St. Jude Radiothon

The 43rd broadcast of North Louisiana's St. Jude Radiothon is set for Feb. 8-9 from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Ruston station Z107.5. At that time donations can be made by calling 1-800-787-5288 or by donating online via the station's Facebook (Z107.5) or Instagram (Z1075fm) pages. In-person donations will be taken in related side events at the Ruston Walmart Supercenter and Super 1 Foods. The Zeta Rho chapter of the service group Epsilon Sigma Alpha is co-sponsor of the event, which last year raised more than $88,000 for the Memphis, Tennessee, hospital that focuses on treating catastrophic childhood diseases. Radiothon Chair Nancy Darland said, "For the last 42 years, our community has opened its hearts and their pocketbooks generously to St. Jude Hospital. We hope people will continue to give this year so that these children can have proper care. Not only does St. Jude provide medical care – it also provides mental health services, the opportunity for patients to keep up with their schoolwork, fun activities so that this stressful time can be more bearable, and so much more." Over 8,500 patients are treated by the hospital each year, with more than 800 active patients from Louisiana. Annual operating costs total over $2 billion. An estimated 89% of the funds necessary to sustain and grow St. Jude must be raised by donors' public contributions, according to hospital officials. No family is ever billed for treatment, travel, meals or lodging.