K105 raises $101,000 for hospital

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WLFI) - All it takes is a phone call and a few bucks and you can help save thousands of childrens' lives.

Wednesday and Thursday, Lafayette's very own Shamus and Annie from K105 hosted WKOA's 7th annual radiothon to raise money for some of the sickest children at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

"Fifteen dollars a day," K105's morning show host, Shamus said. "That's 50 cents a day and all of the money goes towards Riley hospital. The families here appreciate it so much. It might not sound like much, it's only 15 dollars but when you have hundreds and hundreds of people to do that, it makes a big difference and it fills in the gaps."

Riley Hospital for Children is home to nearly 240,000 of the sickest children every year. Ten thousand of those childrens are from families in the Greater Lafayette area.

"AJ who we first met here 4 years ago and he had leukemia he couldn't be here today because he's out living his life," Shamus said. "And then we have stories like Jackson who was actually buried yesterday. He had leukemia and was only three years old. He was a huge story for us."

"Hearing the people's stories is really touching. We've had people that have been touched by Riley whether they've had a kid there," volunteer Ashley Kohut said.

"It's just tremendous," Annie James, music director at K105 said. "Even as a parent myself with a kid that was here, I still had no idea the outreach of this place."

Last year K105 listeners donated nearly $83,000 to Riley Hospital for Children. And this year, K105 listeners donated more than $101,000.

"We always try to increase every single year. Last year we had about $83,000," Shamus said. "It's tough times but our listeners always come through."

At Riley Hospital Children, they have a saying. "Hope Happens Here," and although the phone lines are down for this year's radiothon, you can still be a part of making miracles happen by clicking here .