Charity Road Shows

One For The Record Books

Charity Road Shows’ first official event set the all-time record for the largest local fundraising event in the history of Internet radio when former WRKI-FM morning show host Neil Hedley descended to the bottom of a 30-foot scaffold after a 19-day stay in a tent netted $100,000 for the United Way of Western Connecticut.

Organized almost entirely by Hedley alone in just three weeks, the event quickly established itself as one for the history books when a check from Branson Ultrasonics for over $37,000 launched the campaign into the stratosphere. The event also established Charity Road Shows as the company of record when it comes to planning charity fundraisers for radio stations.

After having worked extensively in the past with organizations like the United Way, the Lung Association, the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children’’s Research Hospital, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Foodshare and countless others, Hedley says his company is prepared to work in any market with any charity. “There’s virtually no situation that I haven’t personally been involved in during the nearly 30 years that I was in radio, and so we’re ready to meet any challenge,” he said. “While the ‘Guy In The Sky’ event was a little more hands-on than I usually am,” he added, “we’re there for stations from start to finish with our best effort throughout. And that’s true from New York City to Casper, Wyoming.”

So what’s next for Hedley and his crew?

“We’re hiring a bunch of people,” he says with a huge grin, “so I don’t have to do another event by myself. Ever. Then we’re changing the world. One market at a time.”