38th annual telethon raises $148,300

Highland County residents came together March 31 to raise $148,300 for the Highland County Society for Children and Adults.

With less than an hour left to go in the 38th annual event sponsored by the Hillsboro and Greenfield Rotary Clubs, $131,587 had been raised to support area individuals who in need of support for medical expenses.

During the telethon $18,139 was raised in Greenfield alone.

Hillsboro Rotary Club member Rocky Coss said the community turned out in full force to support the society. 

"This is a project of the entire club to reach out into the community," Rocky Coss said. "And the community responded in amazing fashion in my opinion. I was concerned we might go down this year. Last year we went down by about 30 percent from the previous year. I was concerned, but this community never ceases to amaze me. In times like these they were able to reach into their pockets."

A $25,000 donation by the Hillsboro Eagles pushed the number of funds raised over the $100,000 mark in the first two hours of the telethon.

Before the first hour was up, more than $15,000 was raised. In the first hour and a half the total was $39,160.

Hosted by Hillsboro Rotary member Ernie Blankenship, it was announced that $15,940 was raised after the telethon had been on the air for approximately 45 minutes.  

Held from 6-10 p.m. at Merchants Bank in Hillsboro, and at McClain High School in Greenfield, Rotary Club members from Greenfield and Hillsboro were able to surpass the $144,700 collected during the 2009 telethon.

Rocky Coss said a lot of people the society has helped in the past turned out to donate this year. 

"A cub scout, who is about 9 or 10 years old - Jacob Rhonemus - came out and said he won $100 at the fair. We had helped out his family by buying a hearing aide, so he turned around and donated that money to the telethon," he said. "It's stories like that, that touch your heart."

Gayle Coss, executive secretary for the society, thanked Blankenship, who has shaved his head, had pies thrown in his face, and dressed as an Indian all for the sake of the charity, for his dedication to the cause. 

The first telethon, held in 1973, raised $1,715. The 2007 event raised an all-time high of $217,043.
 

 Dale Zornes, Hillsboro Rotary Club president, said he thinks people continue to donate year after year because they know the funds will help people in their community, and could likely go toward helping someone they know.

"I think this is one of the few things we do where all the money stays right here in Highland County," Zornes said. "It helps our neighbors, our friends, our families. Even my mother has been a recipient."

 
Prior to the event, Coss said the telethon is an example of the caliber of people who live in Highland County.
 

"I think it's just part of living in the Midwest," Gayle Coss said. People are such good neighbors and help each other all the time. It's amazing the number of people I have helped who say, 'I used to contribute to this all the time and never thought I'd need help.' They are really grateful there is an organization like ours. As far as we can tell this is the only organization like this in the state. It's pretty rare." 

As the need for assistance increases, the society has begun spending more money each month. 

"We have been spending over $13,000 a month," Gayle Coss said. "That's about $5,000 more a month than we usually have spent over the last few years."

Gayle Coss said that in the past year the society has seen a surge in patients requesting help, as well as people making requests on which the society cannot assist.

"I started keeping track of calls this year," Gayle Coss said. "Before, I just kept track of the people we helped. We're getting a lot of calls from other counties. One of the pledges that we make is that the funds stay here in Highland County. The number of calls are increasing. People are asking for things we can't always help with, like house payments and rent, heating oil, homeowners insurance. We are getting so many more calls now."

The HCSCA assist, "anybody who is a Highland County resident who has medical expenses who doesn't have any other way to pay," Gayle Coss said. "We do have a limit - we can't pay for surgeries - but we will pay for prescriptions, glasses, emergency dental care, hospital beds, wheelchairs. It can be for any age. We have bought special formula for infants, and shoe inserts for people with severe arthritis. The scope of services, within a reasonable cost, is unlimited, and for anyone of any age. But they do have to be a resident of Highland County."

The 2010 poster child for the event was Easton Williams, who is 13 months old and has cerebral palsy, and is the son of Rachel Williams and Joshua Williams, both of Hillsboro. The telethon’s adult representative this year is Gary Green of Greenfield. 

Rocky Coss said that with the funds raised March 31, the society should be able to continue helping Highland County residents for years to come. 

"It was very important for the community to respond this year," Rocky Coss said. "As Gayle said, the society is spending about $13,000 a month now, and the money we had raised won't sustain that. We have a reserve to carry us for a couple of more years. As a board (for the society) we haven't put a cap on anything. The need is there and we'll help as long as we have the money. What happened tonight - the generosity of the community - will keep us going for many years."