WASHINGTON, DC – Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, one of the most successful radio fund-raising events in America, will be honored for their pubic service efforts at the 10th annual NAB Education Foundation's Celebration of Service to America Awards. Alabama lead singer, Randy Owen, will accept the award at the celebration held Monday, June 9, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
"Each year, the Samaritan Award is given to a broadcaster or organization that exemplifies the industry's commitment to serving the public interest through the airwaves," said NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr. "Country Cares is a program that truly embodies the spirit of this award, as apparent through their tireless fundraising efforts and dedication to serving the patients of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital."
Randy Owen played a vital role in establishing Country Cares in 1989. Since its inception, Country Cares has worked with nearly 200 radio stations to raise $315 million for the kids of St. Jude. The national radiothon program is aired in more than 100 radio markets, with over 100 country artists contributing to the organization. These stars include Randy Owen, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, The Dixie Chicks, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Lonestar, Clint Black, Keith Urban and more. Additional information can be found at Country Cares' Web site, www.countrycares.org.
Recent Samaritan Award recipients include Gulf Coast broadcasters for their service during and after Hurricane Katrina and syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner for raising millions of dollars in scholarships for students attending historically black colleges and universities. Other past Samaritan Award recipients include the Children's Miracle Network; The Men and Women of America's Armed Forces; former Tribune Company Chairman, President and CEO Dennis J. FitzSimons for his leadership in a number of charitable and community organizations, including the McCormick Tribune Foundation; and a group of Dallas-Fort Worth broadcasters and law enforcement officials for initiating the first AMBER Plan.
About The Celebration of Service to America Awards
The
Celebration of Service to America Awards are sponsored and produced by
NABEF with major support from Bonneville International Corp. and the National
Association of Broadcasters. In recent years, legendary rock star Sir
Elton John, former President Bill Clinton, First Lady Laura Bush, Her
Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, boxing
legend Muhammad Ali, former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalyn
Carter, and former First Lady Nancy Reagan have been presented with the
Celebration of Service to America Leadership Award at the event. Details
about the Celebration of Service to America Awards are available at www.nabef.org/ServicetoAmerica.
About
Bonneville International Corp.
Founded in 1964, Bonneville International’s heritage traces its early
roots to KSL Radio, which first went on the air in July of 1922 (originally
as KZN) in Salt Lake City and to KSL-TV, which had its on-air debut in
1949. Bonneville currently owns and operates 31 radio stations in the
Chicago, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Phoenix, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and
Salt Lake City markets, as well as KSL 5 Television (NBC affiliate) in
Salt Lake City. The company’s working motto is “Do good, do
well, make a difference, and have fun,” and it structures its innovative
and successful business model on the three principles of 1) building its
people, 2) making a difference in its communities, and 3) meeting aggressive
financial goals. Bonneville enjoys a long-standing reputation and is known
industry-wide for its values-oriented programming and its nationally recognized
and award-winning commitment to serving the communities where it broadcasts.
About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for
its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and
other catastrophic diseases. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas
and based in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries
with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever
pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance
are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, which
was established with a sole purpose of raising the funds for St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital. For more information, please visit www.stjude.org
or call (800) 830-8120.
About
NABEF
The NAB Education
Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the public
interest in supporting and advocating: education and training programs,
strategies to increase diversity, initiatives stressing the importance
of the First Amendment, community service, philanthropy and timely broadcasting
issues.
About
NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters
is a trade association that advocates on behalf of more than 8,300 free,
local radio and television stations and also broadcast networks before
Congress, the Federal Communications Commission and the Courts. Information
about NAB can be found at www.nab.org.
