Washington, D.C. (Sunday, March 26, 2023) – Hundreds of Howard University students are preparing to make their way to communities in crisis around the country and abroad to render service. Their efforts are made possible thanks to the more than $106,000 donated Sunday to the 2023 WHUR Helping Hands Radiothon.
The 12-hour radiothon, hosted at the studios of 96.3 WHUR, is part of an annual effort to help defray the costs of Howard students who forgo their traditional spring break to instead participate in the University’s Alternative Spring Break Program (ASB). WHUR listeners stepped up in a big way Sunday showing their support by donating on-line at whur.com, dropping off cash and checks at the radio station, and placing donations in the bucket-brigade of students who were fanned out along Georgia Avenue and Bryant Street, NW.
“Given all that’s going on with our youth in communities across the country, I was just so moved by the stories the Howard University students were sharing,” said Jennifer Carson of SE, D.C. Ms. Carson stopped by the station to make her donation after attending services at a nearby church. “I thought about all the things these students could be doing and instead they want to help others. I wanted to help them make that possible.”
More than 1,200 Howard students will be spending a week away in 25 U.S. cities and in Ghana from March 4th through March 11th to provide over 250,000 hours of community service. The students will be mentoring, tutoring, addressing poverty and homelessness, restoring schools and community centers, and tacking social justice, along with a host of other issues. Janiah Bowers is the Executive Student Director of ASB 2023. Janiah is a junior broadcast journalism major. This is her 2nd time participating in ASB. “I just feel like it’s so important for me to go into communities to interact with youth who sometimes feel left out or forgotten. They need to know we see them and we want to give them hope and provide them with the tools for a real future,” said Janiah.
WHUR has been hosting the Helping Hands Radiothon to support ASB since 2005. “The WHUR Radiothon is our extension of continuing efforts to operate within the Howard University motto of ‘Truth and Service.’ If the students can do their part, we can do our part in lending our airwaves to help make their volunteer effort possible,” said WHUR General Manager Sean Plater. We are very proud of our HU students and we are thankful to have the best listeners on planet Earth who time and time again will respond to the call to donate. The Helping Hands Radiothon is another example of our listeners’ generosity,” added Plater.
This year the Howard University Alternative Spring Break (HUASB) program is celebrating 29 years of continued service. Since 1994, HUASB has offered service learning opportunities in marginalized communities around the nation and the world. HUASB has been committed to serving communities in need and involving students in meaningful service projects in order to develop the next generation of servant leaders. The theme this year is #BackToOurRoots #TruthAndServiceForever.
Special thanks to McDonald’s and Truist Bank for their support of Helping Hands. You can still donate to Helping Hands at whur.com. Just click the Helping Hands banner.
