OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Once a week, public relations expert Ruth Baum Bigus turns into a radio host.
Through a nonprofit called Charitable Communications, she records a weekly radio show named KC Cares which spotlights other nonprofit organizations.
The show airs on Saturdays at 8 a.m. on 1510 AM and 94.5 FM. Every Friday at 10 a.m., a new episode is posted on YouTube and social media. You can also listen to the show on multiple podcast platforms.
“I love talking to people and I love hearing about their passion, why they’re doing what they’re doing, sometimes how they got there,” Baum Bigus explained.
The show is about 10 years old. Baum Bigus said it took on a new meaning during the COVID-19 pandemic as more people found themselves relying on nonprofits for food, rental assistance and more.
The show itself had to switch to a Zoom format. Bobby Keys, who runs a media production company and has been a KC Cares co-host in the past, turns his basement into a studio where he records audio and video components of the show.
“There are more and more people who are caring about the community, That’s awesome. That’s everybody coming together for that common goal, like, ‘Hey, we want an awesome city, we want a clean city, a productive city, a safe city, an educated city, a thriving city.’ And that is the sum of all the parts coming together to create that community,” Keys explained.
Baum Bigus said there are roughly 8,000 nonprofits working in the Kansas City area. KC Cares is a way for the organizations to get exposure for free; reaching a new audience and potentially a new donor base.
Greg Wayne, the cofounder of HopeBUILDERS, was Baum Bigus’ most recent guest. His nonprofit organizes volunteers to make free home repairs and accessibility upgrades at the homes of seniors and people with physical disabilities.
“We’ve served hundreds of clients over the years, which has been very rewarding from one perspective, but it’s really all about helping people be safer and live more comfortably a little longer in their homes,” Wayne explained.
For more information on the radio show, visit its website.
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During the pandemic, 41 Action News wants to spotlight people, organizations and companies helping the community. To share these stories, use #WeSeeYouKSHB on social media.
