Radiothon Breaks Tradition, Airs Tuesday

The 34th annual Fulton County Heart Radiothon is Tuesday, Feb. 12.

For years, the radiothon was held on the Thursday before Valentine's Day. But a quirk in the 2008 calendar and a move by the Ohio High School Athletic Association pushed the annual event to Tuesday, Feb. 12.

"The boys and girls basketball schedule got shifted," Rich Batdorf, a member of the radiothon's board of directors said.

"We're running into the girls sectional basketball tournament, as opposed to the regular season. The OHSAA backed up the season a week, because Easter is early this year." he said.

The board decided to stay away from Wednesday, he said, because Wednesday is traditionally church night in Fulton County.

2008 Goal

The goal this year is $27,380, just $20 more than 2007.

Two of the largest allocations in the budget are $6,800 for the Teen Tickers program and $4,000 for community blood screening.

Teen Tickers, done in conjunction with the Fulton County Health Center, uses fingerstick blood tests to screen high school freshmen and seniors across the county, looking for dangerous levels of cholesterol.

Another $5,250 is allocated to Fulton County rescue squads. The money will be used to match grants to upgrade defibrillators, which provide life-saving jolts of electricity to shock hearts back into regular rhythms.

FCHC

The Fulton County Health Center is in line for a total of $5,970.

Of that, $4,000 will go for continuing education for FCHC critical care nurses, plus $1,000 for cardiovascular equipment for the cardiac rehabilitation department.

Another $380 will be used to purchase two adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation mannequins, plus $190 for two baby CPR mannequins.

Fairlawn Haven and Fulton Manor each get $250 for heart- related equipment.

Pledges

While donations are down, Batdorf said the county schools have stepped up their support.

The radiothon starts at 6 am, and goes all day.

"It's a great day of community support," Batdorf said.