You can call it what you want. I’ll call it a Christmas Cash for Kids miracle.
For those of you who do not listen to the radio, last week on 930 WFMD we raised more than $134,000 for Christmas Cash for Kids.
In the face of what I am tired of hearing called “the worst recession since the Great Depression,” we raised $11,000 more than we did last year. If that’s not a miracle, it’s close.
First a little background. In 1975, a local disc jockey working at WYZQ received a distressing phone call from one of his listeners. There was a single mother with three children in the Thurmont area who would have no Christmas.
The DJ went to the airwaves and asked his listeners to help. The station raised nearly $1,500, the DJ drove through the snow on Christmas Eve, and found the family’s home, a ramshackle shack, on a dirt road north of Frederick.
He thought that was bad enough, but it turned out that the family didn’t live in the shack. They lived in a shanty behind the shack.
He knocked on the door, a little girl answered, saw him with gifts in his hand and exclaimed “Mommy, you said Santa wouldn’t come this year, but here he is!”
Christmas Cash for Kids was born.
After switching stations due to a radio buyout, it is now a tradition on 930 WFMD where for one week we raise money for children who would have no Christmas without your help.
We are told that Christmas Cash for Kids has evolved into the single largest provider of children’s toys and clothing for needy children in Frederick County.
How do we do it? The Salvation Army manages the money and qualifies the recipients. We have a designated shopper who negotiates discounts with the toy stores so we get the most bang for our buck. And we do not take out any administrative fees or overhead.
That’s right, 100 percent of the money collected goes directly to toys and clothing for children in need.
Starting at 5 a.m. Nov. 30 and continuing until the last donation late Dec. 4, “The Morning Mayor” Bob Miller, Ron Ross, legendary DJ Kemosabe Joe and many helpers bombard the airwaves with stories and pleas for help for the children of Frederick County.
This year I did a remote for three hours every evening, and it got off to quite a memorable start.
At Barley & Hops on Nov. 30, a gentleman drove up and handed me $1. I asked him why he was contributing that amount. He said that since he lost his job, he was only working part-time and didn’t have enough money to pay his bills. But he heard our call that “if everyone in Frederick County would just give a dollar…”
He said it was the right thing to do, and it made him feel better. It felt like it was the best dollar I have ever had in my hand.
In the middle of the week, I did remote broadcasts from Roy Rogers and Frederick Shell, and at every I place had a steady stream of people driving up to drop off what they could.
It ended Dec. 4 at the Hampton Inn & Suites on Taney Avenue with an 11-year-old girl named Claudia handing me $20 of her money. She said while holding her tears back it was important to her because she knew personally what it meant to not have a Christmas, and did not want other children to have to feel that way.
There was not a dry eye in the house.
Jordan Ross counted up all the pledges on Dec. 4, and we were well over last year’s amount. More than $134,000 was pledged.
There is a Santa Claus!
Every year we will strive to do more. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make these dreams come true for more than 2,100 children in Frederick County. Merry Christmas!