In the early morning hours of October 20th, during the 6th hour of the KUCB annual 24 hour pledge drive, two volunteers did a little research and decided to raise our goal higher than the $23,000 that staff was aiming for. Last fall, we broke all of our previous fundraising records when we brought in over $26,000. Josh Good and Mike Hanson decided that we were not only going to meet our total from last year, we were going to shatter it. They scratched out the numbers on our fundraising thermometer and they started raising $30,000. At the close of our drive, we had brought in just over $32,000 — more money than any fundraiser in KUCB history.
Our donors were dedicated Unalaskans who listen to our broadcast every day. We also had donors from as far away as Amerstdam. Our list of members includes former KUCB staff and board members, friends and families of our volunteers, and lots of beloved Unalaska residents, past and present.
There are a few organizations that really stepped up and made our event a success. The Grand Aleutian Hotel and the Norwegian Rat Saloon welcomed volunteers for mobile bidding stations. Unisea Hospitality matched the pledges of every Unisea employee who donated. Alaska Airlines provided a plane ticket for our membership drawing. Several corporations also gave significant cash contributions: Alaska Ship Supply, BKR Construction Services, Mac Enterprises, Ounalashka Corporation and Unisea Hospitality. A listener challenge to members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) made a big difference in our fundraising effort this year. ILWU members contributed 26 memberships totaling more than $4,255.
In addition to being an amazing fundraiser, our pledge drive was a lot of fun. We had DJs switching out every
hour, several live music performances, and even an impromptu puppet show. All of the fun was broadcast live on Channel 8 Television.
A big thank you to our Board of Directors, our volunteers, and the nearly 200 people who contributed in support of community media in Unalaska. We couldn't provide our programs and services without you! Our membership drawing for the round trip Alaska Airlines plane ticket will take place on Wednesday, November 1, at 9 AM on KUCB Radio 89.7 FM.