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51st annual Ernie Blankenship Radio-Telethon raises over $150K for Highland County Society for Children and Adults

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Representatives from the Hillsboro Fraternal Order of Eagles 1161, pictured with Ernie Blankenship Radio-Telethon emcees Herb Day, left, and Rick Williams, right, donated $26,000 to the Highland County Society for Children and Adults Wednesday night. Check back for more photos from the 2023 telethon. (HCP Photo/Caitlin Forsha)
By
Caitlin Forsha

The Hillsboro and Greenfield Rotary Clubs, in conjunction with event sponsor Merchants National Bank and the support of numerous individuals, businesses and organizations across the county, reached a milestone not seen in Highland County in a decade and a half. The 51st annual Ernie Blankenship Radio-Telethon raised $150,434 for the Highland County Society for Children and Adults Wednesday, March 29.

This year’s telethon marked the first time that the amount raised has surpassed $150,000 since 2008, when $200,000 was raised.

Eighty minutes into the two-hour event, this year’s telethon had already exceeded its 2022 totals of $117,062, which in itself was the highest amount since 2014.

The funds raised from the telethon each year go to help individuals in Highland County with a wide range of needs, including medical equipment and supplies, prescriptions, doctor visits and more. In its 51-year history, over $4.2 million has been raised by the local community, for the local community.

In keeping with tradition, the event began with members of the Blankenship family making the first official donation of the night in memory of the telethon’s namesake, the late Ernie Blankenship, who served as the event emcee and chair of the Hillsboro Rotary Club for many years.  

“He was all about community,” emcee Rick Williams said of the telethon’s namesake. “It wasn’t just basketball or baseball or football. This was something he really loved all the way through and did a wonderful job with it, and it’s continued on.”

Emcee Herb Day added, “Ernie Blankenship was a friend to everybody in the community.”

Day interviewed Blankenship’s widow, Rita, who introduced herself as the “leader of this clan;” their son, Ryan “Smoke” and his wife, Erin; and two of Ernie and Rita Blankenship’s grandchildren, Amber and Presley.

“This is exciting, being here after 51 years,” Mrs. Blankenship said. “It’s nice to see this crowd.”

The Blankenships’ business, Big Ernie’s Pizza, was also among the event sponsors.

Among the first donors to take the stage Wednesday were representatives from the hosts, Merchants National Bank, as they brought a huge crowd of employees to help set up and tear down, serve food, greet guests, accept donations and work throughout the night.

John Abell, Brittany Bayless, Shelbi Boland, Jason Brookbank, Pam Carson, Melissa Custer, Jake DeHart, Denise Fauber, Daria Frost, Chelsea Gardner, Chase Gilliland, Mollie Hackworth, Conner Haines, Courtney Hassman, Alaina Jolley, Allison Knisley, Deb Lewis, Regina Malone, Jeff Meyer, Jennifer Middleton, Chelsey Ojeda, Anna Olderham, Paul Pence, Riley Redmon, Megan Scott, Nancy Scott, Janice Smith, Serena Smith, Sheri Smith, Sherry Ward, Jana Wells, Jessica Wells and Tracie Wright were among those volunteering for the bank.

In addition to sponsoring the event and donating multiple auction items, the bank donated $10,000 to the Society Wednesday, one of the top contributions of the evening.

“Merchants Bank is always proud to be a sponsor, and we are so humbled and grateful to be allowed to be a part of this,” Chairman of the Board Secretary Bertha Hamilton told the emcees. “It’s just an exceptional experience, and we are so glad that the funds stay local and help local families, because as you know, Merchants National Bank is a locally owned bank.”

Hamilton introduced the telethon committee co-chairs, Janice Smith and Tracie Wright, who discussed the bank’s efforts to raise money for the Society. Smith said that throughout the year, the bank has done “Casual Friday” fundraisers, as well as hosting a bake sale and a raffle, for the employees to raise money. That led to $3,000 in donations.

Hamilton said that Merchants National Bank and its directors, officers and staff wanted to contribute an additional $7,000, bringing their total monetary donation to $10,000.

Bank President Pence praised the MNB team for their hard work.

“Man, are we lucky to have all these employees here,” he said. “It makes you proud.”

Hamilton agreed, thanking the staff for helping plan the telethon this year. “They have been so good to pull all this together,” she said.

In between volunteering throughout the Orpheum Wednesday night as well as conducting a gun raffle, members of the Hillsboro Rotary Club also came on stage to make a total donation of $10,437.

The Hillsboro Rotary Club donated $6,000, while Club President Amy Hamilton said the annual chili supper and dessert auction returned this year and led to an additional $4,737 for the Society.

“We would love to have anyone come join us,” Hamilton said. “We meet every Tuesday at the Hillsboro VFW from 11:45 to 1, and it’s a great networking opportunity.”

Getting to the $150,000 milestone required many significant  contributions, but undoubtedly the largest donation of the night came from the Hillsboro Fraternal Order of Eagles 1161.

Rick Edison, Justin Lambert, Jim North, Megan Parsons, Charlie Roberts, Matt Ryan, Sarah Ryan, Anna Vilvens, Richard Vilvens, Brian Waller, Donna Waller and Donnie Watson shocked the crowd with a $26,000 contribution.

“We’re a very charitable organization,” Mr. Vilvens said. “They just told us that we were the second-largest donor over the years here. That’s our goal. We try to help people.”

Day asked, “What’s your donation this year?” Vilvens said, “Take a look,” and Day gasped as he and Williams silenced the noisy crowd to draw their attention to the stage.

“You’ve got to hear the amount of this donation,” Day said. “I don’t want to interrupt your visiting, but listen to this.”

Mr. Vilvens held up the check for $25,000, with the crowd responding with loud cheers and applause.

On top of the $25,000 check from the Eagles, the Women’s Auxiliary added another $1,000, while the group also brought a large Easter basket for the 2023 poster child.

“We’re glad to do it,” Vilvens said.

One of Ernie Blankenship’s favorite parts of the telethon was seeing all the children who come in for the first hour of the telethon, which is traditionally dedicated to schools, 4-H, youth groups and other young ones presenting the money they’ve raised for the Society.

“Kids helping kids is what it’s all about,” Rita Blankenship said. “It’s not about the big donations, it’s about the dollars and the pennies.”

The children’s hour kicked off with Hillsboro City Schools Superintendent Tim Davis bringing representatives from Hillsboro Elementary, Middle School and High School.

“Hillsboro City Schools brought in a little over $2,227 for tonight,” Davis said.

The elementary school donated $339.58, while the Hillsboro FFA chapter donated $500 and HMS raised $1,188.34.

Bright Elementary, represented by third grade teacher Jennifer Fraysier, Bright Local Schools board member Steve Cox and students Kenley, Kalen and Khloe Juillerat, also made a $1,037 donation. The Juillerats and fellow 4-H club members Christian Cummings, Dwight and Brooklynn Hamilton, Kennedy Hamilton, Carly and Sydney Sanders and Colton and Mason Warnock of Premier Showmen presented a donation as well.

A group of students and staff from Lynchburg-Clay Local Schools, accompanied by poster child Addie Johnson and her mom Jessica, attended in matching “She Is Strong” shirts in Addie’s honor and shared another major donation.

“Last year, we had these shirts made up,” Jessica Johnson told the emcees. “We had raised money for the colorectal unit at Cincinnati Children’s.

“Addie had a procedure done, so we had these shirts made up because we wanted to give back to them.”

This month, Lynchburg-Clay Elementary again supported Addie by raising $6,600 for the society.

“They did a penny drive, and all the kids from kindergarten through fifth grade brought in their pennies every single day,” Jessica said.

The Johnson family — parents Jessica and Zach and children Addie, Graden, Grant, Jada and Noah — returned later in the evening for another interview to share Addie’s story.

Addie has multiple diagnoses, as she was born with three heart conditions — a patent ductus arteriosus, an extra blood vessel; and two conditions involving a hole in the heart, a patent foramen ovale and ventricular septal defect. After Addie left the NICU, her mom, Jessica, said they noticed Addie “was not having bowel movements the way she should.” That prompted a several-year journey of visiting doctors and specialists at multiple hospitals before finally being diagnosed with neurogenetic bowel dysfunction at age 4.

Last year, Addie underwent a surgery, called a Malone appendicostomy, that allows to empty her bowels at home through a tube in her stomach.

“For a while, I wasn’t able to work, and we were traveling back and forth to the hospital several times,” Jessica said. “That’s when gas prices were extremely high, and Patty [Day] and Karen [Miller, both of the HCSCA] had told us about helping with transportation.”

Jessica said that in addition to Addie’s school raising money on her behalf, the family also collected donations from several area businesses and organizations, including: Southside Praise and Worship, $1,200; Westview Motors, $250; La Cascada Mexican Restaurant, $100; Arrick's Propane, $100; TNT Fencing, $100; and The Porch Carryout and Grill, $100.

In a separate interview Wednesday evening, HCSCA Director Patty Day and Secretary Karen Miller introduced poster adult Eric Cruea of Lynchburg and his mom, Carissa.

Eric, now 19, was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was in the sixth grade. Since the seizures began, they have continued to change in length and severity, including whole-body seizures that affect all of Eric’s muscles. Last year, doctors told the Crueas that Eric was at risk for sudden epileptic death.

After hearing this diagnosis, Carissa reached out to the Society to see if she could get help purchasing a specialized watch for Eric to wear that alerts her of any changes in his body so she can watch out for seizures. The Society was able to order not only the watch, but also a bed sensor mat that alerts Carissa to any seizures Eric may be suffering at night.

Two days after receiving that equipment, Carissa said, Eric’s life was saved as the alarm woke her up in the middle of the night while Eric suffered grand mal seizures.

Carissa said Wednesday that Eric’s watch and pad alerted her to more seizures the night before the telethon.

“Last night, the watch and pad again saved Eric’s life,” she said. “I am very thankful to the Society because without them and this equipment, he would not be here today. Give everything you can, please, because you don’t know who it’s going to save.”

Day agreed and thanked the community for supporting the Society.

“This year we tripled the number of calls we have been receiving, and we actually spent more than we raised last year,” Mrs. Day said.

Miller also thanked the Crueas for the “large effort” made by Eric to come to the telethon Wednesday.

Past telethon representatives were also in attendance. The Allensburg Church of Christ, whose members include former poster child Christa Moore, donated $3,410 for another major donation on the night, with Moore and her mother also contributing $100.

Emily Davis, who has been poster child in several different years, also appeared with her aunt Pam Chaney, as Davis raised $900 for her birthday this year.

“You’re just as pretty as ever, and I love you,” Herb Day, who is Davis’s grandfather, told her.

“I think you’re biased,” she replied.

Davis also assisted Wayne Bowman of the Hillsboro Rotary Club with two separate drawings for the gun raffle later in the evening. The raffle was won by Dr. Larry Dukes and Judge Coss, who were given the choice of an AR-15 rifle, a 9mm pistol or $500 in cash, Bowman said. The guns were donated by John and Shawnda Duncan of Crosshairs Armament in Samantha.

Along with Merchants, other local banks, including Fifth Third Bank ($1,500), First State Bank ($1,500), NCB ($2,500), Peoples Bank ($2,500), Southern Hills Community Bank ($1,500) and Wilmington Savings Bank ($1,000) made presentations throughout the night, as did other businesses such as Bowman’s County Line Carryout, Dairy Queen of Mount Orab and Wilmington, McCarty Associates, Southern Ohio Appraisers, Tom Pitzer Trucking and Weastec.

Highland District Hospital presented $2,500 on behalf of its board, physicians, leaders and employees, President/CEO Tim Parry said.

The largest contributor in telethon history, the Cassner Foundation, also made a donation in the amount of $15,000. Coss made that announcement, as representatives were unable to attend in person.

In separate donations, the VFW Post 9094 and Ladies’ Auxiliary combined for one of the largest contributions of the night, with a total of $8,000. The Ladies’ Auxiliary was among the first to donate, presenting a $250 check. The Post later presented a $5,000 check.

“I’m not done,” Commander Rick Wilkin said. “We have donated through the year $2,750, so we’re giving you a total for the year of $7,750.”

Representatives from Good News Gathering ($500), Highland County Board of DD ($250), the Highland County Chamber of Commerce ($150) and Visitors Bureau of Highland County ($75), Highland County Republican Club ($500), Highland Masonic Lodge ($1,050), Hillsboro Elks 361 ($250) and Liberty Lions Club ($250) made in-person presentations. Highland County Cattlemen’s Association president Dwight Paul Hamilton, accompanied by children of Cattlemen’s members, presented checks from the Association ($500) as well as from Hamilton Insurance Agency ($250).

Individuals including John Barney, Keith and Carol Chambers, Dave Grover, Doug and Mechell Karnes, and Robert and Dee Moots, as well as elected officials and/or political candidates Highland County Auditor Alex Butler, Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge candidate Kathryn Hapner, Hillsboro Mayor Justin Harsha, Leesburg Mayor Shawn Priest and Hillsboro Municipal Court Judge Chad Randolph met with emcees and shared donations.

The annual auction items garnered an additional $3,860 in donations, led by a Joe Burrow framed jersey ($1,100) and signed photo ($850), both of which were donated by Merchants National Bank.

“We want to thank the Burrow family, as they donated an autographed picture from Joe to Merchants Bank for us to present to the Society for the auction,” Bertha Hamilton said.

At the end of the night, emcees invited Judge Coss back to the stage, as he said he wanted to “thank everybody” for their support and help.

“This was actually one of the easiest radio-telethons I’ve dealt with in the last 10 years,” Coss said. “We had so many people helping from the Rotary Club, the Society, Merchants Bank, and I can’t say enough about Terry Mikkelsen [who provided broadcast equipment, video/audio and livestreaming].

“Dale Martin donated the use of the Orpheum, which is a great asset to the community and serves such a great function for many organizations to have events here. We appreciate what he’s done with that as well as the fact that he donates this every year for us to have a permanent home.”

Coss thanked Day and Williams as well as the event sponsors.

Sponsors included Grub N Monkey, Big Ernie’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, 24 Deli, Holtfield Station, Ponderosa, The Alley Neighborhood Grille, Chad Abbott Signs LLC, Maplecrest Meats and More, Hillsboro Community Market, Jill’s Farmhouse Catering, Subway, The Porch, Bev McPhearson, Elaine Pointer, White’s Bakery, LaRosa’s, Rural King, Lowe’s and Family Farm and Home.

Coss also thanked all of the donors for their contributions, no matter the size, both on Wednesday and for their ongoing support for what is now 51 years.

“I’ve been involved with the Society now for 45 years,” Coss said. “The work that it does is just so amazing. You’ve heard many stories here tonight about what we do as a community to help people, and so many people donate so much.”
 

Top Donors Summary

Courtesy of Judge Rocky Coss

Hillsboro Eagles $25,000 and $1,000 from the Eagles Auxiliary for a total of $26,000
Cassner Foundation $15,000
Merchants National Bank $10,000 plus donated Burrow Jersey, Heisman Montage and Bengals items for auction
Hillsboro Rotary Club $6,000 plus $4,737 from the Chili Super and Dessert Auction for a total of $10,437
Hillsboro VFW $7,750 and $250 from the Auxiliary for a total of $8,000
Lynchburg-Clay School students and staff $6,600
Emery Family $5,000
Allensburg Church of Christ $3,410
Highland District Hospital and Medical Staff $2,500
NCB $2,500
Peoples Bank $2,500
Weastec $2,000
Southern Hills Bank $1,500
Fifth Third Bank $1,500
First State Bank $1,500
Rick/Robin O’Dell $1,500
Bagshaw Trust $1,500
Jeanine/Jeff Rosselot $1,500
Hillsboro Elementary, Middle School and FFA $2,028
Bright Local School students and staff $1,037

The auction items results were:

Ohio State Football home game tickets $400
Jason Aldean tickets $150
Bengals items signed by David Fulcher $120
OSU Heisman Montage $430
YMCA membership $110
Joe Burrow framed jersey $1,100
Joe Burrow framed signed photo $850
CJ Stroud signed OSU football $700
Total $3,860
 

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