Update: The 30th anniversary of the MIX 101.5 Radiothon for Duke Children's ended the evening of December 11 with the announcement of $627,470.50 raised during the Season of Hope and the two-day broadcast. In its 30 years, Radiothon has raised $21,637,344.48 for Duke Children's. 

The MIX 101.5 annual fundraiser benefitting Duke Children’s is called a Radiothon, but it could just as easily be called a Lovefest. From those behind the scenes who support the two-day fundraiser to the on-air talent whose voices drive the 26-hour program to the patient families who share their stories on air, every person involved simply gushes about how much they love the event.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this December 10-11, Radiothon is Duke Children’s most prominent and lucrative annual fundraiser, and by all accounts, its most heartwarming.

Radiothon is a program of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals). Duke has been a proud member of CMN Hospitals for 40 years, and over $80 million have been raised for clinical care, pediatric research, and provider education through CMN Hospitals partnerships and programs like Radiothon.

Radiothon has raised over $21 million for Duke Children’s areas of highest need in its 30 years, but also importantly, it has been the venue for life-changing relationships that have developed among many of the people involved.

30 YEARS OF RELATIONSHIPS

During the 26 hours on air from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, the broadcasters conduct live patient and family interviews in addition to their requests for donations. All the hosts marvel at the willingness of the families to tell their stories of the most challenging and vulnerable times of their lives.

“One of the best things about this job is being able to meet so many inspiring people,” says Bryan Lord. Lord, one of four Radiothon hosts, along with Sarah King, Kyle 

Smelser, and Jim Kelly, is moved by the families he has met through Radiothon. “These incredible families share their strength and their resilience, and we grow so close to them.” Many families are Radiothon regulars, Lord adds, and so Radiothon is like an annual friend reunion.

One of those old friends is Benjamin Pappas, a Duke Children’s patient and longtime Patient Ambassador. “The relationships my family and I have made through Radiothon are truly remarkable. We have grown so close to Kyle, Bryan, Sarah, Jim, and everyone else at MIX 101.5 because their devotion to the cause is so clear.

“Radiothon is particularly meaningful because it reminds me of the generosity people are eager to show in their everyday lives,” says Pappas, a freshman at Wake Forest University, who will take time from his busy exam schedule to help once again this December. “I can’t imagine a year without this fundraiser. Radiothon reminds me that there are moments every day to make a difference.”

Pappas’s older sister, Colette, is pursuing medicine after being inspired by experiences with her brother. “Over the years, I’ve watched the incredible physicians at Duke Children’s treat my brother with the utmost care and competence. Now as a first-year medical student, I hope to channel those experiences into empathy for both patients and their families. Our experience with Duke Children’s showed me that compassion brings families comfort in a time filled with many unknowns.”

Another integral member of the Radiothon family is Nick Lind, who in Lord’s words is the “flame” that started the whole Radiothon. Lind is the son of the late Bob Lind, who conceived of Radiothon and pioneered the first one in Baltimore, where he was manager at a local station. When he moved to Raleigh to become the manager at MIX 101.5, he brought Radiothon with him.

Lind was born with spina bifida, a condition that occurs when the spine and spinal cord do not form properly during fetal development. When his family moved to the Triangle, their first mission was to find the right hospital for Lind, then 13. Duke Children’s was their clear choice.

“I knew that I was going to have great care from the second I rolled through the door,” says Lind. He is part of the first generation of kids with spina bifida to survive to adulthood, and so there are no adult specialists. Because of this, Lind has remained a patient at Duke Children’s. He has had the same care team over these 30 years except for one doctor who has retired and has developed deep friendships with the whole staff. He considers the kids he meets in clinic his younger siblings.

The station put Lind on the air to tell his story at age 13, and he has been involved ever since. It is meaningful to him that funds raised over the years have contributed to things like spina bifida research. “I tell people I live for the Radiothon, but I am also living because of it.”

A HISTORY OF GENEROSITY

Karen McClure, former director of special programs at Duke Children’s who helped launch Radiothon, reflects on the early days as a great collaboration with Capitol Broadcasting, MIX 101.5’s parent company.

She recalls goal-setting with the MIX team before the first broadcast. “None of us knew where to start and we ended up saying ‘maybe $25,000,’ but we weren’t confident. And when that first check was unfurled, it showed $125,000. Thinking of the generosity of our Raleigh-Durham Market just overwhelmed us.”

While fundraising is a critical component of Radiothon, broadening Duke Children’s exposure and reach is also important. “I know we’ve done that well,” says McClure. “We wouldn’t have had the success in fundraising that we’ve had if we hadn’t been good at telling our story.”

MIX Mornings host Sarah King also treasures her role with Radiothon. “Once you talk to anyone who has been 

through Duke Children’s, you realize how important this hospital is to not only our community, but to the world-wide community. To help keep a hospital like Duke Children’s thriving and available to all that need it is one of the most important things I’ve ever done.”

In addition to having patients and families on the broadcast to share their experiences, Jim Kelly, MIX 101.5’s music director who shares host duties, brings a personal story to the program.

He describes 20 years ago when he and his wife, who was experiencing premature labor with twins, showed up at Duke Children’s, and the peace that came over them when they realized they were in the right hands.

“You would think now that it’s been 20 years, I could talk about it on the radio without getting emotional, but as soon as I start telling our story, it’s like it happened yesterday,” Kelly says. “The Radiothon is the most fulfilling part of the job I do, and if Duke calls me and says they need me to do this or that, I’m like sure, just tell me where I need to be and what time I need to be there.

A LABOR OF LOVE

You would be right if you imagine that untold hours go into planning this celebration of hope and healing.

The organizers are never out of the Radiothon planning loop, according to Emily Mitch Ward, director of partnerships and cause marketing for Duke Children’s. But the intense planning starts about six months in advance in June.

“Radiothon is one of my favorite projects to work on,” she says. “I’ve been able to develop a great relationship with the talent and staff at MIX. They’re a fantastic crew, and they care so deeply.”

During the months leading up to Radiothon, patient families are recruited to tell their stories, and local businesses pledge their support for matching hours during the broadcast. Volunteers are engaged to staff the phone bank. Special Radiothon pop-ups, like merchandise tables and stuffed animal deliveries to the inpatient children, appear at the hospital. All to create 26 hours of celebration and hope to inspire the community to support Duke Children’s.

“This is our signature event of the year, and every time we finish the Radiothon, we feel so proud of what’s been accomplished,” adds MIX Mornings host Kyle Smelser. “We love the relationships we’ve cultivated with the Radiothon families, the patients, and the amazing staff at the hospital. We are so grateful to play a small role in the miracles that are created at that wonderful hospital every single day.”

“All you need to do is have one conversation with a child or their parents to quickly understand that it’s worth every second of time you put into it to help raise funds for Duke Children’s,” says Chris Edge, MIX 101.5 brand manager. “We play a small part in the journey, and everyone on staff is motivated to do what it takes to help raise money and fund the great work that Duke Children’s does each and every day.

“Duke Children’s Radiothon has become something we are, not something we do,” says Edge. “It’s a part of MIX 101.5 and will continue to be for decades to come.”