Change Heroes Needed for 16th Annual 94.7 WMAS Radiothon

SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Children’s Hospital and 94.7 WMAS are looking for Change Heroes to help kick off fund-raising efforts in advance of this year’s 16th annual 94.7 WMAS Radiothon, which will be broadcast live from the Children’s Hospital Play Deck on March 7-8.

Change Heroes — whether an individual, family, school, business, or community group — can help celebrate the Radiothon’s 16 years of making miracles happen for kids at Baystate Children’s Hospital. Change Heroes can make a difference through raising funds in two ways: collecting spare coins and dollar bills or checks from others to be placed in their official Change Hero bank, or creating an online virtual bank and soliciting credit-card donations through a personal or team fund-raising page. Registration details are available at www.baystatehealth.org/radiothon.

Individual Change Heroes who raise $100 will have their name placed into a drawing to win a prize. In addition, Pioneer Valley Credit Union (PVCU) is again hosting the Change Hero School Challenge, where the top-fund-raising Western Mass. school winning $1,000 from PVCU and a special celebration with the 94.7 WMAS Kellogg Krew. To qualify, individual and school Change Heroes must have all online fund-raising received by Friday, March 31, and also submit any collected offline funds (if applicable) by March 31 to the Change Heroes Program, Baystate Health Foundation, 280 Chestnut St., Springfield, MA 01199. Last year’s winner was St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Springfield after raising $3,740.

Dollars raised through the Change Heroes program set the pace for fund-raising during the actual 94.7 WMAS Radiothon on March 7-8. WMAS has been a long-time supporter of Baystate Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

“Our community is so privileged to have Baystate Children’s Hospital right in our backyard, where over 40,000 pediatric patients are cared for each year,” said Craig Swimm, general manager, WMAS Radio. “Our own employees’ families have benefited from the expert care provided at Baystate Children’s Hospital, and your support through the Radiothon will help ensure that the thousands of children and their families treated there will receive the best pediatric care in Western Massachusetts.

The presenting sponsor for this year’s Radiothon is Health New England. The Change Hero program sponsor is Pioneer Valley Credit Union. For more information on the Radiothon, visit www.baystatehealth.org/radiothon or call (413) 794-1486.