Now’s the time to call, we’ve got an Anthony Gonzalez autographed Colts football available for the first caller to pledge $25/month this year.

Greg Bires joins us on air to present 25 – $100 gift cards to those who make a $15/month donation. They’ll go fast, so call our ValPak/REACH magazine Phone Bank with your pledge at 1-877-71-PEACE.

Mike Jones, of am/pm, stopped by to chat with Steve Simpson and the crew about their support of our Christmas campaign and a little incentive – 4, $50 BP gas cards for the next 4 callers to make a donation at the ValPak and REACH magazine Phone Bank at 1-877-71-PEACE.

Thanks, Bob. We’ll see you and the family tomorrow night for your annual bellringing night!

And as much as we appreciate the support, this sponsorship comes with some great perks. Each time a WIBC personality mentions the phone number or making a pledge, we’ll encourage listeners to “Call the ValPak and REACH magazine phone bank at 877-71-PEACE”. That’s a lot of mentions throughout 55 hours!

Looking for a great way to promote your business and give back to your community, too? We welcome you to join us as an hourly sponsor. With sponsorships starting as low as $500, we have options for even modest budgets. To learn more, you can call Kristen at 224-1019 or visit our event site at WIBCRadiothon.org.

Not familiar with Radiothon? It’s a 55-hour marathon of giving hosted on WIBC 93.1fm this December 11-13. WIBC’s on-air personalities donate their programming time to invite us in and let our partners and staff and volunteers tell how we’re reaching out to our fellow Hoosiers in need throughout the year.

This event is vital to our fundraising efforts for the entire year. With about 84 cents of every donated dollar going directly to life-changing programs in our communities, these 3 days go a long way! Sponsorship and pledge dollars help us provide shelter for the homeless, refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence, after-school and summer opportunities for metro Indy children, support for families after natural disasters and assistance for families struggling to provide the basics after job loss.

We’d like to thank our 2009 Radiothon Chair, Quinn Buckner and the Indiana Pacers for their help with Radithon this year. And thanks to our sponsors who’ve already joined us - ValPak and REACH magazine for signing on as our phone bank sponsor, Markey’s Audio Visual for providing our big screens, Dunkin’ Donuts, Planned Investments, Klipsch, Royal Spa, EMS, am/pm convenience stores, Windsor Jewelers, Gas America, the Northwest Kiwanis, Dellen Automotive, Applied Intelligence, The Mutual Fund Store, Indy Moms Like Me, Firestone and Walmart.

We’re still looking for businesses to step up and sponsor an hour during this event. Sponsorships start as low as $500 and can be paid into 2009 with advertising or community budgets. We’re also in need of businesses to donate items for prize packages that encourage callers to phone in and pledge their support.

If you’re interested in teaming up with us for this event, please give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

We’re seeing just that scenario right here in our city. The Salvation Army has seen the highest requests for assistance in years – an almost 40% increase over 2007. And as families are struggling to make ends meet, our programs are in even higher demand than just six months ago. This year, we’ve already seen a 15% increase over the record need in 2008 – requests for food, housing and utility assistance. And we’ll surely see the need continue to rise as Indiana unemployment has exceeded 10% and a recent homelessness report shows a 78% increase in homeless families from just a year ago!

Radiothon plays a key role in supporting the life-changing services that our neighbors are counting on. So, as you consider how you can help us this year, I encourage you to get involved with Radiothon. Our 2008 Radiothon partners has made it possible for The Salvation Army to:  

• Provide a safe shelter for over 650 women and children in the first 5 months of this year.
• Support over 200 former shelter residents making a fresh start by continuing case management, child care assistance and financial support, breaking the cycle of abuse and homelessness.
• Serve nearly 7,000 meals to those in need in the month of May, alone.
• Offer no-cost summer camp to over 500 at-risk youth this year.

Please consider how your or your company can partner with us for the event. If you are interested in sponsoring an hour or if you’d like to donate an item(s) for prize packages, please give me a call at 224-1019 or go here. Talk about a return on an investment!

* White House fast tracks stimulus 2/23/09 article msnbc.com

I just want to let you know that your partnership is truly appreciated. We help thousands of people – men, women and children right here in our state – each year because we have amazingly generous partners who know what it means to give.

This is a big year for Radiothon – our 15th year hosting our Marathon of Giving on WIBC! We’re looking forward to working with you. Go here to check out information on how you can sponsor an hour or donate an item(s) to be used in our prize packages.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill