The Catskill Chronicle

Story and photos by Carol Montana

Callicoon, NY – Last year on Saturday, August 22, over $64,000 was raised in the first-ever Home of the Free Because of the Brave Radiothon held at the Sullivan County International Airport. One hundred volunteers participated by answering phones, tallying pledges, putting out food, organizing and entertaining. 

This year, the event is taking place over two days – Saturday and Sunday, August 28 and 29 – at a new location, the Villa Roma Resort and Country Club.

The Radiothon, which will once again be broadcast on Thunder 102, was started by Ray McCarthy who saw the need to help the families of the veterans who were killed or disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan. McCarthy and several other people started the Sullivan County Committee for the Families of Iraqi and Afghanistan War Veterans, a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization.

Since the Radiothon will take up twice as much time as last year, and since McCarthy wants to raise twice the money, he’s putting out the call for twice the number of volunteers – 200 to be precise.

Treasurer of the organization, Irene O’Leary, needs volunteers “to tally pledge cards, to log them onto our computers, to make out invoices for those who have called in their pledges.” She also needs a few people who are proficient in Microsoft Excel, since the best way to keep track of the pledges is to enter them into an Excel spreadsheet. If you’d like to be a financial volunteer, call Irene at 845-583-5252 or e-mail her at Irene@familiesofwarvets.org.

Telephone coordinator, Ron Borella, is looking for people to take a one-hour time slot and answer phones. “If they’re a member of a group, they could bring their membership list with them and call some of their members …,” says Borella. “I need 90 volunteers a day. People can take two time slots or sign up for both days. We’ll be needing people from 8:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.” And there are perks that go along with volunteering, cajoles Borella. “In return we’ll feed you breakfast, we’ll feed you lunch and you can use the pools at the Villa Roma, a beautiful place.”

Borella suggests you call soon to get your choice of “any time slot you wish.” He can be contacted at 845-583-7488 or         e-mail him at rborella@earthlink.net.

For general information about the Radiothon or the Sullivan County Committee for the Families of Iraqi and Afghanistan War Veterans, call Ray McCarthy at 845-794-0060.