Two and a half days may seem like a very short time to the average person; however, Marc Denson, freshman Broadcasting major, would say that those 55- hours were the hardest and longest of his life.
“[On a scale of 1 to 5 of difficulty], I would say that my 55-hour shift was a four out of five.”
Denson lasted 55-hours straight on the radio during WLRA’s “To Kill a DJ” fundraiser. “To Kill a DJ” challenges Lewis broadcasting students to go the distance to raise money for Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital and their Family Assistance Fund. It is a bi-annual event in which DJs go on-air for a minimum of six hours, uninterrupted, with some choosing to go longer.
Along with Lewis Nursing students’ fundraiser “Change for Children,” a total of $37,000 has been raised for the Family Assistance Fund, and $2,600 was raised from this spring alone. As stated on the WLRA Web site, “the Fund provides practical assistance to patient families who, through no fault of their own, are suffering severe hardship due to an unexpected illness and either social or economic deprivation. More specifically, the funds go towards paying for such things as critical prescriptions for children, overnight lodging, clothing and groceries when these items are sorely needed.”
So, how did Denson survive those 55 hours??
“There were quite a few things I did to stay awake,” Denson said. “One was to just keep busy, whether it be eating, drinking something, walking around or just throwing a tennis ball around. Also, everyone that came into the studio to keep me awake helped a lot, especially when they would come at the hardest times of my shift. Blasting the music in the studio was also a big key to me staying awake.”
It will take a great contender to beat Denson’s record, but, if it does happen, Denson is willing to take the challenge again.
“If someone beats my record, I would most likely do it again, if I had the time to do it, because I like to be competitive and give people more to strive for.”
Congratulations to Denson and the entire WLRA staff. For more information on WLRA, visit their Web site at www.wlraradio.com.
Amanda Foresta, Staff Writer
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