Blankenship ready for 40th annual Telethon

With a microphone in one hand and a bell in the other, Ernie Blankenship, veteran emcee of the Annual Hillsboro/Greenfield Rotary Telethon to benefit the Highland County Society for Children and Adults, will take to the airwaves for the 38th time on Wednesday, March 28. And he's hoping to break some records.

Blankenship said that he comes out each year, and for four and a half hours on live television and radio, he asks the people of Highland County to give to their neighbors who are struggling to meet the mounting expenses of uncovered healthcare. 

"I do it because you're helping people. You're helping the little ones, who otherwise wouldn't have this kind of help," Blankenship said.

Believed to be the only organization of its kind, the Highland County Society for Children and Adults helps fill in the gaps of coverage of insurance companies, Medicare or Medicaid. The organization helps families and individuals pay for medical equipment, prescriptions or gas to doctor appointments. 

The telethon is the organization's only fundraiser and provides 99 percent of the funds to get it through the year. The 39th Annual Telethon raised approximately $120,000. During the 2010 telethon, the society raised $148,300. The first telethon, held in 1973, raised $1,715. The 2007 event raised an all-time high of $217,043.

As the funds begin to pour in throughout the telethon, Blankenship rings a handheld bell to signify major donations and to encourage additional contributions. To help spur along would-be donors, he has even shaved his head on the air to help reach fundraising goals and to break records. 

"This is the 40th year for it, and I only missed two, at the very start," Blankenship said. "This will be 38 years I've done it." 

Even though he has hosted so many times, Blankenship said he still gets nervous before they hit the airwaves. 

"I'm scared, just like anybody else," Blankenship said. "But when you enjoy something - and in my case, it's nice to be around young people like that. So I keep doing it, to help raise money to help them. We agreed to take care of them, and by golly, we should get that done." 

Blankenship said that he intends to keep hosting for as long as he can.

"It all depends on how my health is. I've got some grandkids, and they're really fun for me, and the reason I retired from a lot of activities, so I can watch them participate in their own events. But they like the telethon."

The telethon has been able to help thousands of people in the last 40 years, Blankenship said, and he believes that is has also brought attention to the Highland County community.

"We've been able to draw people to the Hillsboro area," Blankenship said. "I've met a lot of people who just walked up and put money in the pledge box. We get together, and we know we have to try to do this. We've not found any other city that can raise that much money in that short amount of time. People here care. They live here, and they care and help out one another. They don't have to do it, but they go and get it done." 

The 40th Annual Hillsboro/Greenfield Rotary Telethon to benefit the Highland County Society for Children and Adults will be held Wednesday, March 28 at NCB in Hillsboro and at McClain High School in Greenfield, starting at 6:30 p.m. with the children's hour. The Greenfield portion will last until 9 p.m., with the event going until 10 p.m. in Hillsboro. The event will be aired on the Hillsboro Public Access station, GCTV-3 in Greenfield and heard on Lite 97.5 WVNU and 105.5 in Hillsboro. 

"We're thankful for this great community, the great Rotary Clubs in Hillsboro and Greenfield, and the great participation," Blankenship said. "You're talking about raising (over 40 years) $3 million that stays right here in the community. Those are big bucks. We hope to break last year's record, and I really would like to see us break our all-time record. It is so important to raise money for this organization and the people they help."