Kylie Link of Joliet Helps Raise More Than $4,200 for Advocate Children's Hospitals Through Radio Marathon

2012 Dec 14

Kylie Link of Joliet, Ill. and other student DJs of Lewis University's WLRA-FM raised over $4,200 this Fall 2012 semester in support of The Lewis University Family Assistance Fund at Advocate Children's Hospitals in Oak Lawn, Ill. and Park Ridge, Ill. The money was raised through the radio's annual "To Kill a DJ" marathon.

WLRA's "To Kill a DJ" is an annual service-learning project for Lewis students that have WLRA Radio as a lab. Students raise money through continuous on-air marathons with pledged support from listeners.

Some notable student efforts were:

• Esmeralda Cordova of Joliet raised $843 and stayed on the air for 48 hours.

• Jessica Resendiz of Plainfield stayed on the air for 48 hours.

• Noelle Trainor of Orland Park and Kylie Link of Joliet stayed on the air for 41 hours.

• Jessica Tennant of Algonquin and Jaime Drez of Lemont stayed on air for 24 hours.

Other students that participated were Maya Horton of Lombard, Katie Colaianni of Lemont, Melissa Pignatello of Orland Park, Alex Poole of Milwaukee, Wis., Olivia Estrada of Chicago, Joe Segvich of Chicago, T'rell Campbell of Bolingbrook, Krystal Moran of Burbank, Michael Bannon of Joliet, Jonathan Friberg of Justice, Bridget Folliard of Chicago, Brittany Miller of Chicago and Veronica Mathy of Wilmington.

Student staff for the marathon include: Shelby Ray of Fruitport Mich., Joseph Preston of Chicago, Leo Draws of Joliet, Marc Denson of Bridgeview and JoEllen Steinberg of Crest Hill.

The Lewis University Family Assistance Fund is used to assist families of hospitalized children in their greatest time of need. In the past, funds have been used to pay for cab rides to and from the hospital for children to have chemotherapy, outpatient services, medicine, clothes when being discharged, hotel rooms for families, bus passes, airline flights to the hospital and much more.

In the spring, WLRA will present another marathon broadcast and the College of Nursing will coordinate a "Change for Children" campaign- all in support of The Lewis University Family Assistance Fund at Children's Hospital.

A favorite among radio listeners, WLRA has been on the air for 39 years. WLRA's programming includes news and sports coverage, coverage of Lewis University events and a wide variety of music. Students and faculty involved with WLRA are committed to community service and have produced several marathon broadcasts to benefit United Way of Will County, local children's hospital and many others.

Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,500 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.