Radiothon to Help Thousands

Radiothon to Help Thousands
27 NOV | 2018

A marathon 55 hour radio effort is once again aiming to help thousands of children who would otherwise miss out at Christmas.

Three DJ’s from Auckland’s only Hindi FM Radio Station, Humm 106.2FM, are teaming up with the city’s Indian community and The Salvation Army for a huge effort to help children who face a Christmas without presents.

For the fourth year, hosts Vijay, Dev and Sandy will be on air for 55 hours non-stop from 6am Thursday 6 December to 1pm Saturday 7 December collecting toys, which are distributed to struggling families by The Salvation Army’s Royal Oak social service centre.

Station director Roshila Prasad says the radiothon is Humm FM’s way to help listeners join in the Christmas spirit of giving. Listeners have been quick to support, with the number of donations growing every year. More than 4000 brand new toys were given last year, she says.

“I think giving is part of being human. No one wants to see others miss out at Christmas and we’re very proud of the community, they are so generous.”

The radiothon is also a way to bring the community together as businesses, families and individuals bring gifts to the station at 16 Taylors Road, Morningside and even join in on air if they wish, Mrs Prasad says.

“We have people donating all the time. We have a lot of parents who come and do this with their children, because they want to teach them to be generous, to be thankful for what you have, and share with those less fortunate.”

Salvation Army Royal Oak director Rod Ellis says the centre gives away close to 2000 toy hampers to families and other social agencies at Christmas.

Sharing the gifts is an emotional time, he says, as families receive the joy of a Christmas they thought might not come and the hope that others are supporting them at a difficult time.

“Sometimes people break down in tears. Most of them give you a hug. We do what we can each year, but there are a lot of families we wouldn’t be able to help without the generosity of Humm FM.”

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