A Most Festive FESTIVAL in NC!
North Carolina EastEnders fans are celebrating the unexpected success of our recent night of fundraising for local PBS station, UNC-TV. Known as FESTIVAL, this yearly pledge drive is a major source of funding for the station and determines the content and quality of programming. Since EastEnders is one of the most expensive shows on PBS, UNC-TV relies on fans to support the program via donations and volunteerism. Our rabid NC EE fan base is happy to comply!
For the 14th consecutive year, our three NC EE fan clubs filled the UNC-TV studios with volunteers to appear on-air and answer the phones as viewers called in their contributions. Club president Dave Horne and club members Claire Meyerhoff and Emilie de Luca served as presenters, along with UNC-TV VIPs, Diane Lucas and Julia Carpenter. EastEnders Night has become a revered tradition at UNC-TV, and we’re welcomed back each year as conquering heroes! While we’ve come to expect a sufficient degree of success to ensure the renewal of the show, total contributions vary from year to year, especially given current economic conditions and the difficulty raising money in general for the arts. To think that an obscure (to most U.S. TV viewers) late night British soap opera could inspire continual generous support and unwavering loyalty is truly remarkable. Yet, despite the odds, NC fans managed to raise the second largest sum in our long history of fundraising for EastEnders!
At the beginning of EastEnders Night, UNC-TV challenged us to reach $35,000 in pledges. We accomplished that well before the midnight deadline and then raced to a final tally of $40,860! (The only year we exceeded that was in 2006, with $47,347.) It would be impossible to convey the energy and excitement in the studios that night and the heartfelt response of the UNC-TV staff. These words from Director and General Manager, Tom Howe, express their sentiments:
“What a pleasure it was to welcome the North Carolina EastEnders Fan Club back to our studios for FESTIVAL 2011. The EastEnders pledge night has become a welcome and cherished tradition here at UNC-TV, and your volunteer team was as enthusiastic and dedicated as ever. It was a wonderful evening for North Carolina public television…
…I extend to you my profound appreciation for the Club’s generous financial contribution to this critical fundraising campaign. I hope you know how meaningful your partnership and friendship are to us here at UNC-TV. It is difficult to adequately express how grateful we are for everything you do. Your ongoing support is a source of tremendous encouragement to all of us…
…EastEnders fans are a special breed, and we are very fortunate to have such a vibrant and enthusiastic club supporting North Carolina’s statewide public television network.”
EastEnders fans are, indeed, a special breed, and we know that every reader of The Walford Gazette will identify with our experience and join us in a “virtual celebration”!
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