WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly & Justina Kruser take part in the Children’s Miracle Network Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Florida. Both celebrating Kelly’s twins, Aiden & Olivia, who were born premature at Duke Children’s Hospital, a CMN Hospital.
WRAL-FM Asst Program Director/Music Director Jim Kelly and WRAL-FM Promotions Coordinator Justina Kruser recently traveled to Disney, for work. The pair attended the annual Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) conference, representing MIX 101.5 to learn ways improving the station’s annual Radiothon for Duke Children’s Hospital, which is a CMN Hospital. The event took place at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
The event was an opportunity to network with hospitals, corporate sponsors, other radio and TV people as well as CMN Champion families from across the country.
“We met some pretty amazing kids,” said Kelly. “One of my favorites was a young man named Isaiah. He was born without a lower jaw, so he is unable to speak among many other things. He is now 18, I believe, and he is a rapper. He doesn’t actually do the rapping but he put the words to paper and someone asked a musician/rapper from around his hometown to put the words to a beat. Pretty powerful stuff. To think this kid had so much to say that he just had to get it out to the world somehow. I couldn’t help but think of my son, Aiden, and all the stuff he has locked in his mind that he wants to say and will hopefully get out one day.”
Kelly’s twins, Aiden and Olivia, were born at Duke Children’s Hospital in 2004, several months premature. Aiden has cerebral palsy as a result of his early birth. Kelly shares about his own experience each year during Radiothon.
During the CMN conference Kelly hosted a segment of “An Evening of Celebration.” The show is a night of giving out awards to Corporate Sponsors, Media and Hospitals for the hard work they have done through the year and the money they have raised for their local CMN Hospital. Kelly and Kruser got to see celebrities like Marie Osmond, John Schneider and CMT’s Cody Allen who also participated in the celebration.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly hosts a segment of “An Evening of Celebration” at the 2017 Children’s Miracle Network Conference.
Kelly and Kruser both gave the event high marks for being inspiring and great learning tool.
“One of the things I enjoyed, beyond the whole ‘Radiothon’ experience of it, was getting a behind the scenes look at Disney with their Disney Institute Training,” said Kelly. “Justina and I took the class called ‘Approach to Quality Service.’ They have more than 90 years of world-renowned customer service. I can’t think of many, if any, companies that do it better than Disney. Just amazing to listen to all the things they do to make sure that families have a great time at their parks. A lot of cool ideas to bring back and try to implement in day to day work here at the radio station whether behind the scenes, on the air or out on location.”
The 2017 MIX 101.5 Radiothon for Duke Children’s Hospital will take place this December.
Thanks to WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly & the Children’s Miracle Network for these capcom photos.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly & Justina Kruser take part in the Children’s Miracle Network Conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Florida. Both celebrating Kelly’s twins, Aiden & Olivia, who were born premature at Duke Children’s Hospital, a CMN Hospital.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly honors his children, Aiden and Olivia, as he takes part in “An Evening of Celebration” at the 2017 Children’s Miracle Network Conference.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly hosts a segment of “An Evening of Celebration” at the 2017 Children’s Miracle Network Conference.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly hosts a segment of “An Evening of Celebration” at the 2017 Children’s Miracle Network Conference.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly hosts a segment of “An Evening of Celebration” at the 2017 Children’s Miracle Network Conference.
WRAL-FM’s Jim Kelly (left) presents an award as he hosts a segment of “An Evening of Celebration” at the 2017 Children’s Miracle Network Conference.
