American Red Cross Seeks Donations

KOLN/KGIN'S sister station, WITN, is teaming with Inner Banks Media and the American Red Cross Disaster Services to host a fundraiser to help Hurricane Irene victims in eastern North Carolina.

WITN and WTIB 103.7, WNBU 94.1, Star 94.3 and Thunder Country 96.3 will kick off the fund-raising event at WITN’s Greenville studio on Arlington Boulevard beginning Wednesday morning. Phone lines will be manned from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. with contributions taken over-the-phone at 1-855-619-3785 (toll-free) and 252-222-4387 (local).

“Irene has caused devastation across eastern North Carolina and families are in need,” Chris Mossman, Vice-President and General Manager of WITN said, “We hope that the combined reach of WITN and the Inner Banks Media group of stations will help bring the level of donations needed to allow the Red Cross to get out and provide the assistance needed in eastern North Carolina.”

The telethon will kick off with WITN 7 News at Sunrise in the morning and run throughout the day until 6:30 p.m. WTIB’s Talk of the Town with Henry Hinton will also be broadcasting live from 7-9 a.m. Volunteers will be at each of the four sites accepting donations. The will accept cash, checks and credit card donations along with requested supplies.

A phone bank will be set up at the Arlington Boulevard studio and both television viewers and radio listeners will be able to call in to a telephone bank of volunteers to make donations. The phone lines will be manned by volunteers from the Children’s Miracle Network.

PODS has generously donated storage units at each collection site to accept donations of water and tarps as requested by the Red Cross. Texas Roadhouse on Greenville Blvd. is contributing to the effort by donating 10% of the restaurant’s proceeds on Wednesday.