The office was buzzing; students and volunteers anxiously geared up for what promised to be a busy night at Adventist Information Ministry (AIM) on Fri., Feb. 11. AIM was asked to answer phones for the telethon, Hope in Tragedy, that would air simultaneously on 3ABN and the Hope Channel. Proceeds would benefit mission work in tsunami-effected areas. The show, hosted by Mark Finley, was broadcast from Silver Spring, Md. A total of 27 staff, students, and volunteers gave up Fri. night activities to answer phones and receive donations.

Located on the Andrews University campus, AIM is the central call center and coupon-processing service for Seventh-day Adventist media outreach in the North American Division. AIM answers calls on behalf of programs such as It is Written and Amazing Facts.

Calls started coming in at 9:30 p.m., and phones didn’t stop ringing until past midnight, even though the program went off the air at 11 p.m. By the end of the evening, over $83,000 was raised.

“Working as a volunteer at AIM for the tsunami fund-raiser was fun!” said Cami Cress, a volunteer. “Generous folks just kept calling, offering what they could. For some it was like the widow’s mite, yet every bit added up to over $83,000 in just two hours! Being a part of this fund-raiser was a blessing to others, but also to me.”

Beverly Stout, University Relations Lake Union Herald correspondent