Heart of Lebanon

Radio Listeners Show Heart for Lebanese Ministry

ASHEVILLE, N.C., July 14, 2009 – 518 listeners of Christian radio station 106.9 the Light had a special opportunity on Tuesday to show support for children in the Middle Eastern country of Lebanon. For the third year in a row, 106.9 the Light partnered with Heart for Lebanon, a ministry based in the country’s capital, Beirut, to help provide 143 Christian scholarships for children in the war-torn nation.

“In Beirut, a good elementary education is tough to come by” said Jim Kirkland, Director of Blue Ridge Broadcasting, which operates 106.9 the Light. “Our goal was to once again show our love for children in Beirut by helping their families provide them a strong education with a Christian foundation.”

106.9 the Light dedicate six and a half hours of airtime to discuss the need in Lebanon and encourage support of the ministry, while volunteers staffed phones. The founder of Heart for Lebanon, Camille Melki, was in the 106.9 the Light’s studio communicating live about the scholarship program’s benefits.

Heart for Lebanon’s scholarship project provides money for children in Lebanon from various religious and social backgrounds to go to school. This year’s goal is for listeners to support part of the education of 100 children for a year. The project is a true partnership in that a third of the annual cost, $600, will come from listeners while the parents cover a third, and another third comes from the schools. Last year, listeners pledged support for 135 scholarships for children.

Tuesday’s effort was 106.9 the Light’s second fundraiser of the year to benefit a foreign country. In February, listeners provided support toward a Christian radio station project in Estonia that will transmit its signal into neighboring Russia.

For more information about 106.9 the Light’s ministry, contact Jim Kirkland, Director of Radio, at 828.285.8477.

#          #          #