Washington Adventist University’s WGTS 91.9 Radio Teams with Salvation Army to Benefit DC Children

Takoma Park, MD (December 11, 2015) Washington Adventist University’s WGTS 91.9 radio station staff is working with the Salvation Army this Christmas season to provide gifts for children in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

On Friday, December 4, the WGTS team broadcast live from Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, Virginia, giving listeners a chance to buy gifts for specific children included in the Angel Tree program. In the course of the four-hour broadcast, gifts were purchased at the mall for nearly 100 children, and many more were taken care of online through the WGTS website.

“Partnering with WGTS, we saw more children taken care of in four hours than we normally see in four days. We’re so grateful for their support,” said Salvation Army Captain Robin Hackbarth.

“It was so moving to see listeners being so generous with their gift-giving. This is really what partnering with our community is all about – bringing generous people with big hearts together with children who are in need,” said WGTS community engagement director Jitesh Ram.

Throughout the course of the Christmas season, the Salvation Army’s goal is to meet the needs of 14,000 children, and WGTS 91.9 is helping the organization meet that goal.

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Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. Approximately 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s nine graduate and 31 undergraduate programs. The 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north.

Media Contact:
Jerry Woods, 301-891-4200 (day); 240-372-6476 (evening)

Attached photo: Spending the afternoon interacting with radio listeners who were bringing gifts for DC children were (from left to right) Salvation Army area commander Major Lewis Reckline, WGTS AM Show Producer Spencer White, Morning show co-host Blanca Vega, two Salvation Army volunteers, WGTS Morning Show Host Jerry Woods, and Salvation Army Media Director Ken Forsythe.