WTVD And Disney Raise Over $1 Million For Hurricane Relief

WTVD, the ABC O&O in Raleigh, N.C., joined with the American Red Cross and WTVD’s corporate owner The Walt Disney Co. to raise more than $1 million in donations last week to help Hurricane Florence victims and relief organizations.

On Tuesday, Sept. 18, WTVD teamed up with the American Red Cross to hold a 13-hour telethon to kick off a week of giving. The on-air phone bank and online donation drive included support from the ABC Owned Television Group with eight stations from New York to Los Angeles rallying their viewers to give. This ongoing initiative has collected $538,886 to date.

Friday, Sept. 21, Disney announced that it would be donating another $500,000 to the Red Cross Hurricane Florence relief drive. The company has also pledged to match donations made by Disney employees.

This brings the total funds raised to $1,038,886 and counting. That money will help provide overnight shelter stays, emergency supplies, medical assistance, meals and other life-saving services to the people of North Carolina.

“We are just so grateful to our viewers, viewers across our ABC stations, and to our Walt Disney company for their incredible generosity,” said Caroline Welch, WTVD’s general manager.

“This is a great example of how people come together when there is a need. Our ABC11 Together motto is ‘Together, we can do more,’ and this week, we’ve seen how powerful that idea really is.”