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Two Virginias, One Mission Telethon raises more than $55,500 for flood relief

(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection)

BLUEFIELD — The spirit of unity and generosity shone brightly during the “Two Virginias, One Mission: Helping Hands and Healing Hearts Telethon,” which raised over $55,500 to support flood relief and recovery efforts in the region.

The live three-hour telecast was executive produced by Allen Media Strategies Burke Allen, and was co-hosted by longtime AMS clients Homer Hickam and Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. along with actor and West Virginia native Kevin Sizemore and WVVA news anchor Joshua Bolden.

Thanks to overwhelming participation of local musicians, students, WVVA staffers and community volunteers, the TV, radio and online simulcast efforts not only raised much-needed funds but also brought national attention to the severity of the flooding. All funds are being distributed by The Salvation Army to the hardest-hit areas, helping families and communities begin the long road to recovery.

The three-hour special event was broadcast live from the WVVA-TV studios in Bluefield on March 8 and featured a lineup of entertainment and sports celebrities with ties to the region, including America’s Got Talent winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Steve Earle, American Idol champion Noah Thompson, country music hitmakers Vince Gill, T. Graham Brown, Clay Walker, Lady A., Charles Wesley Godwin, Moe Bandy, Trey Calloway, Duane Allen from the Oak Ridge Boys, gospel stars Rhonda Vincent, Chosen Road and Delnora, Cody Wickline from The Voice, legendary blues singer Lady D, Makenzie Phipps, Steve March-Torme’, former Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot guitarist Mike Estes, Moon King, Ben Jones, Matt Deal, and Huey Mack.

Also, a part of the lineup and joining from Las Vegas, Murray Sawchuck and April Brucker; classic Hollywood stars Donny Most and Anson Williams (Happy Days), Tia Carrere (Wayne’s World), Melissa Gilbert (Little House On The Prairie), Kathy Garver (Family Affair), David DeLuise (Wizards of Waverly Place), Mine 9 and HAZARD filmmaker Eddie Mensore, Kevin Sizemore (NCIS), Sean Patrick Flanery (Boondock Saints), Kathy Garver (Family Affair) Julie McCullough and Jeremy Miller (Growing Pains), astronauts Charlie Camarda and Chris Sembroski, authors Dreama Denver (Four Bears in a Box, Gilligan’s Island) and Ashley Belote (Sheepwrecked), the Carpenter Ants, Mountain Stage host Kathy Mattea and Musical Director Ron Sowell, 15-year drum sensation YOYOKA. Members of the WVU football team, former WV Governor and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, and many more joined together for the fundraising effort.

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