Originally posted Sunday, December 29, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Clark Howard's 29th annual Clark's Christmas Kids went off swimmingly this year.
95.5 News/Talk WSB listeners were so responsive this year, Howard for only the second time ended the drive early.
With logistics help from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and area Wal-Marts, all 11,000 foster kids statewide received gifts this Christmas.
Even better news, Howard said the number of kids in foster care is no longer growing the way it did in recent years in part due to the opioid crisis.
He said in 2015, there were fewer than 7,000 children in foster care, but it ballooned to about 11,000 last year. This year was about the same number and he hopes the number will really begin to shrink next year.
Here are photos I took from the December 14 Wal-Mart in Duluth:
Credit: Clark Howard talking to participant Damian Richardson, 7. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com 2019
Credit: Clark Howard talking to participant Damian Richardson, 7. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com 2019
Credit: Clark Howard with Dave Baker. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com 2019
Credit: Clark Howard with Dave Baker. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com 2019
Credit: Dave Baker of WSB's Home Fix It Show. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: Dave Baker of WSB's Home Fix It Show. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: The foster kid options are laid out by age, gender an toy choice. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: The foster kid options are laid out by age, gender an toy choice. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: Jay Lastinger picks out gifts for eight or nine foster kids each year, aiming for hot items like bikes first.. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: Jay Lastinger picks out gifts for eight or nine foster kids each year, aiming for hot items like bikes first.. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: Mason Defilippis, 19, volunteered for the first time for Clark's Kids and loved it. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: Mason Defilippis, 19, volunteered for the first time for Clark's Kids and loved it. CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Credit: CR: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
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Credit: CR: Children's Making Miracles Network. The Bert Show with one of the patients.
Credit: CR: Children's Making Miracles Network. The Bert Show with one of the patients.
Credit: JJ Kincaide (left) and Dallas McCade (right) with a patient and his mom.
Credit: JJ Kincaide (left) and Dallas McCade (right) with a patient and his mom.
The Q100/New Country 101.5 Atlanta Making Miracles Radiothon for Children’s Miracle Network earlier this month raised $218,829.40.
Q100's Bert Show and the New Country morning show featuring J.J. Kincaid and Dallas McCade presided over much of the radiothon.
That’s down from $243,000 a year go, $261,000 in 2017 and $231,888 in 2016.
The stations listened to stories from about 20 patients and parents. CMN has raised funds nationally for more than 170 children’s hospitals, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, for more than 30 years.
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Credit: From the 2019 11Alive Canathon for the Salvation Army December 6, 2019 with Crash Clark at Cumberland Mall.
Credit: From the 2019 11Alive Canathon for the Salvation Army December 6, 2019 with Crash Clark at Cumberland Mall.
The 37th annual 11Alive Canathon brought in 215,507 cans for the Salvation Army earlier this month as 11Alive anchors and reporters spent time at multiple locations encouraging people to donate.
That is about the same as last year, when the station collected about 211,000 cans.
Here's the breakdown by location:
- Rome: 81,244 cans
- Infinite Energy in Duluth: 67,728 cans
- Cumberland Mall: 50,597 cans
- Publix & Cascade: 9,410 cans
- Woodruff Arts Center: 6,528 cans
