Milwaukee TV station assists with hurricane relief

WISN-TV in Milwaukee partnered with the American Red Cross to hold the “WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive” to provide critical support for people devastated by Hurricane Helene. Through the generosity of viewers and corporate contributions, $144,248 was collected to help communities following the record-setting, deadly storm.

“The death and destruction from Helene is heartbreaking, leaving destruction and the lives of so many others totally upended,” said Jan Wade, president and general manager of WISN 12. “We wanted to do whatever we could to help, and immediately partnered with the local Red Cross and our generous viewers to raise much needed funds.”

The station launched the drive on Sept. 27 with online donations to the Red Cross. On Oct. 2 the station hosted a phone bank from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Along with the generosity of viewers across southeastern Wisconsin, matching donations were delivered by companies including Sargento offering $20,000 and the WE Energies Foundation offering $10,000. WISN 12 also contributed $1,000 for the recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“It’s extremely touching to see communities here at home helping other communities across the country,” Wade said. “Whenever people are in need, no matter where they are, Wisconsin’s right there with them.”

The drive is the 6th relief drive that the station has hosted since 2017. Previous relief drives helped those impacted by Hurricanes Harvey (2017), Irma (2017), Florence (2018), Ida (2021) and Ian (2022). To date, the relief drives have raised $690,255 for the American Red Cross. WISN 12 and the American Red Cross stand ready to host another ‘WISN 12 Hurricane Relief Drive’ after Hurricane Milton hits.