Full Day Of Fundraising At CBS’s Philly Duo

CBS-owned KYW (CBS) and WPSG (CW) Philadelphia (DMA 4) will once again present a full day of fundraising for the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation on Thursday, June 9, live from the Great Hall in the stations’ HD Broadcast Center.

The foundation emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott.  In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement. Alex died in 2004 but the little girl left a big legacy proving how one idea can make a huge difference.

The Alex Scott Phone Bank will air in special segments from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. throughout the broadcast day. Pledges can be made by credit card or check by calling 1-877-KYW-3ASK (1-877-599-3275) or online at CBSPhilly.Com. Viewers can also donate $10 to the cause by texting lemonade cbs to 85944.  In addition, TD Bank will be set-up in the CBS 3/CW Philly visitor parking lot at 1555 Hamilton Street (entrance on 16th Street between Callowhill and Spring Garden Streets) in Philadelphia with a coin counting machine from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for passersby interested in donating loose change directly to the efforts as well.

The stations are making the time available in newscasts and in commercial break time. They will also present special “Alex hours” by preempting regularly-scheduled programming from 9 to 10 a.m., 3 to 4 p.m., and 7 to 8 p.m. on CBS 3.  The 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. hours will be simulcast on The CW Philly. The 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. specials will also be streamed live on CBSPhilly.Com.

KYW’s Chris May, Susan Barnett, and Pat Ciarrocchi will spearhead the15-hour effort. Alex’s parents, Liz and Jay Scott, along with other CBS 3 personalities, will join the hosts for the annual event as well as personalities from the CBS Radio stations locally. There will also be various fundraising incentives such as the Philadelphia Eagles “Camp Out for Kids Cancer” opportunity to spend a night under the stars at Lincoln Financial Field presented by Christina Lurie, Philadelphia Freedoms tickets presented by Billie Jean King and a Philadelphia Union jersey offered by mid-fielder Kyle Nakazawa.

On-air personalities from CBS Radio will also join their TV partners in the fight against childhood cancers. Ross Brittain, Valerie Knight and Frank Lewis of the Breakfast Club at WOGL-FM will help staff the phones and offer concerts tickets to Journey and Foreigner concerts as an incentive. They will be joined by radio colleagues Dom Giordano from WPHT-AM, Paul Jolovitz from WIP-AM and Sarah, Spike, Gordon and Jennifer Reed from WYSP-FM who will be offering U2 tickets as an incentive to donors.

Alex Scott: A Stand for Hope, a completely re-mastered and updated half-hour special that tells Alex’s story, will air Friday, June 10, at 10:30 p.m. on WPSG. The show will be rebroadcast on Saturday, June 11, at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. on KYW and on Sunday, June 12, at 11 a.m. on KYW and 7 p.m. on WPSG. The documentary will also be distributed throughout the country by CBS Affiliate Relations.

The fundraiser helps kick off Lemonade Days 2011 (June 10-12) when thousands of volunteers from coast to coast will take a stand against pediatric cancer by hosting lemonade stands of their own. Meteorologist Kathy Orr will host a KYW-WPSG Philly lemonade stand to collect donations in Ocean City, N.J., at Rita’s Water Ice on The Boardwalk June 9 as part of her “Orr at the Shore” series.