Even during a pandemic, the job of saving lives never stops inside our Valley hospitals. That is why every year, two Valley radio stations team up to raise money for an institution that is saving the lives of so many children, every year.
ABC15 news partners KTAR 92.3 FM and Arizona Sports 98.7 FM are launching their week-long give-a-thon to raise money for the Phoenix Children's hospital on Monday. You will hear radio talk show hosts talking about it every hour, and in every segment of their shows. This year has been especially challenging for many organizations to raise money, with the pandemic canceling large fundraising events, and cutting down on the number of donations coming in to serve the community.
At KTAR and Arizona Sports, the give-a-thon will also look a little different this year, due to the pandemic. The event which usually takes place inside Phoenix Children's hospital will now be hosted at the radio stations themselves.
"We've got five days-worth of asking our audience and great listeners. Hey, listen. We got to give to the kids. Just because COVID is here, doesn't mean we're going to take a year off from Phoenix Children's hospital, we got a lot of work to do," said Larry Gaydos, talk show host of the Gaydos and Chad show at KTAR 92.3 FM.
For Gaydos, who has been part of this fundraising event for several years, it has turned into a personal mission.
"It's the hardest two days of the year, and this week there will be five days of it, because when you go into a kid's hospital room, you know they've been poked with needles, they have cancer, they don't have any hair. A few years ago, I held a baby that was six months old and had a new heart. It is just the miracles that happen at Phoenix Children's... it's just really incredible," said Gaydos.
The money will help Phoenix Children's hospital care for the many children who end up there, with life-threatening illnesses.
"I think it costs $2 million a day to run Phoenix Children's," added Gaydos.
Along with the children, Gaydos said it was just as touching to see people from all walks of life digging deep into their pockets to shell out whatever they could, to help children in the community.
"We've had children stop by and empty their piggy banks. Last year there was a Marine who dropped by and gave $20," said Gaydos.
The give-a-thon will take place until Friday, Aug. 21. You can tune into KTAR 92.3 FM or Arizona Sports 98.7 FM if you would like to help, or visit their websites at https://ktar.com/ or https://arizonasports.com/ for more information on how to donate.
