(Louisville, Ky.) April 19, 2017 — Longtime Louisville resident, local FASTSIGNS owner, and devoted WHAS Crusade for Children supporter Susan Cilone has been appointed to the Crusade Endowment Board.
The Crusade Endowment was established in 2002 to provide a perpetual source of operational funds, guaranteeing that 100% of the WHAS Crusade for Children’s annual donations continue to go directly to services and programs that support special needs children.
“I grew up in Louisville,” said Cilone. “Although I moved away when I went to college, I returned with my husband, Sam, to open our first FASTSIGNS center. The first banner we made in our new business was a donation for the 1994 Crusade for Children live telethon which aired the weekend after our grand opening.”That banner proved to be the start of a 23 year relationship with the Cilone family, their FASTSIGNS centers, and the WHAS Crusade for Children. Over the years, the support the Cilones provided to the Crusade grew as their experience and business grew, either advising the Crusade on visual marketing materials, volunteering in person or supporting other volunteers’ fundraising efforts. This has included signs, banners, vehicle decals, custom awards, telethon backdrops, tote boards or any other graphic communications support needed.
The Cilones’ support of the WHAS Crusade for Children extends to their two local FASTSIGNS centers now and even their employees, who can often be found either setting up signs or volunteering for events. It’s become a matter of company pride to be a Crusade partner.
“Although we have supported the Crusade in too many ways to count, serving on the Crusade Endowment Board will be special,” said Cilone. “When my son attended his first telethon at age 7, he was both inspired and worried, because he understood the benefits but worried about the many more children he knew would need support in the future.”
“My brother, Dan Miller, had that same concern, and when he served as the Crusade executive director he worked tirelessly to secure the Crusade’s future by proposing the endowment and getting approval by the board of directors,” she said.
Like so much of the WHAS Crusade for Children, the Crusade Endowment exists and flourishes because of the many volunteers who have supported it from its inception. For Susan Cilone, as with so many before her, it’s not just a cause her family supports: Crusaders are a family of supporters.
Cilone’s first official board meeting will be June 29 and will run for a three year term.
That won’t affect the Cilones’ involvement in fundraising efforts, though. For the past 20 years, FASTSIGNS® of Louisville, KY - Downtown has been an official sponsor of the Triple Crown of Running in addition to the banners, signs and awards regularly provided by the centers.
“Our team at FASTSIGNS brings the same level of expertise to the Crusade that we do for every business we serve, and we all enjoy honoring the volunteers — the unsung heroes — who make the Crusade such a success,” said Cilone. “We believe that the Crusade is the heart of this community and our community is the heart of the WHAS Crusade for Children.”
The Cilones have been serving local businesses and organizations in the area for 23 years, from their first location on Fern Valley Road and later from their second location on Taylorsville Road. Both locations are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Fern Valley Road center can be reached at 502-969-7002 or 202@fastsigns.com. The Taylorsville Road location can be reached at (502) 706-4686 or 202@fastsigns.com.
The WHAS Crusade for Children raises money to fund schools, hospitals and agencies that serve special needs children. The Crusade was started in 1954 by WHAS TV and Radio and is still supported by both companies. It is one of the longest running and most successful local telethons in the country. Last year, over $5 million was granted in two states to serve children with special needs.