Giving Hope
In 1952, televisions were just becoming a household fixture, and a group of Louisville parents who had children with cerebral palsy worked with a national organization to launch a new fundraising mechanism in their hometown — a local telethon.
The fundraiser was successful. However, after raising $115,000 and $170,000 respectively for two years, leaders in Louisville were disappointed in the amount of funds that went toward expenses and the national organization.
They wanted to make it local and to give 100% of funds raised back to children in their own communities.
By 1954, volunteers formed a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and WHAS — at the time, a television, radio and newspaper media company — got behind the cause. The effort to support children with identified health care, educational or emotional wellness needs was born in WHAS Crusade for Children.
“In the last 73 years, the umbrella of which Crusade for Children covers has grown and expanded. It began for children with cerebral palsy, but polio was still prevalent, and then there were children in schools that may learn differently than others, and the needs just continued to expand each year,” Dawn Lee, CEO for WHAS Crusade for Children, says.
A group of local ministers came together weekly on the WHAS radio show to host “The Moral Side of the News,” pulling a current news story and discussing it from a moral perspective.
The decision was made for those ministers to serve as a board to manage funding and grant decisions, keeping WHAS and local volunteers out of the equation.
“The Moral Side of the News” hosts still serve as the decision-making board today.
“The decision to leave the ministers in charge of finances truly kept the nonprofit in the hands of the community. Crusade for Children belongs to the community, and I think people feel like they can be a part of it in that way,” Lee says.
The board also interviews each and every one of the approximately 250 applications each year, giving applicants a chance to share their passion and desire for their own organization.
In 1986, the WHAS television, newspaper and radio company sold off separately, creating new ownership of each entity, but each continued supporting the nonprofit.
Each year, a massive telethon was held at Memorial Auditorium with famous and local entertainment. Well-known names got behind the cause, such as Alan Thicke, Diahann Carroll, Florence Henderson and many others.
The funds went toward programs at Central State Hospital, later to become the Children’s Unit, and a rehabilitation center later known as Rauch Rehabilitation Center. Churches, schools, child advocacy nonprofits, day cares, health care organizations and many others have been awarded grants in the thousands of dollars over the decades.
Fire department chiefs began challenging other fire departments, and today, more than 200 departments in Kentucky and Southern Indiana participate in a friendly but very competitive competition and bring in more than half of the funds raised by Crusade for Children each year.
In 2025, WHAS Crusade for Children raised $5.89 million, which resulted in grants to 234 organizations.
Over the years, the format of the annual telethon has changed. Fundraising has changed, too.
“It used to be that people would stop by on that Saturday or Sunday to drop off their donations and deliver funds raised by their businesses or civic groups. Today, it’s really a yearlong fundraising campaign, and a lot of donations have been made electronically. The telethon, while still open and accepting donations, consists of a lot more announcements for totals raised,” Lee says.
This year, on Saturday, June 6, the WHAS Crusade for Children annual telethon will be held at Paristown Hall. They’ll be on air starting at 1:30 p.m., and then on June 7, they’ll move to the television station downtown until 7 p.m. that Sunday evening.
“On Saturday, kids will stop by with their lemonade stand money, the Down Syndrome of Louisville’s Boogie Down Crew will perform, The Miracle Dancers will perform — it’s a variety show with local talent and a ton of fun,” Lee says. “We still have our phone operators come out and answer phone donations, but we also have Venmo, and the fire departments each have their own QR code so people can donate electronically and it goes toward their department’s total.”
Looking back, over the past few years, the Trager Family Jewish Community Center opened the ADA-accessible Blieden Family Playground in the St. Matthews area, thanks to a grant from Crusade for Children.
Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS Capt. Beau Schuster’s son Max was diagnosed with cancer in 2023. Not only did he see signs for equipment in the hospital purchased by WHAS Crusade for Children, but he also received therapy utilizing equipment purchased by the Crusade.
The list goes on and on, but Lee says it’s impossible to choose just one impactful moment over the years. There are thousands of playgrounds and thousands of young men and women WHAS Crusade for Children has supported over the years, and that’s what makes the organization special.
“I think when we see the connections in our own community, it really spurs on the support. Our goal is to return this money back to the community in which it was raised, so you often see Crusade stories, and for each one, you can multiply that by 200,000,” Lee says.
The annual event is quickly approaching, and Lee anticipates another year of amazing things happening for children in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
Regardless of political background, religious affiliation, socioeconomic background or ethnicity, each year, people come together to volunteer and raise funds for their community.
“It’s such a unique event. When I started working here 18 years ago, they told me the telethon is like a big family reunion. You might not have seen each other for a year, but you pick up right where you left off, and it’s just an amazing day,” Lee says. “The community is rooting for us, and it’s like a miracle that happens every June.”
Visit whascrusade.org for more information.
