News of the Arroyo
Title: | Commuters brave rain to give to tsunami relief |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-01-11 |
Summary: | January 11, 2005 - As the rain poured down, concerned local residents flocked to the Rose Bowl to make contributions for South Asia tsunami relief. |
Author: | Lisa Lambert, Correspondent |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | Monday, January 10, 2005 - PASADENA -- Radio station employees and American Red Cross volunteers collected donations for South Asia tsunami relief in a Rose Bowl parking lot Monday as torrents of muddy water raced through the Arroyo Seco flood-control channel a few feet way. Commuters drove up and handed over everything from a couple of dollars to much larger amounts in cash, checks or credit cards. Because the unrelenting rain seemed to be keeping many donors away, the drive-in fund-raiser closed around 2 p.m., seven hours earlier than scheduled. Up and down the dial, Infinity Broadcasting\'s eight area radio stations encouraged drivers to stop by the Rose Bowl to give money. All proceeds went to the American Red Cross, which wants to amass $400 million to aid victims of the tidal wave that ravaged Asia last month. Visiting Parking Lot F, which oldie-station KRTH disc jockeys kidded stood for \"Flood,\' was only one option. Modern rockers KROQ hosted an online auction, and Knott\'s Berry Farm held a similar drive-through. Peter Ho, general manager of the Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao, squeezed under a tent canopy and presented the Red Cross with a check for more than $57,000. The Alhambra-based paper published a full-page ad requesting donations from readers the day after the tsunami. In the morning, KRTH disc jockey \"Shotgun\' Tom Kelly greeted drivers and gave away prizes. \"I\'ll come up to you and take your order, baby,\' Kelly said. Altruism wasn\'t his only motivation. \"I like to get near the heaters in their cars,\' he joked. Angie Turner, chief executive officer for the American Red Cross of the San Gabriel Valley, said it will use some of the funds to help vaccinate 22 million children in the devastated countries. \"The fact is that it hit the poorest parts of the world, they need all the help,\' said Kathy Delgado of KRTH. Red Cross volunteer Gayle Theilacker ran up to cars with a red donation box. She wore a plastic poncho in the pounding rain. \"We\'ve gotten a lot of checks,\' she said. \"I hope the ink doesn\'t run on them.\' |
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