Million ‘dollar’ man

24 Aug 2003

Well not quite, but the R10 million raised for charity by broadcasting personality Jeremy Mansfield and his Rude Awakening Team on 94.7 Highveld Stereo, over the past six years, is a remarkable achievement. Mansfield, who turned 40 a week ago, celebrated RAW's success in an outside breakfast broadcast.

"We have fabulous opportunities to do great things for the community thanks to our listeners, our advertisers and friends. The money we've managed to raise is simply because of the huge heart of Jo'burg - our listeners just make it happen, every time," said an elated Mansfield.

One such initiative, which is indelibly imprinted on the minds of listeners throughout Gauteng, is RAW's "Christmas Wish" project. In the first year, the station received over 28 000 emails and faxes from listeners during the first two weeks of December 2001.

With the help of loyal advertisers and listeners, the station made hundreds of wishes come true, from getting cellular phones and running shoes, to importing hearing aids and securing a tonsil extraction for a little boy. This past Christmas Wish project exceeded the first with over 33 000 emails and faxes - and advertisers, listeners and the station, dug deep to make wishes come true.

94.7 also worked closely with the Children's Haematology and Oncology Clinics (CHOC) to run a "12-hour radiothon" to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Wards at the Johannesburg General and Baragwaneth Hospitals. An unprecedented R3.8 million has been banked to date, with pledges totalling R4.2 million.

In Woodside Sanctuary - a multi-racial and multi-cultural home for mentally handicapped children, 94.7 Highveld Stereo found a charity truly worthy of support. Facing a very real danger of closing down due to lack of resources, RAW made an appeal to listeners to support their annual raffle, raising R1 million.

Recently, the RAW team embarked on a drive to ensure that every police dog in the Gauteng Dog Unit was outfitted with a bulletproof vest. Over R950 000 was raised thanks to listeners and corporates, ensuring that 350 dogs received vests.

During the extremely popular Discovery 94.7 Bed Race (a Midrand Round Table initiative) over 280 beds were entered and approximately R250 000 was raised. Two truckloads brimming with toys, books and clothing were also collected.

Most recently, Sam Cowan's Baby Shower motivated listeners to donate baby clothes - the result of which weighed in at over 3 tons! These clothes were donated to Johannesburg Child Welfare.

Comments Mansfield: "It is not without extraordinary people that these great things happen. On behalf of the entire team at Joburg's All Heart Radio, thank you for making the past six years so special for fellow Jo'burgers and the nation as a whole."