FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): The 74th annual WOWO Penny Pitch radiothon will take place live at Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne on December 9th and 10th.
The annual fundraiser for 501(c)3 nonprofits in northeast Indiana will benefit GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers in Fort Wayne this year. The organization plans to use Penny Pitch funding toward its Career Development program GiGi U, as well as the Genesis Health Bar, which offers GiGi U students the opportunity to get hands-on experience working with customers directly.
Funds will go toward expanding both of those programs through the purchase of a 15-passenger multipurpose van to transport GiGi’s Ambassadors to and from the Health Bar, GiGi U, and other career opportunities, as well as staffing drivers for the van.
“After you get out of high school, if you have an intellectual disability, there’s not a lot of options (for work) at all,” founding board member Cindy Atkinson says. “(Our) ultimate goal is to be able to pay our adults who have graduated – which we call our Ambassadors – at least a minimum wage, if not higher, while they’re working (with us).”
This year’s radiothon will run from 5am to 6pm both days, with special editions of Fort Wayne’s Morning News and the Pat Miller Program taking place at Sweetwater. WOWO will also be accepting donations online at WOWO.com/penny-pitch and will be holding an online auction, found within the Penny Pitch landing page and also at this link.
The online auction features prizes such as dinner with WOWO personalities, Fort Wayne Komets tickets, a Purdue Fort Wayne/Fort Wayne Mad Ants suite combo, a day with the Fort Wayne Police Dept. SWAT team, and a 30-minute “discovery flight” in a Cirrus SR20 aircraft.
