WGN Radio Raises Over $131,000 for the Neediest Kids Fund on 720 Day
CHICAGO, August 7, 2007 — WGN Radio has announced its final fundraising totals for their “720 Day” fundraiser held on July 20th that benefited the WGN Radio Neediest Kids Fund, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation. The inaugural, 24-hour fundraiser raised over $131,000, including the 50% match from the McCormick Tribune Foundation.
720 Day featured inspiring stories about local needy kids and educated listeners on how programs supported by the Neediest Kids Fund provide funding to childhood hunger prevention and programs that promote staying in school, mentoring and leadership development, and job preparation and training. The on-air fundraiser kicked of at midnight on July 20th and continued until midnight the next evening.
As a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, every donation to the Neediest Kids Fund is matched at 50 cents on the dollar. Additionally, 100% of every penny raised goes towards kids in need because WGN Radio and the Foundation cover all administrative and fundraising costs. For more information visit wgnradio.com, keyword Neediest Kids.
The Neediest Kids Fund is a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, a 501c(3) organization. Originally conceived as a holiday drive, the Neediest Kids Fund now operates year round benefiting from a variety of events and the generosity of WGN Radio clients and listeners. Since 1992, the Neediest Kids Fund has granted more than $16 million to local non-profits.
The McCormick Tribune Foundation’s communities program is a unique effort that stimulates local philanthropy and improves community life across the country. To encourage donations, the foundation matches all contributions from its general funds at the rate of 50 cents on the dollar, up to pre-determined limits, and then makes grants directly to nonprofits in the communities from which the donations were made. The foundation and its partners cover all campaign administrative costs, so 100 percent of the public’s generosity, plus the match earned, goes directly to agencies providing critical services in each community.