Happy #70 to the WHAS Crusade for Children!!

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This weekend is a special one here in Louisville. The 70th annual WHAS Crusade for Children is underway. This is the longest “local” telethon in the United States. It began in 1954 as a philanthropy idea of Barry Bingham, who was the owner of all of the media in town at the time (the newspapers, WHAS television, and WHAS radio). At that time, the “Kosair Crippled Children’s Hospital” was the primary benefactor of the money raised: over $156,000. Remember, that was 1954. It’s a thing that brings us together. And the generosity is overwhelming. In 1974, the year that Brandenburg, KY was almost literally wiped off the map by an F-5 tornado, the residents of that ravaged town — just two months after the tornado — gave nearly $2,400 to the Crusade for Children. In 1990 there were tornado warnings during the entertainment. Despite the damage in neighboring towns, $2.8 million was raised. In 1997, the year of the “generational” flood in Louisville, over $5 million was raised. And, despite the Covid pandemic that kept firefighters from collecting and stores from having “collection jars,” $4.8 million came in. It says a lot about Louisville. Yes, we have a lot of problems in this town…a lot more than we should. But the hospitality of the city shines through on the first weekend in June and makes me proud to be a Louisvillian. In the first 69 telethons the WHAS Crusade for Children has raised over $200,000,000…all to help special needs children in the area. Here’s a clip of some of the early days..and yes, that is Cab Calloway in the screen grab!