September 9, 2008/- Nearly 200 donors participated in the Third Annual Kingston Cares Radiothon to benefit the university hospitals of Kingston September 4th and 5th on K-ROCK 105.7, KIX 93.5 and 102.7 The Lake. The Radiothon, supported by the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, the fundraising arm of Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston General Hospital and Providence Care, announced more than $65,000 in gifts and pledges.

“We can’t thank the people who listen to K-Rock, Kix and The Lake enough for their participation,” said Denise Cumming, Executive Director of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation. “The campaign we’re running now is called Together We Can, and that’s exactly what took place at Radiothon. Nearly 200 people came together to help our hospitals. We’re very grateful for their support.”

The Radiothon was held in the lobby of Hotel Dieu Hospital, with events at KGH and Providence Care’s St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital site. Sponsors included StarTek, which provided volunteers to answer phones, and Bell Mobility, which provided phone service.

This year, the Radiothon profiled children and youth programs at our hospitals. The money raised will be used to support all three hospitals where it is needed the most and will be counted as part of the Together We Can fundraising campaign. The total dollars raised during Radiothon will likely increase as gifts continue to trickle in to the Foundation office.

A number of special cheque presentations were made during the two day event. Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises presented a cheque for $8,280, while the Kids for Kids hockey tournament pledged $25,000 and Progress Fitness & Friends raised $1,157.

StarTek Volunteers answering phones at Hotel Dieu Hospital