TV2, Kent State University's independent student-run television station, raised more than $4,000 for Akron Children's Hospital through a 25-hour broadcast on Nov. 4, 2017.
The fundraiser was part of ExtraLife, an organization that creates gaming marathons to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. ExtraLife has more than 100,00 members and serves nearly 10 million families across the nation.
The broadcast brought together TV2's news, entertainment and production staff from 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, through 8 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5. The station's18 different shows (which range in content from news, to political satire, to entertainment), plus media partners including Kent State Student Media magazines and KentWired.com staff, played games on air, ranging from video games, to board games to games that involved dance and other physical activity. News cut-ins occurred at 12 p.m., 6 p.m., 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
TV2 set an initial goal of raising $1,000, but ended up raising more than four times that amount. The whole broadcast is available to watch on Facebook Live.
“It is so important to give back to the community,” said TV2 general manager Anna Huntsman, ’19. “TV2 is truly a representation of Portage County, and this is the perfect chance to give back.”