“It's a venture that provides hope for people growing up in difficult situations. It also gives them education in order to help break the cycle that people sometimes find themselves in due to simply being born.”
Those inspirational words are from Dan Henry, program director with 104.7 Heart FM. We were incredibly proud to partner with the radio station around Gems & Java again this year, and in a new sponsorship role to boot!
Heart FM was our first official Media Sponsor and boy did they knock it out of the park, broadcasting commercials about Gems & Java to their wide audience across Oxford County and beyond. If you heard an ad for our flagship fundraiser, you were listening to Heart FM!
We were so incredibly impressed with the understanding and passion Dan and his team have for our work. Heart FM has always been community oriented, but for a grassroots organization like ours, the support of local media is more important than ever! We’re so appreciative of the wonderful coverage before and after Gems & Java.
“We are so thankful for Heart FM's generous sponsorship and the enthusiasm they have for Gems & Java and what we are doing to help make a difference in the lives of women and children in Ethiopia,” founder Shelley Green said of the sponsorship.
“Heart FM provided us with excellent coverage and promotion. The message about our event and the work Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia is doing was heard by thousands and thousands of people, and there is no doubt we benefited from this incredible exposure,” Shelley added.
Heart FM has often done a live interview with Shelley on-air to help promote Gems & Java, and has written online stories to help us spread the word about our ticket sales. That kind of awareness can be hard to build (though we know many of you are already coming back to Gems & Java year after year!) and we’re especially glad to be doing it with such a dedicated community partner.
Dan talked to us about why Heart FM wants to support causes like ours.
“A radio station doesn't have margins as high as many other types of businesses which makes it difficult to help financially. One thing we do have is access to ears through air waves, and that's the biggest and perhaps best way we can support community events like this,” Dan said.
He said he was particularly touched by the way Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia is dedicated to empowering women and children.
“Helping young women gain skills, providing shelter, and much needed medical services that we take for granted is quite compelling for anyone,” Dan said.
We don’t just want to provide one-time help, we want to give opportunities for the folks in tough situations to build an income, send their kids to school, break generational poverty, and build a new way of life. Those are the investments we are making through your donations.
Thank you so much to Heart FM for your support in helping us make these life-changing differences in Ethiopia. We’re so grateful that your station has chosen to be such a compassionate company.