CLEVELAND – University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and WMVX 106.5 FM are teaming up this week to hold the fifth annual Mix 106.5 Brian & Joe Rainbow Radiothon. The Radiothon, presented this year by Foresters and Giant Eagle, will run from Wednesday, September 12th through Friday, September 14th. Live broadcasting will occur from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
During the course of the three days, many local patients and families will be sharing their heartfelt stories of experiences at Rainbow with the Cleveland community, local celebrities will be stopping by, and the hospital will be buzzing with activities as the radio station broadcasts live on-site.
Hosts of “The Brian & Joe Radio Show” on Mix 106.5, Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer, will lead the three days of festivities.
“The Cleveland community is so blessed to have a nationally renowned pediatric medical center in our backyard,” said Fowler. “To Joe and me, and to the station, there is no better cause than the care of children.”
“This year’s Radiothon is really a community effort,” said Avroy Fanaroff, M.D., chairman of pediatrics at Rainbow. “We are so grateful for the support of so many local businesses and organizations, and we are very proud to use this support to care for our community’s most precious population – our children.”
“We have all experienced or know someone who has experienced that frantic, helpless feeling when your child is hurting and you don’t know how to help them,” said Cronauer. “Fortunately, Rainbow is here to help, and we hope that during these Radiothon days and throughout the year we can give back to them a little of what they bring to our families every day.”
Several different families will be on the air over the course of the three days, sharing their experiences at Rainbow. Families will be coming from all over northeast Ohio to participate.
“We hope that by sharing our story, families will know how lucky we are to have this great care for our children,” said Carol Byrge, a Cleveland mom whose daughter, Treasure, is a brain cancer survivor and patient at Rainbow. “The doctors and nurses at Rainbow saved my daughter’s life, and I just couldn’t imagine what would’ve happened without them. We are so lucky to have Rainbow right here in our backyard.”
In 2006, The Mix 106.5 Brian & Joe Rainbow Radiothon raised $450,000 for the hospital, and the goal is to beat that amount this year. In total for the previous four years of the fundraiser, the Radiothon has raised over $1.2 million for Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. The dollars raised from Radiothon support the programs and services available to every child cared for at Rainbow.
Major Sponsors for the 2006 Radiothon include: Foresters, Giant Eagle, Pulte Homes and Mazda of Bedford.