On Sunday, senior Olivia Turnage hosted a televised event on Rocky Mount’s local station: WHIG TV. The event was held to promote and raise money for the Christian Fellowship Home for Men located in downtown Rocky Mount. This organization is a largely positive presence in our community as they help rehabilitate men struggling with addiction to get help they need, in the form of counseling and job searching, so that they can support themselves and eventually get back on their feet.

The telethon featured multiple speakers from the community including longtime Rocky Mount Academy supporter and former member of the North Carolina Board of Transportation, Tom Betts. Mr. Betts spoke about his personal experience with addiction and the importance of group recovery, a program which the Christian Fellowship Home features. In another portion of the program, part of Rocky Mount Academy’s chorus, including Anna Scott Wingfield, Anna Penwell, Alexis Reams, Bhavisha Gulabrai, Averi Parker, and Vivian Rogers, performed “Salute to the Armed Forces”. This song honored the many veterans that the organization supports and encompassed all branches of the military in its message of thankfulness. Over the three hours that the telethon aired, viewers were encouraged to donate to the organization for the upkeep of their food pantry and other aspects of their community presence. At the end of the show, over $14,000 had been raised for the Christian Fellowship Home.

All in all, the telethon was an extremely successful event due to the demonstrated need and the community’s support. RMA’s presence was an enjoyable sight to see in a setting which directly benefitted our area. The representation of our school only testifies to its commitment to helping our community not only on campus, but outside of the walls of Rocky Mount Academy.