Change Heroes Needed for WMAS Radiothon for Baystate Children’s Hospital

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 17th annual 94.7 WMAS Radiothon, which will be broadcast live from Baystate Medical Center on March 6-7.

Change Heroes — whether an individual, family, school, business, or community group — 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.helpmakemiracles.org/event/wmas. 

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 school in Western Mass. will win $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 Thursday, March 30 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, which raised $3,011. In addition, the other top two fund-raising schools were M. Markus Kiley Middle School in Springfield ($2,215) and Abner Gibbs Elementary School in Westfield ($449).

Dollars raised through the Change Heroes program set the pace for fund-raising during the actual 94.7 WMAS Radiothon on March 6-7. WMAS has been a longtime 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 Heroes program sponsor is Pioneer Valley Credit Union.