JR4OT Press Release notes the huge success of the WHTJ Charity Event!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Stephanie Sokenis
516-932-8656
Email: Info@JR4OT.org
WELCOME HOME TO JERICHO CHARITY EVENT
BRINGS IN OVER $5K FOR MILITARY MEMBERS
AND THEIR FAMILIES
JR4OT cites unbelievable fan, cast, and crew participation for success of the L.A. ‘family-style’ reunion
(Jericho, NY) Welcome Home to Jericho: A Charity Event, hosted at the Sportsmen Lodge in Studio City, CA April 24-26th, raised over $5,000 for military troops and their families — thanks to the big hearts and incredible participation of die-hard fans, as well as cast and crew members, of the twice-canceled-but-still-alive serial post-apocalyptic drama Jericho.
That’s according to Jericho Rangers for our Troops (JR4OT), acting as host on behalf of Operation Homefront’s Southern California Chapter, which focused its fundraising efforts on benefiting the families, more specifically, the children of deployed troops needing assistance with school supplies.
Designed to bring together fans and some of the show’s cast, writers, producers, and crew in a “family-style’ reunion, the Welcome Home to Jericho event raised a total of $5,378 to assist members of the military, whom have so clearly captured the hearts of Jericho fans worldwide.
Most of those funds were raised through an auction featuring memorabilia from the Jericho set, donated CDs and other signed paraphernalia from the musical group Five for Fighting (whose music graced Jericho episodes), autographs from professionals associated with the show, and various other items of interest. Also, in an effort to complement the event’s fundraising goals, several fans created a best-of-Jericho cookbook, with sales proceeds also going to further support the efforts of Operation Homefront.
“It is a testament to Jericho and the incredible, tightly-bonded community it’s created that 23 cast and crew members chose to participate in this event and join us in recognizing the sacrifices made by our military members and their families,” said Stephanie Sokenis, President of JR4OT. “We are grateful to these extraordinarily busy and successful professionals, headed by show ‘patriarch’ Gerald McRaney, for their interest and active participation. It only reaffirms to fans that our love for the show and all the people associated with it is well-placed and very much merited.”
Also participating in the Welcome Home to Jericho event were the Color Guard and guest speaker Lieutenant Colonel Martin Spann, Operations Officer, from the 311th Expeditionary Support Command of the US Army Reserve. Operation Homefront’s Southern California Chapter President Jae Marciano also attended and helped showcase images from the Homefront Project by artist Linnea Lenkus.
“Jericho Rangers for Our Troops is proud to be a part of a special TV community called Jericho, made up of never-say-die fans, caring professionals from the TV drama itself, and other military-supporting organizations, committed to a sustained showing of compassion and humanitarianism on behalf of troops,” said Steve Wood, Veteran and Vice President of JR4OT. “This L.A. event was a humbling experience, and it demonstrated the same kind of values, such as friendship, teamwork, and love, that were so embraced and admired as part of this phenomenal TV show.”
Though canceled twice by CBS, Jericho is currently airing in reruns on Sunday nights on The CW Network and in various marathon formats on networks such as the Sci-Fi Channel. Plans are already underway with Devils Due Publishing for Jericho’s story to continue in the form of a graphic novel, this in addition to a Jericho movie being in the talks.
With the conclusion of Welcome Home to Jericho: A Charity Event, the show’s fans have now donated over $40,000 in total to philanthropic endeavors in the past three years to benefit members of the military, food banks, and victims of disaster. Those efforts include $8,400 raised over the past two Christmas seasons to ship 320 DVDs to troops overseas, the purchase of over 500 jars of peanut butter for the Kansas Food Bank, and approximately $20,667 donated to victims of devastating tornadoes in Greensburg, Kansas. In addition to worldwide fan participation in these efforts, children’s groups such as www.Jericho4Kids.com and a Boca Raton, Florida middle school class also joined in the efforts to raise funds for our military.
For more information about:
The Welcome Home To Jericho Event:
News on Jericho, www.savejerichoagain.com.
Jericho Fan Community and Forum
http://boards.nbcuni.com/universalHD/index.php?showforum=29
For more information about JR4OT, Inc. www.jr4ot.org
To further support the efforts of Operation Homefront, please contact Southern California Chapter President, Jae Marciano at
866-424-5210 or on the web at www.operationhomefront.net/socal
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