We felt the momentum of the Know the Gold Radiothon early in the day; the snowball effect was starting, and we were excited to watch it grow. The radiothon took place on January 25, 2019, at Scheels from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. With every NNCCF family that stopped by and shared their story, there was a direct effect on the amount of people calling the phone banks, stopping by or going online to donate.
An additional element to the campaign was the gift match challenge by the William N. Pennington Foundation. The foundation agreed to match all donations up to the Know the Gold Campaign goal of $300,000. Our mission was to raise $50,000 the day of the radiothon to meet the goal, but we could have never planned or imagined what actually happened. Just shy of 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the William N. Pennington Foundation challenged us to raise an extra $50,000 as a handful of donations put us over the original Know the Gold Campaign goal.
The announcement heightened the energy of the radiothon and everyone participating in Scheels. The talent on the radio stations compelled listeners to help us reach the new goal. Friends, family members and event attendees called and texted their contacts to encourage donations. Even an NNCCF child came in with her piggy bank to support other kids like her. In the last hour of the radiothon, our community raised more than $32,000.
Thank you to all of the individual donors, community partners and supporters during the radiothon and throughout our Know the Gold Campaign. Due to your support, we exceeded our campaign goal with a total of…
The Know the Gold Campaign is a community-driven fundraising effort to support local children diagnosed with cancer. Individuals, businesses, schools, churches and groups become our community partners and dedicate their time throughout the year to fundraise for NNCCF. Every charity golf tournament, lemonade stand, Facebook fundraiser and office swear jar helps NNCCF support northern Nevada families affected by a childhood cancer diagnosis.
Many community partners raise funds specifically during the Know the Gold Campaign because of its unique gift match element. The William N. Pennington Foundation has supported local families through childhood cancer by matching the funds raised through our annual Know the Gold Campaign since 2016.
The funds raised and matched during the campaign help alleviate the emotional and financial burden that a childhood cancer diagnosis can place on a local family. In 2018, 61 percent of the support NNCCF provided to local families helped with medical and travel costs such as uncovered medical procedures, emergency room visits, travel costs and lodging when away from the home due to treatment. The other 39 percent assisted families with emotional support, loss of income experienced from taking time off work to be by their child’s bedside, educational expenses, family care packages and bereavement costs.
We are grateful for the generosity of the William N. Pennington Foundation and for their ability to inspire more giving in our community. Thank you for giving our foundation the opportunity to care for northern Nevada families in ways we only dreamed possible. Thank you to all of the community partners that support us each year when we kick off the Know the Gold Campaign in September. Community Partner fundraising efforts are a testament to the caring nature of our community.
Thank you to our Know the Gold Radiothon sponsors: Cumulus Media; its talented radio personalities and stations KBUL 98.1, KKOH 780 AM, KNEV 99.5 and KWYL 102, Bonanno Concrete and MDB Trucking, Panattoni Development, Alston Construction, Granite Construction, Sierra Nevada Construction, Tectonics Design Group, Desert Fire Protection, The Medical Profession, Scheels, Conway Communications, Victory Woodworks, Vasko Electric and RHP Medical Systems.