Jessika Furnace, left, and Darrin Richards, right, co-owners of Little Italy Pizzeria in Potsdam present a check for $1,670 to Hospice’s Brad Catling. Furnace and Richards raised the money from their customers in the weeks leading up to the Radiothon.

Donors contributed $15,688 for hospice care in St. Lawrence County during the 2011 Hospice Radiothon.

The event was broadcast by stations owned by St. Lawrence Radio (WSNN/99.3 FM and WPDM/1470 AM), Community Broadcaster (WQTK/92.7 FM, WLFK/95.3 FM and WSLB/1400 AM) and Stephens Media (WMSA/1340 AM). The broadcast was simulcast from the Hospice Center with three veteran on air personalities behind the microphones, Andy VanDuyn, Wolfman Bill and Sandy Cook.

The broadcast included testimonials from county residents who have been touched in one way or another by Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley, such as friends and family members whose loved ones were cared for by hospice, healthcare providers who collaborate with hospice, and volunteers who offer their time to help comfort patients.

Event organizer Brad Catling said there were two goals for the Radiothon: “To raise awareness about the nature of the care hospice provides and to raise $20,000 to support those services.”

They fell short of the monetary goal, Catling said, but the event was still a success.

“While we didn’t quite reach our financial goal, we are very grateful to our donors for getting us as close as we did. And we appreciated the chance we had again this year to tell the hospice story over this great network of radio stations. I think the day was a huge success.”

Sponsors played a big role in the success of the event by adding their contributions. The businesses that sponsored the Hospice Radiothon were: Donaldson Funeral Home, NBT Bank, SeaComm Federal Credit Union, Curran Renewable Energy, Scott’s Auto Center, Boyden Brook Auto Works, Little Italy Pizzeria, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, The Computer Guys, Pinto, Mucenski, Hooper, Van House and Co., Gouverneur Savings Bank, Mort Backus and Sons, Enbridge St. Lawrence Gas, St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union and A Woman’s Touch Nail Salon. Prizes given out during the Radiothon drawings included gifts donated from Sunfeather Natural Soap Factory, Mind Your Body Massage Therapy, Glow Skincare and Day Spa, Eben’s Hearth, Frenchie’s Ford and Frenchie’s Chevrolet, The Sugar Shack Bakery and Café, Cape Air and Northern Music and Video.