners since the fundraiser's launch in 1954. The Crusade for Children thrives on family support. It is an honor to work with my son Max, a director at WHAS-11, on every Crusade. This telethon improves lives and that is a joyous experience best shared with family.
Tag: philanthropy
Jennifer Lawrence & The Lawrence family: a solid bond
Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, a Louisville native who is Hollywood's top box office draw, was home for the Christmas holidays. She visited Kosair Children's Hospital, lent a hand at Wayside Christian Mission, and cheered for her UofL Cardinals at the KFC Yum Center. Oddly enough, I wound up delivering several outfits to the movie star at the arena when she arrived with her family. The Lawrence family is adored locally for operating Camp Hi Ho, a summer day camp for kids. Jennifer's mom and dad got a big kick out of watching me pretend to be fashion judge as the star decided on which Louisville garb to wear to the arena. MORE PHOTOS HERE EN ESPANOL
Ice, ice, baby
The summer of 2014 Ice Bucket Challenges raised lots of money for ALS research, despite reports illustrating that billions more dollars are needed and that only 27% of incoming ALS-targeted gifts are actually spent on research. Many prominent people took the pain and made donations. Critics claim many are doing it simply for platitudes on social media. Viewers were both pained and flummoxed that so many show business people don't understand that vertical video is amateurish production. The water splashing phenomenon actually grew out of a fundraising campaign by firefighters, including exponential growth among WHAS Crusade for Children participants. Here are city of Louisville firefighters dousing me for a $100 Crusade "Cold Water Challenge" during May 2014. Brrrr. I'm still
2014 Crusade for Children funds distributed
100% of the $5.6 million raised for the WHAS Crusade for Children is being distributed to local agencies, hospitals, and schools. Thank you, Kentuckiana. Here's the distribution list: Adair County Board of Education $30,000.00 American Printing House for the Blind, Inc. $10,000.00 Americana Community Center, Inc. $8,500.00 Anchorage Independent District $26,880.00 Appalachian Regional Healthcare, Inc. $16,000.00 Archdiocese of Louisville $48,000.00 ARHHC $7,000.00 Asbury University/Learning Library $11,629.55 Asbury University/Scholarships $22,500.00 Baptist Health Foundation Greater Louisville, Inc. $85,000.00 Bardstown Independent Schools $33,000.00 Barren Heights Christian Retreat Center $4,000.00 Bellarmine University/Assessment Clinic $9,500.00 Bellarmine University/Scholarships $10,000.00 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana, Inc. $7,000.00 Bingham Child Guidance Clinic, Inc. $60,305.00 Bluegrass Center for Autism $25,000.00 Boys & Girls Club, Inc. $40,000.00 Boys & Girls Haven/Equine Program $22,600.00 Boys & Girls Haven/Medical Care Team $45,000.00 Boys & Girls Haven/Therapeutic Residential Program $30,000.00 Breckinridge County Board