During the first-ever radio request-a-thon benefiting Children's Memorial Hermann, DJ Sam Malone and his tireless team opened the phone lines at 6 a.m., and listeners from throughout Houston called to request their favorite songs for a minimum donation of $25.
"Everyone at Children's Memorial Hermann is touched by the amazing response from people throughout the city and their dedication to supporting our trauma service for children," said Craig Cordola, CEO of Children's Memorial Hermann. "We are grateful to everyone who made a donation and to Sam Malone and Mix 96.5 for their incredible commitment to helping injured children."
From downtown to Deer Park, from Clear Lake to Conroe, from Katy to Kemah, listeners requested rap, rock, pop, country and holiday tunes, and the MIX 96.5 team obliged, setting aside the radio station's format and playing all possible requests. DJs Hunter, Michele and Natalie joined the fun all day, until the phone lines closed at 6 p.m.
"It was great fun to dedicate 12 hours of airtime to Children's Memorial Hermann, whose staff works around the clock to care for children who suffer traumatic injury every day," Malone said. "Every time Houstonians see Life Flight® heading across the skies or a Children's Memorial Hermann ambulance going down the highways, we know young lives are being saved."
Throughout the day Children's Memorial Hermann patients and families visited the studios or called in to tell their stories of courage and survival, recounting rescues by the Memorial Hermann Life Flight team and life-saving treatment by physicians, nurses, therapists and the entire staff at Children's Memorial Hermann.
Doctors and nurses from the hospital also chatted with DJs, sharing stories about the state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary care they provide every day for young patients suffering an array of traumatic injuries, including car and bicycle accidents, burns, falls, gunshot wounds and child abuse.
As the calls rolled in and donations reached $25,000, Malone kept his promise to shave his legendary mustache--live and on-air--for the first time since age 18. When the clock struck 6 p.m. and the final total neared $50,000, Malone showed his holiday spirit once again by donating the remaining amount.