WMNF 88.5 FM is once again putting the "community" into "community radio." Having successfully raised $132,000 in a one-day fundraiser in 2005 for victims of Hurricane Katrina, the station is appealing to its listeners today to make donations to be split evenly among four organizations bringing aid to survivors of the Haiti earthquake: Wyclef Jean’s Yele Haiti, Doctors Without Borders, Partners in Health and Mercy Corps.
The response, as with Katrina, has been very strong, with the rate of donations earlier this morning clocked at $100 a minute. The station is not taking any of the proceeds from the fundraiser; all money goes to the four organizations, all of which have been vetted to make sure that the funds will go to earthquake aid. The goal is at least $100,000 by the end of the emergency fund drive at 4 p.m. this afternoon.
Listeners can give online at wmnf.org, or by calling the station at 813-238-8001.
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2010.