WSAZ Sets Children’s Charities Day

The WSAZ Children’s Charities Board of Directors announced during their annual meeting today the designation of Thursday, Dec. 8, as WSAZ Children’s Charities Day.

The Gray Television NBC affiliate in Charleston-Huntington, W.Va. (DMA 65), said it believes in “providing monetary assistance where it is needed most and makes a positive and meaningful impact on local organizations who work with children in our area.”

Since 1997 WSAZ Children’s Charities has given sustaining gifts to smaller, year-round programs that provide after school programs, summer lunch programs, school clothes and other much needed items as well as enrichment programs.

On Dec. 8, WSAZ will use newscast and commercial time on WSAZ and its myZtv subchannel and the online resources of WSAZ.com and WSAZ Mobile to ask viewers to donate to WSAZ Children’s Charities. Throughout the day WSAZ will profile charities that have received WSAZ Children’s Charities grants and ask viewers to donate to Children’s Charities.

Don Ray, WSAZ general manger, said: “Our viewers are incredibly generous. They have supported previous Children’s Charities events such as Breakfast with Santa and have helped us raise thousands of dollars that are returned to these charities. WSAZ Children’s Charities has given away over 200 cash gifts to deserving children’s charities through this nonprofit foundation. We are not necessarily a Christmas gift provider, even though we do our giving at Christmastime.”

In 2010, WSAZ Children’s Charities contributed more than $20,000 to more than 40 different organizations that help and serve children.

On Dec. 8, viewers and online users will be asked to make whatever contribution they can through the WSAZ Children’s Charities PayPal website. A link to that site will be available on the WSAZ.com homepage.

Additionally people can phone in a contribution by calling the Children’s Charities donation line, 1-877-224-0963 and make a secure credit or debit card donation.