When severe storms brought flooding to communities around Chicagoland’s Fox River, Connoisseur Media’s Star 105.5 (WZSR) partnered with local township officials to coordinate a rapid volunteer response, assisting residents whose homes were threatened.
As conditions worsened, Star morning duo Joe Cicero and Tina Bree used their live and local platform to call on listeners to assist in filling sandbags for neighborhoods in need, with volunteers of all ages arriving to support the effort and local officials crediting the station’s involvement as a critical factor in the initiative’s success.
Cicero stated, “Using our radio station as a megaphone to find people of all ages to step up and fill sandbags to save homes is an amazing thing. Over 16 years on the air as a morning team, we’re always amazed at how people will step up to help others. The immediacy of being able to announce that volunteers are needed – and then seeing people show up – feels great. Radio works when you say you’re live and local, and mean it. This isn’t the first time we’ve rallied residents to help during flooding, but we sure do hope it’s the last.”
Connoisseur Chicago Operations Manager and Star 105.5 PD Gordon Mays remarked, “Local radio is at its best when it brings people together, and that’s exactly what happened here. The response was immediate, overwhelming, and truly inspiring.”
