Ithaca College’s internet radio station, VIC Radio, will be hosting its 31st 50-Hour Marathon for charity. The marathon will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 7, concluding at 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 9. It will be simulcast on Ithaca College stations WICB and ICTV.
The annual marathon features four VIC Radio DJs who stay on air for 50 hours straight to raise funds for a local nonprofit. This year, the marathon will benefit the Friendship Donations Network, an organization that teams with local grocers and farms to collect fresh, nutritious food that would otherwise be thrown away and distributes it to those in need.
Anna Gardner, community director for VIC Radio and coordinator of the marathon, is particularly excited about the potential awareness that the 50-Hour Marathon could bring to the Friendship Donations Network, which serves more than 2,000 people each week and diverts more than 1,000 pounds of good food from landfills every day.
“Our reach over the marathon weekend, because we’re on all three college stations, is about 200,000 people, plus those listening online. So, it’s a really good way to let the community know about the nonprofit,” Gardner said. “Even though the money is really wonderful, sometimes the biggest thing is having 50 hours where we’re exclusively talking about them, and community members will know what their organization is about.”
Programming will include recorded interviews, live band interviews and interviews with volunteers from the Friendship Donations Network. This year’s DJs are senior Kemery J. Colbert and sophomores Lexy White, Jill Simon and Haley Goetz.
Awareness is a key component of the marathon, but Gardner did note the potential to raise large amounts of money. The station raised about $3,800 during last year’s marathon, greatly surpassing the original goal of $3,000.
For more information and to tune into the 50-Hour Marathon April 7–9, visit vicradio.org.