Nova's 'Radiothon' to help homeless this weekend
Radio NOVA’s annual ‘Help Our Homeless Radiothon’, now in its fifth year with Focus Ireland, takes place this Friday 28th and Saturday 29th February. The two-day event will see celebrities from across the entertainment, music and political spectrum lend their support live on-air. All funds raised will be donated to Focus Ireland to fund projects like its new Family Centre which works with families to help get them out of homelessness as quickly as possible. The money raised will also go towards Focus Ireland’s other 80 services nationwide which support people currently homeless or at risk.
Radio Nova’s annual Radiothon is a listener-focused event, with donations received from people from all walks of life- from children donating their pocket money to businesses donating the takings of their day’s trading. With the Radiothon fast approaching, Focus Ireland and Radio Nova have been signing up businesses, community groups and schools from across Leinster to become a Friend of Nova. Friends of Nova have been holding special fundraising events over the last few weeks in the run up to the ‘Help Our Homeless Radiothon’.
This year, a team of staff volunteers from Focus Ireland, Bord Gáis Energy, Google and others will take calls from listeners at the station’s HQ in the Dublin Docklands, with a special Radiothon Call Centre set up at Radio NOVA for the two-day event.
Radio NOVA CEO, Kevin Branigan, said: “We're getting ready, once again, to turn our airwaves over for two days to raise funds to help fight homelessness in the Greater Dublin area. Our listeners show great compassion time and time again and support the great work being carried out in this area by Focus Ireland. Sadly, the homeless crisis has further deepened in the last year and we're now, once again, asking for the help of our listeners. Via our on-air Homeless Radiothon, and the efforts of our clients and listeners with the 'Friends of Radio Nova' initiative, we hope, once again, to raise vital funds for Focus Ireland.”
Focus Ireland CEO, Pat Dennigan, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected as Radio Nova’s charity partner again for this year’s ‘Help Our Homeless Radiothon’. In Ireland, a shocking three families are made homeless every single day but we have managed to help over 1,200 families to secure a home in the last two years, and move on from being homeless, because of generous public support from initiatives like Radio Nova’s Radiothon. The support of Radio Nova and their listeners’ will help us to continue our work of getting people out of homelessness and into a safe and secure home of their own, and at the same time to help stop people becoming homeless in the first place.”
NOVA broadcasts to Dublin and the commuter belt counties of Kildare, Meath & Wicklow on 100.3 FM and nationally on its smartphone apps and the Irish Radio Player.