Dumping a huge bucket of water on the radio broadcasting teacher to celebrate Radiothon exceeding its monetary goal was senior Ethan Lee’s favorite memory of 2024’s 12-hour fundraiser.
“We’re trying to use our class and our platform to really spread cancer awareness and raise funds,” said Lee. “I think just bringing the community together, the school together, the class together, is in my opinion, more important than the funds we raise.”
Radiothon is an annual fundraising event hosted by the radio broadcasting class and is scheduled to take place today from noon to midnight. Listeners can tune in to Radiothon on gbnradio.org or through the student-run radio station WGBK 88.5 FM.
Radio broadcasting students host segments which are hour-long shows. The students discuss topics of their choosing, draw raffle prize winners and update listeners regarding the current fundraising total.
“We have a lot of people listening in, so we try to mix it up,” said Lee. “Some people talk about sports. Some people talk about news. Some people play music.”
Segments are typically sponsored by local businesses or individuals. In return for their sponsorships, they receive promotions and shoutouts from student hosts.
All Radiothon shows are hosted and run by student directors, radio broadcasting teacher Sam Alex said.
“They’re running the show, and I’m overseeing, making sure that the [student] coordinators are doing what they’re supposed to do,” Alex said.
Radio broadcasting students plan on donating the money earned from the raffles and sponsorship deals to the Lou and Jean Malnati Cancer Research Foundation. Their goal is to raise $10,000.
“Everyone in the class knows someone who’s been affected by cancer,” said Alex. “So really, it’s close to home for so many, and it’s been just a great partnership with the organization the past couple years.”
According to Lee, supporting a good cause is hard to do by yourself, but rallying the school and radio community together makes reaching the goal of $10,000 very attainable.
“It is very rewarding when midnight rolls around and we see our final donation amount,” Lee said.